Why did I do that ??

[Mark T]

The 1853 Large cent below is a coin I have had since I was 12 years old.

Can you guess what that bad 12 year old used to mess up the reverse ?

 

[Schatzy]

Brillo Pad

[fishfinder]

copper cleaner

[Bugmann1974]

Eraser?

[Coindude]

Eraser?

Please don't say it's so! But that was my guess.

[Bruceswar]

Brasso ? If not that Eraser...

[Mark T]

Bugman got it , yes I used an eraser !!!!! I did not know I ruined the coin , I was just a kid . I wanted to make it “shinny” I started to do it and then realized it looked like .

 

 

[physics-fan3.14]

Yup, my first guess was an eraser.

[Schatzy]

Bugman got it , yes I used an eraser !!!!! I did not know I ruined the coin , I was just a kid . I wanted to make it “shinny” I started to do it and then realized it looked like .

 

 

Please tell me you were bored.......I never even thought about doing something like that.

My brother and I put all of a Lincoln set (not complete and all pulled from circulation)

into a copper wash bath and used a tooth brush to get the hard stuff off.

I still have the set and they have some awesome toning know.

[Bugmann1974]

Bugman got it , yes I used an eraser !!!!! I did not know I ruined the coin , I was just a kid . I wanted to make it “shinny” I started to do it and then realized it looked like .

 

 

My method of choise was steel wool back when I was young.

[Mark T]

Bugman got it , yes I used an eraser !!!!! I did not know I ruined the coin , I was just a kid . I wanted to make it “shinny” I started to do it and then realized it looked like .

 

 

Please tell me you were bored.......I never even thought about doing something like that.

My brother and I put all of a Lincoln set (not complete and all pulled from circulation)

into a copper wash bath and used a tooth brush to get the hard stuff off.

I still have the set and they have some awesome toning know.

 

Guess what I also did it on some of my lincolns as well !!

I was smart enough to leave my 1909 VDB and 1909-S Lincolns alone .

[michael]

well after the fact, eraser

[robec1347]

Bugman got it , yes I used an eraser !!!!! I did not know I ruined the coin , I was just a kid . I wanted to make it “shinny” I started to do it and then realized it looked like .

 

 

Please tell me you were bored.......I never even thought about doing something like that.

My brother and I put all of a Lincoln set (not complete and all pulled from circulation)

into a copper wash bath and used a tooth brush to get the hard stuff off.

I still have the set and they have some awesome toning know.

 

Jaime, my brother and I did the same thing. I love how it turned the steel cents into copper looking ones. Yep, still have that album also, toning and all.

[WoodenJefferson]

Ask some of them AEC'ers like Bill Jones to work on it for you. Those guys are talented. Don't think you can hurt it much more with a little Presto Dabo.

 

A little Dellar's Darkener, an camel hair brush...you know.

[James_OldeTowne]

Yup, my first guess was an eraser.

Ditto!

[HiHoAudio]

At least you didn't drop it into a bottle of dad's single malt Scotch.

[DWLange]

The coin collecting boards of the mid-1930s advised users to clean their coins with vinegar and a soft eraser. This bit of wisdom was deleted from the boards around 1937.

[Landon-migration]

For me it was salt and vinegar. Worst possible combo to use when surprising one's father for Father's day by cleaning his prized lincoln cent for him (every single one - yes, EVERY one of the coins)

 

This was 1965 so there was no 'conservation back then - so I think he just put them in water for a while and put them back in the book. I found them years later - the '09SVDB is barely recognizable - it was probably an ef coin...

 

 

[physics-fan3.14]

For me it was salt and vinegar. Worst possible combo to use when surprising one's father for Father's day by cleaning his prized lincoln cent for him (every single one - yes, EVERY one of the coins)

 

This was 1965 so there was no 'conservation back then - so I think he just put them in water for a while and put them back in the book. I found them years later - the '09SVDB is barely recognizable - it was probably an ef coin...

 

 

There's a very good reason to put coins in slabs!!!