DonaldM Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 I bought this 1876 Seated Liberty Dime on Ebay.I knew it was "rough" by the provided pictures but got it for a decent price. I took it to my friend for his opinion and he said it had been "acid washed". Pointed out the dimples on the edges and rough surface. He tried to explain it to me but I still don't understand. Sounded like a process for shipwreck coins to remove barnacles if they stuck to precious metals. What is acid washing and why would it ever be needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coinbuf Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Looks like the coin is a detector find and was buried in the ground at some time. It could have been exposed to an acid like a pool acid or something similar as well, unfortunately there is no way to every know for sure what caused the damage to this coin. DonaldM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldM Posted August 18, 2020 Author Share Posted August 18, 2020 Hello Coinbuf. That is what I thought too looking at the pictures on Ebay, "enviromentally damaged". When I was told acid washed it made no sense to me. I heard of people dipping coins in silver jewelry cleaner, but that removes ALL corrosion. This coin isn't "bright" enough to have been dipped in cleaner. I knew it wasn't a show piece when I got it but didn't expect it to become a curiosity! LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKurtB Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 There is no universally agreed upon definition of “acid washed”. It is not a Numismatic term of art. DonaldM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldM Posted August 18, 2020 Author Share Posted August 18, 2020 VKurtB, maybe "acid washed" is a synomyn for Improperly Cleaned? 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie15 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 The only thing I have seen 'Acid Wash" used for is a Muriatic (likely misspelled) acid wash of a brick or stone building. I have not seen it done in a very long time, though. Not sure it is still legal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbbpll Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 43 minutes ago, Moxie15 said: The only thing I have seen 'Acid Wash" used for is a Muriatic (likely misspelled) acid wash of a brick or stone building. I have not seen it done in a very long time, though. Not sure it is still legal. That and acid washed jeans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKurtB Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 16 hours ago, DonaldM said: VKurtB, maybe "acid washed" is a synomyn for Improperly Cleaned? 🤔 I just realized that while “acid wash” is not a numismatic term, “acid dip” comes close to being one. The more precise terminology is an “acid and thiourea dip”, similar to EZest, but that’s not the only formulation. I’ve never used EZest but I have used a very different formula that uses a much less harsh acid with thiourea. DonaldM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
