colonialjohn

Iron is normally removed best with an acid than an alkaline cleaner. Having said that both as you know can change the patina of the coin. If I was in this situation you just need to separate out low value/high value. I would use a very weak organic acid solution say 1-5% like oxalic acid or confer with a chemist locally who can give you more options of organic acids (i.e., mild by nature as compared to mineral acids like hydrochloric) that are available in a hardware store. It works FINE. John Lorenzo Numismatist United States

Any time a chemical comes into contact - in particularly with a copper coin surface its some form of cleaning. All three cleaners (Verdi-Care, Xylol & JPL Coin Care) have one thing in common a nuetral pH. Indeed solvents like isopropyl alcohol, keteon, actone, methyl ethyl ketone are nuetral solvents but other than xylol most can turn a surface whitish through dry out. Decontamination is just another word for soil removal. I agree acetone is cheap and plentiful but if necessary its best to use one of these materials IMO. I have heard of complaints of the high shipping of Verdi-Care to the U.K. and I sell my product only to fellow collectors who are either desperate or who I have known for awhile. I use chemicals no longer available on the open consumer product. But we can argue in circles. Anyone who wishes to try it I can send them a bottle. There was another topic in terms of toning. The two main contaminants in the open air which tone coins are chlorides and sulfur. A book William Weimer on Coin Chemistry does this subject very well and this is confimed on some BNJ and RNS metalluricial studies from guys like Craddock and Northover. One trick I used is taking sulfur gel which is used by Afro-Americans as a hair product. It contains a large amount of sulfur - apply a small dab inside a paper envelope and let the coin sit in there for a year. There was some comments that a cleaned coin may never properly retone. Its false. Its works pretty well and to achieve rainbow toning stick a silver coin wrapped in aluminum foil in a toaster oven for 400*F for 30 minute intervals. Try it. Understood - you can't remove surface hailrlines if its part of the cleaning process - obviously. Carbon spots can't be removed from copper proofs and copper spots on gold coins need to be left alone. last night I spoke to the largest group of metal detectors in the East Coast of the U.S. - ironically - but it was interesting. yes - I did recommend these (3) products. Yep - acetone came up again. I would use it only to remove that sticky surface from a copper with a QUICK q-tip application. Agree ... just to be clear ... other than ground burial why would anyone decontaminate a silver or gold coin? John Lorenzo Numismatist United States johnmenc@optonline.net

HMMM ... just my opinion from the other side of the pond. Acetone being a ketone is good for say removing that stickiness that originally developed in alot of those coin holders which had PVC. In terms of silver and gold is there really a need to clean these alloys? In terms of copper there is probably three good materials: Verdi-Care, Xylol and JPL Coin Care. The last being my invention and derived from the original coin care formulation using flurocarbon chemistry products. Originally Freon TF was used which was originally ban on commercial products due to its effect on the ozone but is use is different in the commercial sector. I normally do not like acetone on copper as prolonged dwell times creates a drying out effect or at times a whitening of the surface (i.e., dry out effect). Verdi-Care is good for preservation, xylol for long dwell times of tough copper oxides which go deeper into the coin and the final product for light surficial verdigree of copper oxide (i.e., typically seen initial green film. John Lorenzo Numismatist United States johnmenc@optonline.net

Contact John Lorenzo (United States) will pay for postage. Send inquires to: johnmenc@optonline.net Prefer the period of 1500-1800 only and a dated coin (personal preference). Will consider other countries ... need a picture in your E-Mail. Thank you in advance. John Lorenzo Numismatist United States See my new book on Counterfeit 8 Reales on Amazon Books U.K.

Interesting - these Annes do all look like modern Chinese fakes and not late 19th or 20thC types - at all. John Lorenzo Numismatist United States

Doing a new book and looking for information on contemporary counterfeits but not on English or Irish Halfpence of George II/III. Between 1500-1800 only. Send photos and information. John Lorenzo Numismatist United States From my 1000 coin database I can give recommendations also ... johnmenc@optonline.net John Lorenzo Numsiatist United States

OK. See my current E-mail. Keep in touch. Soon I will check my World Reference CC Collection and report back information on your scans if these piece are in my collection. JPL

Much appreciated. Most of my counterfeits from World are Spain, France and Great Britain. But have a few others - once you get past 1800 the UK types are common but your overview was indeed impressive. I plan to include your type in the book. Its different. One other collector has supplied some CC gold wash guineas ... Poulsen from Denmark. These appear to be Hg amalgam gold washes over debased alloys of copper or low Zn brass types. I know for years the British in SNC & BNJ's have written articles of CCs. I can use scans of these notices for this period to correct or add to in these papers. John Lorenzo Numismatist United States

Just joined. I like to correspond with any experts here on fakes for English.Irish and Scottish coins between 1500-1800 on a new book I am publishing called Forgotten Coins of the American Colonies- Revisited. As some of you know this book mostly dealt with counterfeit British/Irish halfpence of George II/George III. In this book there will be a short chapter on these as these have or currently have been studied. One chapter which I will devote 75 pages will be represenative fakes. As an example this member SEUK and his post to these 3 Shilling Bank Token fakes to Ingley is the kind of material I like to post into this new book. I have over 300 top end world counterfeits already fully XRF analyzed and will use some of these pieces for this chapter. I need further in-depth information or RECOMMENDATIONS you English collectors would think noteworthy. Not really Ashmore types composed of german silver but more CC's of the period. My E-Mail is johnmenc@optonline.net Send me pics and information and if noteworthy like Seuk I will give it strong consideration. Even though Seuk's is post 1800 its noteworthy. Questions? John Lorenzo Numismatist United States