11/11/12 Report - Clad to Top of the Line Treasure

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.




Over Thirty Coins Found in One Small Coin Hole

I often mention coin holes.  Here are  thirty some heavily encrusted coins that I found in a small compact coin hole during Sandy.  All had a green crust, and a couple were almost fluorescent green.

Coins coming from different layers of sand and having different histories will often have distinctive patinas or crusts.  There are some coins that I can tell where they came from by their patina.  I've mentioned in the past, for example, that coins found in the fresh water lakes of the north, such as those in Minnesota, often have a nice bluish patina.  They don't corrode like those found on salt water beaches.

Pay attention of any crust or patina on coins.  Over time you will learn to recognize and use that information.

These particular coins were mostly clad.  Most were from the seventies or earlier.  There were a few silver coins in this group.   Some, because of the encrustation, I haven't identified yet.  Those that are clad will probably go into the rock tumbler.

You can use a rock tumbler when you want to clean numbers of dug coins quickly, but be careful not to put good, rare or collectible into a rock tumbler.  I've made that mistake before, like most of the things that I warn you about.

Be careful what you put into a rock tumbler!

You can use a variety of cleaning solutions in a tumbler.   Some people use buck shot.  I sometimes use gravel.  It is cheap and effective. 

Depending upon the situation, you might also use a detergent or cleaner.  Experiment with coins you don't much care about.  Some solutions will discolor coins.

Also, mixing different types of objects or metals can lead to discoloration of some.

So experiment a little with things you don't care much about.  Proceed cautiously.  When experimenting, run the tumbler a little while and then stop and check to see how things are going before you let things go too far.

I've had my tumbler for many years and it continues to work well with no maintenance or trouble.  They are handy for putting coins back into circulation.




I received this listing of some of the highlights from the most recently concluded auction in an email from Daniel Frank Sedwick. 

The big Atocha gold bar went high.  No wonder!  Who wouldn't like that bar?  The smaller one didn't do bad either.

And the gold chain...  almost 100K.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net