My first coin! In my front yard!

[tcfootball]

Found my first coin today! I have been searching for nearly two weeks with no luck. I have found mass amounts of iron. But I have not yet figured out my discrim. on my Tesoro Inca. Anyways, my dad is here for the weekend and I wanted to show him how my detector works. We went out to the front lawn and started scanning. The first hit searched produced my and my fathers first coin. Just kind of strikes me as ironic that I have been all over the place and found my first one in my front yard. Plus it was a quite spectacular find as far as I am concerned. So without further ado......

I would like to know if there is a safe way to clean the coin further without damaging it. Also, can someone help me ball park rate this coin? Thank you all.

 

[zaxfire69]

That is a nice one. Someone will chime in about cleaning it. I wouldn't clean it to much. Looks real nice the way it is.

 

[Nate in Ohio]

I like to use ammonia, but if you use it too harshly, the patina will start wearing off and make the coin look terrible. Liberty is visible, so that makes it 'fine', but with sharp detail like that, I'd say yours is 'very fine.' Congrats, it took me a couple years before I found an indian head, and I was blown away! lol

 

[wyattrr]

Welcome to T-Net...Congrats on your first coin and what it was it took me some time to find a Indian. HH

 

[JW15]

I would use warm distilled water with a little unscented dish detergent and a SOFT bristle brush to gingerly take some of the dirt off. You have true green patina on that coin which you do not want to remove. Other than that congrats on your 1st coin and a sweet IHP to boot! Once you become more proficient with your machine you'll be pulling coins left and right! If you have a discrimination knob on your machine swipe a small piece of iron (like a square nail) over the coil and turn the knob just to the point that you can't hear it anymore. If you can hear foil,pull tabs,nickels,etc. all the way up to big silver that means you've discriminated iron out of your machine and you're ready for action!

 

[nova treasure]

Congrats on your first coin and a very nice indian head too . I wouldn't clean it anymore, looks great the way it is.

Bill

 

[tcfootball]

Thanks all for your replies! I am glad to hear that it is in good condition. I have almost no experience in collecting coins. I think I will leave the coin in its current state, and not mess with it until I have more practice with less rare coins. Also, I think I would have saved much more time if I had used the descrim mode as described. Thanks again.

 

[Metal Magnet]

IH are great coins...especially if you start with them. they are just beautiful. i do soap and water and soft brush on mine

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Congrats on your first IH find TCF!

As far as cleaning goes . . .

I use a 20% by-volume peroxide. I put it in a small plastic microwaveable container,
I then nuke it for 1 minute until it's bubbling, I then drop in the penny to be cleaned.
It'll bubble like crazy when the coin goes in, all that's happening is the organic matter
still attached to the coin is being dissolved. I remove it after about 10 - 15mins and
wash it under warm water with dish soap and a soft brush. This is how my coins look
after a hot peroxide bath!

Best of luck to you,
Dave

 

[NolanTheExplorer]

Found my first coin today! I have been searching for nearly two weeks with no luck. I have found mass amounts of iron. But I have not yet figured out my discrim. on my Tesoro Inca. Anyways, my dad is here for the weekend and I wanted to show him how my detector works. We went out to the front lawn and started scanning. The first hit searched produced my and my fathers first coin. Just kind of strikes me as ironic that I have been all over the place and found my first one in my front yard. Plus it was a quite spectacular find as far as I am concerned. So without further ado......

I would like to know if there is a safe way to clean the coin further without damaging it. Also, can someone help me ball park rate this coin? Thank you all.

Nice! Looks like you have a good neighborhood to hunt. Dontn clean it any further. Enjoy the age on it and don't worry about grade unlessmyoure looking to sell. I know ts a beauty. You know it's a beauty.

 

[fortunehunter]

Congradulations!Now You will get the fever!Good luck!

 

[driftwood1963]

nice dig!
posting a link to a manual for your dirt fishing unit!
http://www.tesoro.com/info/manuals/older/inca/
hope that helps you get past your Iron!

 

[mr_larry]

Congrats on your first IH find TCF!

As far as cleaning goes . . .

I use a 20% by-volume peroxide. I put it in a small plastic microwaveable container,
I then nuke it for 1 minute until it's bubbling, I then drop in the penny to be cleaned.
It'll bubble like crazy when the coin goes in, all that's happening is the organic matter
still attached to the coin is being dissolved. I remove it after about 10 - 15mins and
wash it under warm water with dish soap and a soft brush. This is how your coins will
look after a peroxide bath!

Best of luck to you,
Dave

Congrats on a nice Indian Head!

Given that it is your first coin and an Indian Head at that, you may want to avoid the peroxide as it will remove the patina.
If I were you I would leave the coin exactly as you found it. You will always be able to pull out that coin and show it to people as the first coin you found! Keep the patina and the dirt on it and the conversation surrounding it will be a much richer one!

 

[AGBlex]

great find man don't clean it!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Congrats on your first IH find TCF!

As far as cleaning goes . . .

I use a 20% by-volume peroxide. I put it in a small plastic microwaveable container,
I then nuke it for 1 minute until it's bubbling, I then drop in the penny to be cleaned.
It'll bubble like crazy when the coin goes in, all that's happening is the organic matter
still attached to the coin is being dissolved. I remove it after about 10 - 15mins and
wash it under warm water with dish soap and a soft brush. This is how my coins look
after a peroxide bath!

Best of luck to you,
Dave

Congrats on a nice Indian Head!

Given that it is your first coin and an Indian Head at that, you may want to avoid the peroxide as it will remove the patina.
If I were you I would leave the coin exactly as you found it. You will always be able to pull out that coin and show it to people as the first coin you found! Keep the patina and the dirt on it and the conversation surrounding it will be a much richer one!

Don't get me wrong TC. I wasn't suggesting you show clean any of your coppers,
this is just the method I found works best on my really dirty coins. I made the mistake
early on of trying to improve the look of my first 1920 penny find and I ended up destroying it!

A coin as old and sentimental as this one might be best left in it's 'as found' condition.
Dave

 

[steelheadwill]

Congrats! she's a beauty as is

 

[cgull]

Great first coin!!! I'm still looking for my first indian head.

 

[hikeinmts]

I like the idea of leaving it just as it is, dirt included.
Understand, if you do, and if the dirt has mineralization in it, then the mineralization is still working.
I found an Indian Head penny, too......1877.....the mother of all Indian Heads.
I didn't know how to clean it, so just used soap and water and a soft, soft toothbrush.
Must have left some dirt......pulled it out to look at it several years later......huge holes in it where (I guess) smatterings of
dirt were still at work.
I now have an 1877 Indian Head penny........but valuable only to me. And the dirt continues to work.
Yours not valuable enough to send in and have the professionals do it for you. Might ask the guy who does the
peroxide, if he, or some other THer would do it for you.
Some coins clean well, and some just do not, for whatever reason.
Great first find. I would hunt your yard, and if you have any grass/area between the sidewalk and the road......sounds like
you are living in a good place to find some nice stuff. Have some great hunts!!!

 

[chukers]

it is a great first coin... and there will be many more... I still have all my firsts after 20+ years of doing this.... keep at it and welcome to tnet!

I just got another first today... a 1914d wheat! (dunno if I'll keep this one... gotta pay for the detector somehow!)


Chukers

 

[texjim]

nice job on the Ih. i would just use a soft tooth brush and take some of the dirt off and leave it be. the only time i use the peroxide treatment is if the coin is in ruff shape or i can't get a date off of it.