Found some coins that need identification

[TheKSPBeginner]

I found some coins on my school playgrounds, and the pictures are in the spoiler. Warning, kinda big.

Spoiler

 

 

Edited March 27, 2018 by TheKSPBeginner
Added image

[Tex_NL]

Well ... It's round and looks metallic. And that's about all that can be said based on those images.

Too little can be seen. To identify them we'll need a lot more detail. And actually in-focus would also help significantly.

Edited March 27, 2018 by Tex_NL

[TheKSPBeginner]

Got it.

[cubinator]

Third picture seems to be an American quarter. I can make out the eagle on the back. For the others, better pictures are needed.

[NSEP]

You should photograph them up close when on a table/surface (don't forget there must be a light shining on it!) to make it easier to see what it is.

[Geonovast]

You need to specifically get a camera that can do Macro images.

[Wrench Head]

Need a better close up, but I bet they are from Mexico.

[YNM]

I can roughly see a head figure on the 5th image.

 

Put them on table, light adequately, photo it.

Or hold it to a photocopier/scanner.

[Gargamel]

Also, try soaking them for a bit in Vinegar (acetic acid).  It will remove a bunch of the gunk without ruining the surface.   Wait for the bubbles to stop, then rinse. 

And then:

8 hours ago, YNM said:

Or hold it to a photocopier/scanner.

Much easier to do than using a macro setup. 

[LordFerret]

If you're a serious coin collector, rule #1 is: Do not clean coins, leave them as they are.

There are plenty of resources on this subject, such as this one - http://www.numismaster.com/ta/inside_numis.jsp?page=how-to-handle-clean-coins

 

You need to take better pictures, as already suggested. You don't need fancy macro equipment, a cellphone camera will do. Lay the coin on the table, use proper lighting (45 degree angle), and a steady hand. Then repost.

 

[Dman979]

2 hours ago, LordFerret said:

If you're a serious coin collector, rule #1 is: Do not clean coins, leave them as they are.

 

I cannot stress enough how correct @LordFerret is here. Cleaned coins are ruined coins.

[Gargamel]

Fair nuff!  I stand corrected!

[YNM]

10 hours ago, LordFerret said:

If you're a serious coin collector, rule #1 is: Do not clean coins, leave them as they are.

Interesting... Basically no preservation ?

[p1t1o]

1 hour ago, YNM said:

Interesting... Basically no preservation ?

I think it might be more that amateur cleaning can remove material from the undamaged parts beneath the corrosion? Like cleaning your teeth with vinegar. I'd imagine that there are ways of cleaning old coins.

Edited March 29, 2018 by p1t1o

[YNM]

AFAIK "weak" acids[1] doesn't dissolve/react with metals directly. If anything, they might react with the oxides or hydrides or carbonates.

But I say practice with some known coins first before proceeding with unknowns.

In the meantime, try to keep it dry (use desiccant or something).

 

[1] Despite the classification "weak", they can (and tend to) be reactive to organic matter (including humans).

Edited March 29, 2018 by YNM

[LordFerret]

2 hours ago, YNM said:

Interesting... Basically no preservation ?

 

48 minutes ago, p1t1o said:

I'd imagine that there are ways of cleaning old coins.

 

Read the article I posted, it's a short read and informative. Basically, distilled water is it. Cleaning the accumulated crud off of coins exposes their raw surfaces, which then invites new unwanted corrosion. Some of the worst corrosive forces coins see, are handling and the oils from human hands.

Also, people tend to store their coins all together; Bad idea. Different metals react over time along with whatever crud from the ages is on the coins combined with atmospheric conditions (humidity). Worthy coins should be stored individually. As noted in the article, the coin storage pouches (aka 'flips') made of PVC are bad; As the article notes, use Mylar pouches.

Yes, I collect coins, and stamps too.

[p1t1o]

7 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

Cleaning the accumulated crud off of coins exposes their raw surfaces, which then invites new unwanted corrosion.

Interesting. What about cleaning them under oil and storing them in the same way? 

Now that I think about it "cleaning them under oil" without damaging the coin might be easier said than done though.

Edited March 29, 2018 by p1t1o

[LordFerret]

9 minutes ago, p1t1o said:

Interesting. What about cleaning them under oil and storing them in the same way? 

Now that I think about it "cleaning them under oil" without damaging the coin might be easier said than done though.

