Some serious questions

CREEKGEEK

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Location
Pennsylvania
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Equinox 600/Explorer 2
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Metal Detecting
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Ok so here it is. The first picture is my 1813 large cent when it was first found. I could tell there was some nice detail under the crud and learned of the hydrogen peroxide method of cleaning. The second picture is after a few treatments with the peroxide. I took the coin to a local dealer who had no clue it was cleaned, but offered 10 bucks and said due to being in the ground and corrosion its not worth much. In my eyes with research ive done this coin could easily be xf to au condition which should fetch a hefty bounty. The question is should i continue the hydrogen peroxide cleaning? I stopped because i was scared to damage the patina. But after hearing what the dealer said and the dealer not noticing the cleaning done to it i feel it might be worth more if it didnt look like it came out of the ground. I know this is a touchy subject and normally i dont sell my finds. But money is tight and for the right price i could let her go. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Upvote 5
Sounds like someone has issues with some collectors spending their money the way they CHOOSE.


Nope. Got no issues with anyone on the face of this planet. As long as they don't intentionally try to harm me or mine.

In case anyone wonders, I too am a collector. I HAVE purchased and held in equity some VERY choice coins. That's why I KNOW from where I speak.

As far as the expensive dollar example? Bet it wasn't tagged as a dug coin.

Also, I have sold a coin I dug in the past. Long time ago but sold it as is and it sold to at 99 percent of the highest book value. It was that rare. The buyer was ecstatic and still is to this day. This person was also VERY well versed in coins and didn't know the coin had been dug, until I told him before the transaction.

I just get tired of people "choosing" to prove to themselves that they're all that, regardless of whom they step upon.
In my case, it's all academic. :dontknow: I've accepted that there will ALWAYS be people who do not understand me.

By the by, would anyone like to bid on a dug 1856 Flying Eagle Cent? ;)

HH!
 

Last edited:
wetrock said:
Congrats on the 1813, yours is in really great shape all things considered. I would leave it as is for now and let the buyer (if you sell it) decided what to do with it. While peroxide is usually safe on copper that hasn't corroded too much, you don't want to clean it to the point that it starts to loose it's patina and look too bright.

There are two varieties of the 1813, the S292 (distant star) and S293 (close star). The distance of the 13th star from the 3 in the date is what it refers to. I always have trouble telling from just the obverse of the 1813s as to which it is. It's easier to tell looking at the reverse. Both of the 292 and 293 are about the same rarity wise, and should pull about the same price in that grade/condition. If you post a reverse image I could tell you which it is.

I am an EAC member, and can say that what most have mentioned here is correct. I will add that your coin is easily worth more than $10 especially to someone like myself looking for a reasonably priced example of that coin. A quick search of completed 1813 large cent ebay auctions should give you an idea of what they can go for. A dealer who doesn't specialize in large cents probably wouldn't offer you much, as you have already seen but a large cent dealer would be willing to pay a more realistic price. If you are considering selling it, I actually won't mind owning it.



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You did a good job cleaning, and that's the reason the dealer didn't know it was cleaned, because you just removed the dirt and maybe a little corrosion that was easy to come off. There's probably no point in further cleaning because there's not much to clean, so the only option would be to start stripping the thing, and if you did that, then the dealer would then say you cleaned it. (and not even offer the $10 he did)

It's a common thing for people to grade and value their finds high, but the problem is as great as the detail may be, the surface damage knocks down the value to what a much lower grade coin would be worth. Even if the detail was AU, if it's pitted and a bit corroded, you could be talking like fine for value... it really does kill it. It's a very nice coin for a detecting find but from a collector standpoint, more a filler.
 

I just wish I could find something that nice! Congrats and good luck the next time you go out!
 

I personally dont like cleaning any of my finds...I will rinse them with warm water and oil them if need be, but i never get crazy on them. For me, I like to see them just like i found them in the ground.

Great coin thou...its in amazing shape
 

You did a good job cleaning, and that's the reason the dealer didn't know it was cleaned, because you just removed the dirt and maybe a little corrosion that was easy to come off. There's probably no point in further cleaning because there's not much to clean, so the only option would be to start stripping the thing, and if you did that, then the dealer would then say you cleaned it. (and not even offer the $10 he did)

It's a common thing for people to grade and value their finds high, but the problem is as great as the detail may be, the surface damage knocks down the value to what a much lower grade coin would be worth. Even if the detail was AU, if it's pitted and a bit corroded, you could be talking like fine for value... it really does kill it. It's a very nice coin for a detecting find but from a collector standpoint, more a filler.

Agreed, grade is meaningless on a dug coin in terms of book value etc. As you say its a good filler, stick it on ebay & let it find its own level, probably better than the $10.
 

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