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Clean a Shield to Reveal a Date?

AirmetTango

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Joined
Apr 14, 2017
Messages
3,111
Location
NW Ohio
I was ecstatic to find my first shield nickel today while hunting at an old one-room school site! The same site had given up a Flying Eagle cent late in the hunt yesterday after a slow start, and it was slow going initially again today. Just prior to hitting on the Shield, the 71 year old property owner had come up and asked how it was going, and I had nothing to show but another clad nickel and shotgun shell headstamp. He was still cutting wood nearby (did I mention he was 71??) when I unearthed the Shield, and I was so excited, I immediately brought it over to show him – and I think he was just as excited as I was! I found it along the edge of a pile of logs that he had sitting on the site, and he immediately offered to move the logs with his tractor so I could search underneath the next time I come out!

Anyway, I think the Shield is in pretty nice condition as far as old nickels go – the pictures below show it as it came out of the ground, and then after using a gentle toothbrush with dish soap and water. The obverse looks absolutely fantastic! The reverse, though, is a little rough – and the date is essentially impossible to read. In the pictures, you can just barely make out the 8 in 18--. So that leads to the inevitable dilemma: should I try another cleaning technique to try and bring out the date, or just leave it alone?

To tell the truth, if the full date was even remotely readable on the reverse, I wouldn’t touch this coin any further – I’d be extremely happy with it just the way it is. But if there’s a good technique that will allow the date to be revealed, I’d consider giving it a shot. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m familiar with the SOS pad technique described by goes4ever (http://www.goes4ever.com/cleaning-your-finds.html), but I haven’t used it on anything other than a Jefferson as a test and detail wasn't an issue. Does anyone have experience with this technique for revealing dates on a coin that was otherwise unreadable?

So, for the tldr folks, here’s the condensed version: 1) Would you try cleaning this coin further in an attempt to reveal a date or just enjoy it as it is with the knowledge that it’s at least 130+ years old? 2) If you would clean, which technique do you think has the best likelihood to bring out a readable date with the least amount of damage?

Shield Nickel before cleaning with dishsoap and water:

ShieldFrontDirty.jpg


ShieldBackDirty.jpg


After cleaning with soap and water:

ShieldFront.jpg


ShieldBack.jpg
 
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Wow, you also found a shield nickel?! Man...I hope you get back there soon and find some more cool stuff! Congrats! I'm not sure how you should go about cleaning that nickel though. Sorry.:(
 
I was ecstatic to find my first shield nickel today while hunting at an old one-room school site! The same site had given up a Flying Eagle cent late in the hunt yesterday after a slow start, and it was slow going initially again today. Just prior to hitting on the Shield, the 71 year old property owner had come up and asked how it was going, and I had nothing to show but another clad nickel and shotgun shell headstamp. He was still cutting wood nearby (did I mention he was 71??) when I unearthed the Shield, and I was so excited, I immediately brought it over to show him – and I think he was just as excited as I was! I found it along the edge of a pile of logs that he had sitting on the site, and he immediately offered to move the logs with his tractor so I could search underneath the next time I come out!

Anyway, I think the Shield is in pretty nice condition as far as old nickels go – the pictures below show it as it came out of the ground, and then after using a gentle toothbrush with dish soap and water. The obverse looks absolutely fantastic! The reverse, though, is a little rough – and the date is essentially impossible to read. In the pictures, you can just barely make out the 8 in 18--. So that leads to the inevitable dilemma: should I try another cleaning technique to try and bring out the date, or just leave it alone?

To tell the truth, if the full date was even remotely readable on the reverse, I wouldn’t touch this coin any further – I’d be extremely happy with it just the way it is. But if there’s a good technique that will allow the date to be revealed, I’d consider giving it a shot. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m familiar with the SOS pad technique described by goes4ever (http://www.goes4ever.com/cleaning-your-finds.html), but I haven’t used it on anything other than a Jefferson as a test and detail wasn't an issue. Does anyone have experience with this technique for revealing dates on a coin that was otherwise unreadable?

So, for the tldr folks, here’s the condensed version: 1) Would you try cleaning this coin further in an attempt to reveal a date or just enjoy it as it is with the knowledge that it’s at least 150+ years old? 2) If you would clean, which technique do you think has the best likelihood to bring out a readable date with the least amount of damage?

