Chemicals Used to ID Date of Worn Coins

[stefen]

Any tried and true methods to ID dates of worn coins without damaging or destroying the coin?

Tried vinegar with no success...


Clarify: To be used to recover the date for a Flying Eagle cent...(possibly a 1856 vintage )

 

[DigginThePast]

Only thing I know of is Nic-A-Date for use on nickels.

Other coins?

Voodoo maybe?

 

[stefen]

Thanks for the recommendation.

To make a date visible, a chemical could be caustic and leave some visible damage...

So I decided to research what its all about and here's what I found out from an Advertizement for Nic-A-Date:

"One drop of Nic-A-Date will temporarily restore the date on one nickel. Repeating the process may be necessary to ensure this temporary restoration. This product will leave an etched mark on your coin.

Please note that cleaning coins may decrease their value. We advise you to contact a numismatic professional prior to using any chemical or cleaning product on a coin. If assured that using the product will not adversely impact the coin, follow the instructions precisely and exercise extreme caution."

 

[DigginThePast]

Oh, possibly an 1856 Flying Eagle. Just send that to me and I'll see what I can do. To show my good faith I'll send you two shiny new cent pieces back, double your money!

The Nic-A-Date seems to most often be used on dateless Buffalo nickels. It does leave some damage but value can't really be lost on a coin like that (dateless Buffalo). A Flying Eagle is a whole different story.

 

[stefen]

Need your address so I can forward the FE/Cent exchange

It happens that an extremely worn 1856 Flying Eagle is worth around $7000...

Right now its an 1856 placeholder...

I could have it slabbed but not sure if they would raise the date to make the appraisal...costs around $15 to find that the coin is absolutely worthless or possibly a down payment on a yaught, uh, big boat

 

[DigginThePast]

Maybe contact one of the big slabbers, see what their thoughts are as far as pulling a date (if they have a technique) and what the costs are. Never hurts to ask.

 

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

Offer the story of your discovery of the rare coin to a publisher
and they will have it slabbed to fact check the story. If they cancel
the story it is not 1856. siegfried schlagrule

 

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

Second option. Ask a major dealer to look at it and ask if it is worth $50
to them. If they say yes send it off for slab and then sell it. siegfried schlagrule