Experiment in cleaning and retoning a copper with verdigris.

[Paddy]

I have been experimenting with trying to recover a 1739 Half penny since December. I am going to post 4 pictures to show how things went.

Firstly, this is the start point after I had picked the coin up and given it a quick Acetone wash, only to discover the verdigris hidden under old polish/varnish or whatever.

[Paddy]

Here is the coin after cleaning. I started with the Sodium sequicarbonate, both hot and quick and slow and cold, which removed most of the patina but not the verdigris. I resorted to a short dip in diluted Ammonia, which got rid of the verdigris and most of the residual patina. The remaining red staining would not shift - is this "Copper disease"?

[Paddy]

I then set about an attempt to retone the coin. A thin coating in vegetable oil and then left on the window ledge in the sun. After a couple of months, it looked like this:

[Paddy]

After another couple of months, it now looks like this.

This photo taken with the new camera I have just picked up - I have not quite got the hang of the focus and exposure yet - sorry!

The "copper disease" is much less evident in the hand and the coin will never be perfect again, but I think better than it was.