c/ancient-coin-finds

Switched from scrubbing coins with vinegar to letting them soak in distilled water for 2 weeks... my 1800s large cent came out cleaner than any of the ones I ruined before

I was dead set on a metal detector under $200 until I borrowed a friend's for a day

I spent like 3 weeks reading reviews on cheap detectors, had my eye on one for $180. Then my buddy Dave let me borrow his mid-range one he paid $450 for. I took it to an old park in town and found 12 coins in under 2 hours including a 1918 wheat penny. That day made me realize I was just wasting money on something that would frustrate me. So I saved up another month and bought a used one for $300 that works way better. Has anyone else found that spending a bit more up front actually saves you money in the long run?

That old mercury dime I snagged for $2 at a flea market turned out to be real

Ngl I was sure the seller was trying to pawn off a fake, but I took it to a local coin shop in Cleveland and the guy verified it with his scale. Turns out it was minted in 1916 and graded at a fine condition worth about $40. Has anyone else had a flea market gamble actually pay off?

Rant: That park I've been digging for 3 years just got reseeded

Last week I went to my usual spot, the old ballfield near Oak Street where I pulled a 1910s barber token last summer. The whole place was taped off with that orange construction fencing and there were little flags everywhere. I asked the groundskeeper and he said they're doing a full renovation with new sod starting Monday. That spot was my go-to for 3 years and now I gotta find a new permission site from scratch. Anyone else lost a good hunting spot to something dumb like park maintenance?

Dropped a 1700s Spanish silver coin and it rolled into a storm drain

I was out at this old farm site near Lancaster PA last weekend, digging in some muddy ground near a drainage ditch. Found what I thought was a worn 2-reale piece, maybe 1730s based on the little detail I could see. I got so excited I fumbled it out of my gloved hand and watched it roll straight into a metal grate. Spent 20 minutes trying to fish it out with a stick and a magnet but it was gone. Still kicking myself over it - has anyone else lost a good find like that and actually managed to recover it later?

Hit 100 Roman coins in my collection this week

I've been digging at old farmland near Bath for about 3 years now. This week I finally pulled out my 100th Roman bronze. Never thought I'd get that many from just one area. Most are 3rd and 4th century, nothing super rare but still cool. The soil there is really mild so the patina comes out nice. Anybody else hit a big milestone like that and have it change how you hunt?

Warning: That $60 cleaning kit I bought off eBay wrecked 3 of my finds

I got this set that came with some weird gel and a soft brush, thought it'd save me effort on dirty pennies and old tokens. Spent 60 bucks on it after seeing a guy on YouTube use it, figured why not. First coin I tried was a 1910 wheat cent, the gel left a cloudy film I can't get off now. Tried it on a buffalo nickel and it scratched the surface worse than before. Turns out the gel had some acid in it that eats at the metal over time. My buddy at the flea market told me to stick with distilled water and a soft toothbrush for cleaning. Anyone else get burned by those fancy coin cleaning sets?

Found a 1909 VDB Lincoln cent at an estate sale last Sunday and it got me thinking

I was digging through a box of old buttons and keys at an estate sale in Elmwood, and there it was - a 1909 VDB Lincoln cent just sitting at the bottom. The lady running the sale said $5 for the whole box, so I grabbed it. Got home and checked the date, realized it's the one with the designer's initials on the back, VDB. I remember reading that only about 27 million of these were minted, and now most are beat up from being in circulation for over a century. This one's got a nice brown patina, maybe a VG-8 if I'm being generous. Made me wonder how many of these are still out there in attics or junk drawers, just waiting to be picked up for pocket change. Anyone else find something way better than expected at an estate sale lately?

Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop cleaning my coins

I used to think making old coins look shiny and new was the way to go. Found a 1919 wheat penny at a park last month and scrubbed it with baking soda. Showed it to a collector at the flea market and he basically told me I wrecked the value. He pulled out a similar one that was all dark and crusty and said that patina is actually what makes it worth something. I compared the two side by side and his looked way more legit and historic. Now I just rinse off dirt with water and let them be. Anybody else learn this the hard way too?

Talked to a guy at a gas station who changed how I look at old pennies

I was at a Shell station in Akron last Tuesday waiting in line and this older guy saw my keychain with a 1909 VDB penny on it. He asked if I collected and I said yeah but mostly just random finds from flea markets. He told me I'm doing it wrong and that I should focus on one type of coin like Indian Heads or Mercury dimes instead of grabbing everything. Said he got 40 years of value out of just studying Barber halves. It hit different because he wasn't being a jerk about it just matter of fact. I've been digging through my box of random stuff since then and honestly he might be right about narrowing down. Has anyone else stuck to one series for a long time and regretted it or liked it?

That 1843 large cent I dug up near a ghost town in Nevada

I was digging near an old ghost town outside Ely, Nevada last spring and pulled out an 1843 large cent. What got me is that the coin was minted in Philadelphia and somehow ended up way out in the middle of nowhere before the railroad even came through there. Did some research on the town history and found out it was a silver mining camp that only lasted about 8 years. Anyone else get a coin way older than the area you were searching and wonder how it got there?

That $40 metal detector I bought at a garage sale in Akron only finds bottle caps and pull tabs

I dug up 47 bottle caps and a rusty keychain before I realized the thing literally beeps at any piece of trash within six inches, has anyone else gotten scammed by a cheap detector on Facebook Marketplace?

