My First Buffalo, And He Cleaned Up Nicely

[Brendan M.]

Hello Friends!

I went out to an old abandoned (but pretty well-known) picnic grove on Saturday, and it was a decent time all in all. There are definitely still coins to be found -- I was digging Wheats everywhere; whole pockets of them. Then I got a weird signal far enough down to warrant digging, and out came the 1936 Buffalo Nickel pictured below. Now, you pro coinshooters out there, please cut me some slack and don't laugh -- this is my first Buffalo, and I'm pretty psyched. I haven't had a whole lot of luck with nickels, aside from this one and a 1943 War Nickel I found way back.

Of course when I dug the Buffalo it came up in terrible shape. First I used a hot peroxide bath to remove the layer of crud, exposing all the red corrosion. From there I used the salt and vinegar/baking soda method to remove the red staining, and I was extremely happy with the results. Have a look!

This a GREAT method for cleaning nickels. If you need the instructions either check the cleaning forum or PM me for info.

Thanks for looking!

Cheers and HH,
Brendan

 

[allen]

way to go on your first buffalo..its a beauty

 

[Nana40]

WoW! 8) That DID clean up great!

Congrats on that first! Nana

 

[Brendan M.]

way to go on your first buffalo..its a beauty

WoW! 8) That DID clean up great!

Congrats on that first! Nana

Thanks, Allen and Nana40. Now if only I can get some nice "V"s and Shields!

Cheers and HH,
B

 

[pattiewhack]

Congrats! That certainly cleaned up into a coin that you can show off!

 

[Joe G]

Nice cleanup job on the Buff! Don't feel bad, I think I've only found 2 myself I have to try cleaning them up...

HH!

 

[Brendan M.]

Nice cleanup job on the Buff! Don't feel bad, I think I've only found 2 myself I have to try cleaning them up...

HH!

Thanks, Joe.

If you need any help when you're cleaning those nickels of yours, let me know.

Cheers and HH,
B

 

[Findone]

Very nice buffalo. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!
My first didn't have a date that I could read.
Keep digging.
Leon

 

[ModernMiner]

Congrats on your first Buff "B".
You worked magic on getting that one to clean up so nice. Great job.
-MM-

 

[Baggins]

Congrats...that looks great!
HH
Baggins

 

[Detectingfreak]

Man that buffalo is so clean! Nice job on finding your first buffalo!

 

[LI Tom]

Nice find Brendan and with a date!I've only found a couple , in the trashy parks I hunt in, digging those VDI's would drive me crazy.WTG

 

[Evolution]

That coin looks great. I wish my nickels would look that good.

 

[jimmatt_43]

Nice dig and clean up.Still looking for my first buffalo.
Jim

 

[fonfixer]

Nice nickel!! I recently found my first buffalo too!! Within a week or so I was up to three for my lifelong total. Two of them came from a long forgotten old school that has been hunted to death and one came from on old victorian house. I know about the hot peroxide, but whats the salt and vinegar part of your cleaning?

Doug

 

[Brendan M.]

Nice nickel!! I recently found my first buffalo too!! Within a week or so I was up to three for my lifelong total. Two of them came from a long forgotten old school that has been hunted to death and one came from on old victorian house. I know about the hot peroxide, but whats the salt and vinegar part of your cleaning?

Doug

The salt and vinegar is KEY for nickels. I read about it here in the cleaning forum and in an old coinshooting book by Charles Garrett. Here's what you do:

1.) Take a small plastic bowl and pour in enough white vinegar to adequately cover the coin(s) you're cleaning.
2.) Then stir in a couple of tablespoons of salt (try to get all or most of it to dissolve).
3.) Drop in the coin(s) and let it sit for a few minutes. Then you have to keep an eye on it. The red staining should start to lighten. After a few minutes take a Q-tip and start rubbing the coin (still in vinegar). The red should start disappearing before your eyes. Keep going until it's all or almost completely gone. (Don't the leave the coin in any longer than necessary, or it will start to turn dull.)
4.) Take the coin out and rinse well under the faucet.
5.) Take some baking soda mixed with water, and rub the coin with it for a minute or so (this neutralizes the reaction from the salt and vinegar).
6.) Rinse again and let air dry.
7.) (Optional) Finish with a light coat of Blue Ribbon Coin Conditioner, to "seal" it and bring back some of the natural lustre.

This works like a charm! I've used it on the Buffalo, V Nickels, Flying Eagles, and more, and it works every time.

Good luck!

Cheers and HH,
Brendan

 

[Brendan M.]

Very nice buffalo. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!
My first didn't have a date that I could read.
Keep digging.
Leon

Congrats...that looks great!
HH
Baggins

Man that buffalo is so clean! Nice job on finding your first buffalo!

Nice dig and clean up.Still looking for my first buffalo.
Jim

Thanks, Findone, Baggins, DectectingFreak, and JimMatt. Glad you enjoyed the post! Best of luck in the field.

Cheers and HH,
B

 

[Brendan M.]

Congrats on your first Buff "B".
You worked magic on getting that one to clean up so nice. Great job.
-MM-

Thanks Miner! Sometimes I love the cleaning/restoration as much as the finds (well, almost!).

Hope all is well with you.

Cheers and HH,
B

 

[Brendan M.]

That coin looks great. I wish my nickels would look that good.

Thanks, Evolution!

I'm telling you -- take some of your old nickels and try the vinegar and salt method (read about it here in this thread). It works on all nickels. I've bought crummy Vs on ebay and they clean up great too...

Good luck!

Cheers and HH,
B

 

[Brendan M.]

Nice find Brendan and with a date!I've only found a couple , in the trashy parks I hunt in, digging those VDI's would drive me crazy.WTG

Thanks Tom. I hear you on the VDIs -- I'd probably never get one myself in the parks. If this hadn't been an old site, and had the signal not been 5 inches down, I never would've dug it...Just goes to show that they still haven't made the perfect metal detector. Luck is still a big part of the equipment!

Talk to you soon my friend.

Cheers and HH,
B