Like most of us, I have several containers of wheat and indian pennies that you can barely or not at all identifiable, what to do with them all? Melt them down? Any ideas.![]()
Like most of us, I have several containers of wheat and indian pennies that you can barely or not at all identifiable, what to do with them all? Melt them down? Any ideas.![]()
Equipment: Garrett AT Pro
Sometimes a HOT peroxide bath does a pretty good job.
Oldest Coin: 1699 William III Halfpenny
2024
Silver 5
Indian 3, Buff 1, V Nik 1, Rosie 2, Barber Dime, SLQ 1, barber qtr 1,
YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoU...FVGumMQ/videos
If you go through and clean them you never know you might find a 1914 D.![]()
I tumble all my wheats. I probably should do the same for my cruddy Indians.
Detectors I use: Minelab Equinox 900 & Manticore
Favorite finds I have made:
1,000+ silver coins
92pcs of 1700's Trade Era Silver
Copper Culture Indian Artifacts
125+ War of 1812 Era buttons and relics
My wife (probably should have started with that one)
I second the hot peroxide method. Sometimes it works wonders.
V3i- Prism IV- Pro Pointer
2020 GOAL: Any Flowing Hair coin
TOTAL 100 YEAR OLD COINS - -280
2020:
Silver: 11
Oldest U.S. Copper - 1795 Liberty Cap
Oldest U.S. Silver - 1829 Capped Bust Dime extra large 10C
Click here to view my album
Try using a brass wire brush or as others have said tumble, but never melt them down.
Minelab Manticore / SPECTRA V3i, Pro-Pointer II. Lesche Digger.
Oldest Copper: 1694 William & Mary Halfpenny. Oldest Silver: 1663 1-Reale
Cob.
My Album
I just tumble my wheat cents after checking them for key dates. I leave Indian Heads as is and just keep them in a large zip-lock baggie.
It's actually illegal to melt them down, that's why you can't sell pre-1982 cents as scrap copper. Otherwise people would be buying pennies in bulk from the banks because the copper in them is worth more than face value.
Lifetime totals:
10 Large Cents, 415 Indian Heads, 2 Two Cent Pieces, 1 Capped Bust Half Dime, 1 Seated Half Dime, 10 Shield Nickels, 68 V Nickels, 124 Buffalo Nickels, 31 War Nickels, 16 Seated Dimes, 131 Barber Dimes, 405 Mercury Dimes, 249 Rosies, 4 Seated Quarters, 18 Barber Quarters, 20 Standing Liberty Quarters, 89 Silver Washingtons, 1 Seated Half, 3 Barber Halves, 16 Walking Liberty Halves
YouTube Channel: Tony Two-Cent https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmz...RlHTBIU42bUORg
I also go the hot peroxide route. Another method is a long soak in CLR. I've had great luck both ways. Only on the really corroded ones, I'll sometimes use a fine stainless or brass wire brush if all else fails. The stainless can sometimes knock off scale loosened by the soaking, and the brass one sometimes brings out highlights enough to get an ID or a date.
Equipment:
Minelab: CTX 3030, GPX 4800, X-Terra 705. Whites TDI SL.
2024: Silver 1, Gold 0
Best finds: 28 silver dime spill, 1800s Dutch customs seal.
Oldest/best coins: Late 1700's Chinese Cash Coin, 1837 Upper Canada large cent, 1877 Seated Dime
Oldest Relic find: 1800 Sailors Luck token
You Tube: Rediscovering America
Quote: Treasures are like potato chips, you can never have just one!