Spent $45 on a metal detector off Facebook marketplace and it already paid off

Found a 1919 wheat penny on my second trip out to this old park near my house. I figured the detector was a gamble but the guy said it worked and I only brought $45 cash. Still learning the tones but that penny came in clear as day buried about 4 inches deep. Has anyone else scored a good deal on a used detector that actually works out?

Debate: Should you clean old coins you dig up or leave them dirty?

My buddy Mark told me to never clean any coin I find, says it ruins the value and patina. So I left a 1919 wheat penny I dug up at a park in Denver totally grimy and crusty. Then I saw another guy at the flea market selling the same coin cleaned up for triple what I'd get. Now I'm torn, does cleaning a common coin like that really matter if it's not rare? Or is Mark right that you should always keep the dirt for authenticity? What do you all do with your dug-up coins, clean them gentle or just leave them as-is?

Debate: Cleaning found coins with distilled water vs. leaving them dirty

I pulled a 1790s British halfpenny from a park in Philadelphia last weekend and scrubbed it with distilled water, but my buddy says I ruined the patina by cleaning it at all. Which side are you on - clean enough to see details or leave the dirt for value?

Flea market dude swore a 1909 VDB penny was fake and I almost walked away

Found this crusty penny at a flea market in Omaha last Saturday for 50 cents. Guy running the table said it was a common replica and laughed when I asked. Snagged it anyway because I liked the crust, cleaned it up at home with some olive oil and a toothpick. Turned out it was a real 1909 S VDB, worth probably $800 after grading. Has anyone else had a seller talk them out of a good score?

I finally took advice from that old guy at the flea market

He told me to stop scrubbing the green patina off pennies I dug up, said I was ruining the value. Next time I found a 1920s wheat penny at a park in Austin, I left the crust on and it sold for $12 instead of scrap.

Let's settle this debate on cleaning dug coins with distilled water vs. just rinsing them under the tap...

I've seen people swear by letting their finds sit in distilled water for days, but I just run mine under the kitchen faucet for a few seconds and haven't had any issues yet, especially with crusty pennies from 1800s homesites around my area of Oregon. Am I missing something important, or is the distilled water crowd being way too cautious?

I finally stopped using vinegar to clean my dug coins

For like two years I was convinced vinegar was the best way to get dirt off old pennies and Roman bronze I found at a flea market in Ohio. But after it left this weird green film on a 1890s Indian Head cent I dug up at an old farmhouse, I started reading more. Turns out I was just damaging the patina without realizing it. Now I just rinse with distilled water and a soft toothbrush, way safer. Anyone else had a bad experience with homemade cleaning methods?

Warning: I used to clean all my dug coins with olive oil but now I just use water

Back when I started collecting about 4 years ago, I'd soak every crusty copper I found from old farm fields in olive oil for weeks. It made them look shiny but I ruined a few details on a 1799 large cent last year. Now I just rinse them with tap water and a soft toothbrush, nothing more. Has anyone else wrecked a good coin by overcleaning before realizing less is better?

Rant: That guy at the coin show told me I was cleaning coins all wrong

I was at the Springfield show last month and some old dude watched me scrub a 1890s Indian Head penny with baking soda and went off on me about how I was destroying the patina. He showed me his method: just soak in distilled water for a day and use a soft toothpick for dirt. Has anyone else switched from harsh cleaning to just water and patience?

Pulled a 1917 Mercury dime from a flea market box last Saturday

I was digging through a $5 junk box at the flea market near Springfield and spotted a silver edge sticking out. Turned out to be a 1917 Mercury dime with some wear but the date is clear and the mint mark is visible. Been collecting for maybe 20 years and this is the first Mercury dime I've ever found in a loose tray like that. Anybody else have luck finding silver coins in the cheap bins at flea markets?

Stop buying those PVC holders at flea markets - they ruin the patina on old coppers

I've seen four people this month alone with Roman bronzes that have that weird green crusty rot starting around the edges. Every single one was stored in those soft clear PVC flips from the 90s. That plastic outgasses something that eats copper alloy over time. I learned this the hard way with a Constantine I Follis I paid $30 for at a local park cleanup event. Three years in a PVC flip and the surface started flaking. Switched to Mylar and it stopped. Check your holders people. Especially if they smell like a new shower curtain.

That old guy at the flea market told me to clean a 1798 large cent with olive oil - I ruined it

Honestly I thought he knew what he was talking about because he had a table full of old coins. So I soaked this 1798 large cent I found in a park near Dayton in olive oil for three days. Now it's all pitted and blotchy and worth maybe $10 instead of the $150 I saw similar ones go for. Ngl should have just left it dirty and asked someone in this group first. Has anyone else been given bad cleaning advice that wrecked a find?

Found a 1943 steel penny in a park in Ohio last weekend but my mistake was thinking I could just scrub it clean

I dug up this 1943 steel penny at Lincoln Park in Cleveland and it was covered in this gray crust. So I grabbed a wire brush and some vinegar and went at it for like 10 minutes. Turns out steel pennies don't react well to vinegar at all, it started turning a weird brown color. I looked online after and found out you're supposed to use distilled water and a soft cloth or even olive oil. Anyone else ever mess up a coin by using the wrong cleaning stuff on it?