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?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_baker6919d ago

A steel penny is worth maybe a dollar, who REALLY cares?

bell.taylor19d ago

Wait, are they really that common? I used to think steel pennies were some rare treasure, but then I actually looked into it and found out millions were made. I remember seeing one in my grandpa’s old coin jar and thinking it was worth a fortune. Turns out, it’s just a cool piece of history but not much else. Kinda changes how you look at old coins, huh?

patricia90512d ago

Yeah but nobody talks about the 1943 copper ones, those are the real unicorns lol.