I believe the article mentioned something about olive oil. I don't think I'd ever try that. What do you do to remove the oil when you're done?

The only coins I've ever cleaned, were cleaned because I couldn't read the date and mint marks. I used plain hand soap and water, and gentle scrubbing with an old toothbrush, just to remove some of the crud.

[p1t1o]

14 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

I believe the article mentioned something about olive oil. I don't think I'd ever try that. What do you do to remove the oil when you're done?

I was thinking that you'd store them under oil as well, to eliminate any further corrosion. Like how you store metallic sodium. Dont know about olive oil, mineral oil should be totally benign.

 

Interesting article. Some stand out parts for me:

I read this: "If you don’t learn anything else from this section, this rule should be it."

...in the tone of Baz Luhrmann a-la "wear sunscreen"

 

And the hilarity (to my chemist mind) of "A weak soap (not detergent)". Detergents, surfactants and soaps are all words for the same class of chemicals.

 

I dont really get the part where it says that its not worth cleaning badly corroded coins. Surely badly corroded coins already have little value and if you clean it, you might at least get to see more of what it actually is.

 

Oh it does mention ultrasound cleaning - I have actually seen this work (lol a random lab-tech was cleaning her engagement ring in the lab sonicator) and it looked very effective, you could see it knocking lose tiny fragments of...whatever...from an otherwise clean-looking piece of jewellery.

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by p1t1o

[YNM]

@LordFerret Thank you for the explanation !

 

I actually had some piles of old coins... I've moved house though, not sure where are they. Our coins are bloody cheap anyway, don't think it's going to return me much cleaned or not.

What I'm more interested in are paper banknotes - they really are burned when collected over during note changes.

Edited March 29, 2018 by YNM

[LordFerret]

2 hours ago, p1t1o said:

I was thinking that you'd store them under oil as well, to eliminate any further corrosion. Like how you store metallic sodium. Dont know about olive oil, mineral oil should be totally benign.

 

Interesting article. Some stand out parts for me:

I read this: "If you don’t learn anything else from this section, this rule should be it."

...in the tone of Baz Luhrmann a-la "wear sunscreen"

 

And the hilarity (to my chemist mind) of "A weak soap (not detergent)". Detergents, surfactants and soaps are all words for the same class of chemicals.

 

I dont really get the part where it says that its not worth cleaning badly corroded coins. Surely badly corroded coins already have little value and if you clean it, you might at least get to see more of what it actually is.

 

Oh it does mention ultrasound cleaning - I have actually seen this work (lol a random lab-tech was cleaning her engagement ring in the lab sonicator) and it looked very effective, you could see it knocking lose tiny fragments of...whatever...from an otherwise clean-looking piece of jewellery.

 

Yes and no. Remember, the first soap was a mixture of animal fat, ash, and urine... and at some point, somewhere in there in time, lye was eventually thrown in.** I believe the credit for this goes to China. They soap I was referring to, 'plain hand soap', was also commonly called lye soap... plain, basic soap.

**
(Imagine: Early man sitting around the campfire, dinner is done, greasy animal scraps fallen into the coals, someone liquides on the fire to put it out, and then it's discovered - Hey! This stuff cleans the dirt and crud off my hands! I'll try it on my face next! Yuck.)

That's the part I was talking about with regard to the 'new unwanted corrosion'. True, cleaning them does devalue them - as though they hadn't lost enough value due to their condition. I'll give you an example; I have an 1850's eagle nickel I found which was so badly corroded it was pretty much worthless. The date and features were unreadable due to corrosion. I wanted to date it however, so I cleaned it sparingly. The act of removing the corrosion did reveal the date, but it also effectively damaged the coin - as if it wasn't damaged enough already. I wanted the date though, and I got it. Had the date been legible, I would have left it untouched.

 

16 minutes ago, YNM said:

@LordFerret Thank you for the explanation !

 

I actually had some piles of old coins... I've moved house though, not sure where are they. Our coins are bloody cheap anyway, don't think it's going to return me much cleaned or not.

What I'm more interested in are paper banknotes - they really are burned when collected over during note changes.

I don't really collect paper money, although my collection does have some notes from WW2 era military script (France), as well as script from the Korean conflict. Also, some Chinese yen from the same period.

[TheKSPBeginner]

I have no clue where I put them