Shield Nickel before cleaning with dishsoap and water:

ShieldFrontDirty.jpg


ShieldBackDirty.jpg


After cleaning with soap and water:

ShieldFront.jpg


ShieldBack.jpg
Super find, hope to find one someday.

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Two days ago I found this 1887 V nickel. I wasn’t even sure it was a nickel or even a coin. I wet the surface and then used a soft bristle toothbrush. Soon I was able to see the date and the V but nothing else.

I soaked it in straight Dawn detergent for about 5 minutes and then reapplied the toothbrush and I was surprised to see a lot more detail coming out. Last night I spent time with a toothbrush and more detail emerged and more of whatever was coating it came off. I can probably remove more but I’m satisfied with it plus I’m fearful of damaging it if I continue.
 

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Two days ago I found this 1887 V nickel. I wasn’t even sure it was a nickel or even a coin. I wet the surface and then used a soft bristle toothbrush. Soon I was able to see the date and the V but nothing else.

I soaked it in straight Dawn detergent for about 5 minutes and then reapplied the toothbrush and I was surprised to see a lot more detail coming out. Last night I spent time with a toothbrush and more detail emerged and more of whatever was coating it came off. I can probably remove more but I’m satisfied with it plus I’m fearful of damaging it if I continue.

Wow - nice results, Chipk!! Was your V the same crusty red that mine was? And all that detail was brought out, plus a more natural color? Soaking in dishsoap seems pretty non-destructive - I'm more than willing to give that a shot, especially since I already used dishsoap to clean the dirt off. Can't hurt to try it - thanks for the suggestion.
 
Wow, you also found a shield nickel?! Man...I hope you get back there soon and find some more cool stuff! Congrats! I'm not sure how you should go about cleaning that nickel though. Sorry.:(

I know, right? It's turning out to be a fun, interesting site! It is slow going though - I've hunted a total of about 6 hours to get the Flying Eagle, the Shield and the two wheats. Only other keepers are a couple shotgun shell headstamps that date between 1900-1938, and Part of an old key. I'll be heading back next week to try and find more :grin: :cool:

Super find, hope to find one someday.

Thanks, BlackRain! To be honest, I was surprised and lucky to find it at all - the signal was very inconsistent, very much like trash, and not very deep. I frankly only dug it because I hadn't had any decent signals for a while, and I was getting desperate! I'll definitely be going back next week though - it makes me wonder about all the other "trashy" signals that I skipped! :lol:
 
Awesome find! You can tell it must have been date side facing up where it was laying...crazy what rain and melting snow can do to coins, not to mention fertilizers and manures. I hope you get a date! But when your down to the red on a nickel, I believe that's as far as you can go without removing metal content...GL & HH! Ill bet theres a really old silver waiting for you in there too!
 
Awesome find! You can tell it must have been date side facing up where it was laying...crazy what rain and melting snow can do to coins, not to mention fertilizers and manures. I hope you get a date! But when your down to the red on a nickel, I believe that's as far as you can go without removing metal content...GL & HH! Ill bet theres a really old silver waiting for you in there too!

Thanks, cellr! And you're exactly right - the "5" side was facing up when I overturned the plug, so certainly the date side was up while it was in the ground. In this case, I think it managed to avoid ferts and manure - the site was never farmed or built on after the school and church, just high grass, trees, and brush now - but not much you can do about Mother Nature! It is amazing what the elements will do to a coin, and quickly! When I first got my detector in April, I created a pitiful attempt at a coin garden to experiment, burying some clad at various depths. I ended up removing the coins after about 2 weeks, and all of the coins were already stained and discolored!

Agreed, the red tint is a sure sign I may be out of luck for getting a date off the nickel, and I'm starting to feel OK about that, especially since it's my first Shield - I'd never forgive myself if I ruined it with a random cleaning technique. So far, Chipk's suggestion from above hasn't made a difference with my coin, and I'm reluctant to try another method that might cause damage
 
Wow - nice results, Chipk!! Was your V the same crusty red that mine was? And all that detail was brought out, plus a more natural color? Soaking in dishsoap seems pretty non-destructive - I'm more than willing to give that a shot, especially since I already used dishsoap to clean the dirt off. Can't hurt to try it - thanks for the suggestion.

It was a light brown / cream color.
 
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