Heavily rusted coin??

[DAN77]

Hi guys and girls, went out today for my first coin/relic hunt and found a heavily rusted old coin/disc underneath and old fig tree that stands next to an old grandstand. It is so rusted though I can't make out any markings whatsoever. My questions are 1. Would an old coin rust so heavily? I assumed that most would be copper or silver 2. What would be the best way to get the rust off it so that I might be able to see something. I was thinking WD40 or something along those lines until the surface rust came away. Sorry for the newbie questions, but this seems like the best place to ask.

Thanks DAN

P.S Thanks for the loaner Rod, Jas and I had a great day!!

 

[rocketaroo]

Photo would help, if its nothing valuable, I scrub them with a brass brush. But soaking them in olive oil, or electrolysis.

 

[DAN77]

 

[rocketaroo]

Hmm, hangoff for a bit, that maybe something too special to clean.

 

[DAN77]

Are you being sarcastic Rocket?? (Its hard to tell in text)

 

[rocketaroo]

I just mean, that it maybe a coin, and someone here may know. But it seems to have iron in it...

 

[Ramjet]

No I believe Rocket is serious. Cleaning a possible valuable item is the worst thing you can do. It seems to be too corroded to be copper or silver.
Glad you had a good day.

 

[Ramjet]

Size?

 

[DAN77]

 

[AngerManagement]

And rocket was 100% correct in his comment..

Hmm, hangoff for a bit, that maybe something too special to clean.

Like many things; how to clean a coin is a bit like How long is a piece of string...

First instance it is easy to say how....

But the detail and context is required for a detailed and exact response.

Where was it found / What signal did it give / History of the area etc etc etc

Could be crap or something of high interest - may not be valuable but ???

My first suggestion....

1/3 Molasses and water and soak for days / weeks - inspect wash and photo and back in the mix...

Do a running post / documentary - If some one can guess it - I might even think of offering a prise ?

MODS - If the Poster was happy to proceed - Could a comp be run.

 

[Ramjet]

Thanks for the input AM. Spot on as usual. I had forgotten molasses.

Dan all methods of cleaning will do some damage to the coin/relic. Value can be destroyed by cleaning the wrong thing. Using the more gentle the cleaning methods is the best way to go. Soaking in olive oil is one method used by a lot of people. It is a slow and gentle method. At the extreme would be a wire brush and electrolysis.

Plenty of reading on cleaning finds here. https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9807

 

[DAN77]

Thanks for the advice. I will try olive oil and a molasses soak and see how it turns out. Ill keep you posted.

 

[AtomRat]

Certainly molasses for a couple of weeks will lift the rust. Wonder what it is 8)

 

[Chuky boy]

I found one of these about 2m from where I found an 1838 schilling. Didn't think it was anything special so I put it in the bin. What an amateur I am. :8

 

[silver]

How's this one going Dan ,... did it start to shed the outer coating at all yet ?

 

[steve.rsa]

Could be a token or dogtag