Cleaning a 77 indian

[mainer]

hey guys I dug a 1877 indian head penny today. I know its a key date. Is there any way to clean up some of the dirt on it without losing the value? Or am I better off to leave it alone? Thank you.

 

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[mxh5891]

Better safe then sorry. Maybe some warm water and a tooth pick to get some dirt clumps off. But I wouldn't scrub anything. You can do more harm cleaning it.

 

[Iron Patch]

You're making a bad choice right off the start asking that question and not even showing a picture.

 

[Loco-Digger]

A toothpick and the dirt can still damage the coin. I was told to use a green rose thorn after soaking the IH in warm soapy water.. I have not done anything so far.

 

[Tuberale]

I'd vote to veto the clean. Too valuable a coin to risk.

 

[digger460]

Congrats on the find! Let's see a pic.

 

[Nitric]

If your sure it's an 1877! I wouldn't touch it! That is the holy grail of indian heads! Maybe even of all small cents!

Great find!!

I have an 1867 that my Great Grandfather left me, when I was a kid,I peeled out of it's holder, I thought I'd clean it with baking soda,scrubbed it down so it was all nice and shiny, glued it to paper for a school project, that I glued other coins to, too. It makes me sick to look at it to this day! 30 some years later!

It's tempting to clean them.....I know! You'll be sorrrrrrryyyyyy!

 

[digging440yrs]

If it were me, I would sit it on a napkin and leave it be for a week--let it dry out and see what it looks like then----great find

 

[BARKER]

Hi; We can not make an accurate assessment without a picture of both sides of the coin. That's like cutting a diamond without seeing the stone. Don't Clean it AT ALL. Post the pictures ok. PEACE:RONB

 

[jeff of pa]

yea I know what I would do if it has a Crust on it.
I'd use the top edge of by thumb Nail to crack & Remove the Crust & hopefully
see the Shiny Green surface.
But since I don't know what yours looks like , or how far you want to go .
most I can suggest is rinse it under the faucet , and let dry.

 

[mainer]

Picture added.

 

[smokeythecat]

I wouldn't clean it.

 

[mxh5891]

Only thing your going to do is mess it up if you try and clean it

 

[jeff of pa]

still a tuff call at this point.
I see green along the Edge , but it looks like bad green.
not just toning. starting on the back,
I personally would still probably try chipping off he brown crust with the top edge of my thumb nail
but that's my personal preference to find green toning.

 

[Iron Patch]

From the picture it looks like pitting is the problem and there's nothing to clean... and if there's nothing to clean, taking metal off won't be pretty. There does appear to be a bit of dirt at the bottom, and washing that off to reveal the letters a little more is not a big deal. Not sure what a 77 goes for in AG condition, but probably better as a detecting trophy than bill money.

 

[Dinkleman]

great find. Speaking from experience after testing out a bunch of methods on a 1901 IH I found just about nothing will clean it without damage or some lose detail. A small amout of baking soda and water with some gental rubbing will help get a little more of the dirt off.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I'll go with the majority and say don't clean it. However, Congratz on digging an 1877 IHP!!!

 

[dejapooh]

great find. Speaking from experience after testing out a bunch of methods on a 1901 IH I found just about nothing will clean it without damage or some lose detail. A small amout of baking soda and water with some gental rubbing will help get a little more of the dirt off.

This causes extreme damage to the coin. The baking soda will grind off the top surface of the coin. If you do this, you will lose 50% of its value. Soak in warm, soapy water, then shake the coin under water. The loose stuff will come off and the rest of the stuff should stay. Put it on a clean cloth and pat is try. Leave it out to air dry further. I would give it a day or two to air dry then put it back int he case. You could contact EAC (Early American Copper Collectors) and get suggestions from them. They deal with this type of damage regularly. Please don't do anything that involves rubbing. Leave that to the experts.

Good luck.

 

[baddbluff]

Personally, I'd use the "Scourgify" cleaning spell. Hermione used it once to clean out Hedwig's cage. It works great! And you don't have to worry about using obsolete Muggle methods, which will surely damage the surface, leading to net or details grade when you send it to the grading service. If you combine this with the "Reparo" spell, it may return it to its original mint state condition, possibly getting you an ms65rd grade from PCGS. Or, it might just turn it into a real Indian, in which case, I would be ready to cast an "Avada Kedavra" spell just in case!

 

[mxh5891]

Personally, I'd use the "Scourgify" cleaning spell. Hermione used it once to clean out Hedwig's cage. It works great! And you don't have to worry about using obsolete Muggle methods, which will surely damage the surface, leading to net or details grade when you send it to the grading service. If you combine this with the "Reparo" spell, it may return it to its original mint state condition, possibly getting you an ms65rd grade from PCGS. Or, it might just turn it into a real Indian, in which case, I would be ready to cast an "Avada Kedavra" spell just in case!

WTF?