Cleaning a 77 indian

enamel7 · May 6, 2016

Dinkleman said:
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.

No, that's the wrong think to do. No abrasives!

enamel7 · May 6, 2016

At least one of the grading companies offers a conservation service for a fee. They can do the best job. Of course if slabbed it will probably come back with a grade and "environmental damage".

mainer · May 6, 2016

Thank you everyone! Still haven't decided what to do with it. Contemplating selling it as I already have one in my collection. Thanks again.

CZconnoisseur · May 6, 2016

From the picture I don't think this is an authentic 1877 Indian cent....

Reason I say this is: The last feather on the Indian's headdress (going clockwise) should terminate between the "I" and "C" of "America", while yours seems to terminate between the "C" and the "A". This was a design change that happened in 1886 - hence, the 1886 Indian cents have a Type 1 and Type 2 varieties.

Compare this coin to the other 1877 Indian cent your collection, then compare with some googled 1877 Indian cents to see the difference...

mainer · May 6, 2016

I do believe you are right CZ! Thank you for pointing that out.

Iron Patch · May 6, 2016

mainer said:
I do believe you are right CZ! Thank you for pointing that out.

Well if that is the case... in my best Donald Trump voice... CLEAN THE HELL OUT OF IT!

Nitric · May 6, 2016

mxh5891 said:
WTF?

What? That isn't how you clean your coins? :laughing7:

I'll translate........I might get this a little off, but I think it translates into....."Don't clean"! :laughing7:

CZconnoisseur · May 7, 2016

I've had good luck with tumbling copper coins if they are crusty...they don't turn out shiny if you tumble them with bits of cut copper cable, which won't scratch the coin but knocks some of the harder stuff off the coin. This would be a good coin to try it on, check out some of these recently dug Indians to see results:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/deus/500655-recovered-several-sharp-indians-before-rain-came.html

dejapooh · May 9, 2016

CZconnoisseur said:
I've had good luck with tumbling copper coins if they are crusty...they don't turn out shiny if you tumble them with bits of cut copper cable, which won't scratch the coin but knocks some of the harder stuff off the coin. This would be a good coin to try it on, check out some of these recently dug Indians to see results:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/deus/500655-recovered-several-sharp-indians-before-rain-came.html

Sorry, no...

l.cutler · May 9, 2016

CZconnoisseur said:
From the picture I don't think this is an authentic 1877 Indian cent....

Reason I say this is: The last feather on the Indian's headdress (going clockwise) should terminate between the "I" and "C" of "America", while yours seems to terminate between the "C" and the "A". This was a design change that happened in 1886 - hence, the 1886 Indian cents have a Type 1 and Type 2 varieties.

Compare this coin to the other 1877 Indian cent your collection, then compare with some googled 1877 Indian cents to see the difference...

I am not so sure, I think the last feather my look distorted by a chunk of corrosion. Do you have a picture of the reverse? A genuine 1877 should have a weak N in one.

xr7ator · May 9, 2016

I'd probabaly throw it in with the wheats and tumble it. I wish I had the opportunity to figure out what to do with a dug 1877.
Grats to ya and HH ALL

Honest Samuel · May 10, 2016

If you clean coins, only soak in warm water for 30 minutes, then dry with a clean soft cloth.

jerseyben · May 12, 2016

This is a very disturbing thread...

Dozer D · May 13, 2016

Any silver or copper cents I clean, I just add a few drops of DAWN LIQUID SOAP in a Rx bottle with hot water, shake every few hours for two days +/

dejapooh · May 16, 2016

Honest Samuel said:
If you clean coins, only soak in warm water for 30 minutes, then dry with a clean soft cloth.

You could use soapy water, Rinse in clean running water. Pat it dry, do not rub or let it air dry.

dejapooh · May 16, 2016

Dozer D said:
Any silver or copper cents I clean, I just add a few drops of DAWN LIQUID SOAP in a Rx bottle with hot water, shake every few hours for two days +/

Dawn soap, Fine. Shaking coins in a bottle... Are you TRYING to damage the coins, or just trying to upset us coin collectors in the crowd.

Alchemist · May 17, 2016

baddbluff said:
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!

I would not recommend this.

CZconnoisseur · May 17, 2016

Some recent Wheats and Indians I've found and tumbled....the trick is to use a medium that's tough to break off the crusty deposits but not hard enough to scratch the coin....