The police have a similar solution for people who have ground off serial numbers from motorcycle aluminum engine cases. The numbers are stamped in so hard they remain below what the criminals have ground off.
The metal pushed away by the stamps has been work hardened and is more resistant to acid, just as the struck detail areas of a coin (date, letters, design details).
From my experience, acid dated nickels tend to revert back to “unreadable” after a couple years. I have a few key buffalos that had clear dates after the acid treatment and now are unreadable again.
@@johnsharp8627 all I can say is the first 10 minutes i could not see any of the dates. I don't get the whole point since these will revert back anyway. Stopped watching after 10 min.
I love this advice after realizing I have a few that are not identifiable due to wear. I've don't try to clean but if there is no way to know what you have, what do you have to lose when you have no option to identify? Are there other techniques to safely clean coins to discover grade without damaging the value?
Cool video.. I've used ferric chloride for many different projects and found that a little scoop of baking soda in your water will fully neutralize the acid and stop the process completely!
in doing this, do you run the risk of ruining the coin and devaluing it? if not: is it safe to use on any coins? or does the chemical composition of the coin make a difference?
Yes, because even dateless coins can hold value. However, they don’t hold much value, and by revealing the date, you can potentially increase the value depending on what you get. You can’t do this on any coins other than nickels
That is what they use to identify guns with the serial numbers ground off. If you use this with your protective gloves, that one drop being smeared around will cover the whole coin. Being if you have limited funds, your acid will go farther for your budget. Plus these coins are in poor condition, so cleaning them will not matter much. Cleaning coins is bad because if you don't know what you are doing, you can destroy a good coin. I used to polish molds or dies in tool and die. If you polish them right they will not have scratches, except for microscopic scratches.
This makes me even more shocked that the 1822 coin I've once found (without even a metal detector, it was a surface find!) has quite a bit of detail and a very clear date!
What kind of coin in what environment? Gold can survive unscathed in seawater for centuries while copper and nickel quickly degrade if buried in moist soil. Silver will degrade, but not as badly or as quickly as copper or nickel. If your 1822 coin survived well in harsh conditions, it may not have been there as long as the date would indicate. It could have been lost much later.
@@-oiiio-3993 That was a copper coin I've found in my school's backyard that was renovated a year or so before. The backyard used to have concrete all over it so I don't think that counts it as a moist environment. The coin was heavily corroded and dirty so I don't think it was touched in a pretty long time. It really doesn't seem it was dropped there recently.
Cool video, but it makes me more apprehensive of what I might purchase. Hoping that technology doesn’t ruin a timeless hobby in the near future. Thanks for sharing!
It's been done for many decades. Learn to recognize coin surfaces and what makes them as they are. An experienced collector learns to recognize 'honest wear', evidence of cleaning, actual toning, alterations, varieties, errors, etcetera. Grading is an art form in and of itself and third party grading services' are far from being infallible.
Wow, that was incredible to see! Thanks, I'd never even heard of this Nic-A-Date product, but it sure brought out details that were invisible to the naked eye. Sure, the coin would get a "details" grade if it were submitted, but still- you've got a coin that is recognizable, which is far better than just a worn planchet!
If you are keeping the coin for yourself yeah do it so you can lig it like in a book that's you've cleaned. I use a binder and if not cleanable I test for metals but I keep them separated
So, my question is... Why don’t you use the acid on the entire coin every time? Wouldn’t the results be more balanced and even, instead of the eyesore (“dot”) that’s on the coin after doing just the date?
The idea is to damage as little of the coin as possible, but I think that you are probably right in pointing out that most people would rather have an evenly colored coin, even if it means more damage. It’s sort of a tough decision- whether or not to apply acid to the whole coin 🤔
@@marleyteee9617 The old time 'etiquette' is to not clean coins at all, but as one can see these were already severely worn / damaged. Nic - A - Date has been around for many decades, going back to the days when a kid would try to fill a coin album with coins found in pocket change. With the date as highest point of the design, dates of 'Buffalo Nickels' and early (pre 1925) Standing Liberty Quarters would soon become unreadable when passed through circulation.
just a thought, to get both sides done at the same time, and make it easier to lift out. make a 6 spoke wire cage to dip into solution (bit like a ultrasonic cleaner) bend "feet" at the edges so the surface is raised off the bottom slightly meaning more acid can get under the coin
@RYAN Hi, my name is Fick, and I have 20+ years in grading rare coins at my shop. The novelty and fun of Nic-a-date plus the fact that you turn a near worthless coin into a different version of a near worthless coin should not matter to you. People aren't going to be doing this to a MS67 XF 16D, this is all for fun and games, LET THE MAN GET HIS BAG AND MAKE VIDEOS
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong. Your high handed indignation is also misplaced. Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive. At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate. I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed. Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
@@justinsnider9772 someone might be interested in a 1918/1917 D for example. I'll give you that, but a real dealer won't touch them and knowledgable collectors dont want them.
That’s all a lot of people can afford for some coins, any 1909 s vdb penny or 1916 D merc dime or any other similar key dates command hundreds of dollars in literally any condition if the coin and date can be verified.
> a real dealer won't touch them and knowledgable collectors dont want them. Ahh the old "no true collector" argument. Kinda sounds similar to this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman Anyway, I've gotten a lot of comments about this. Sounds like you already know about the 1918/7-D buffalo nickel- that's a good example of a highly sought-after coin that can be found using nic-a-date. Here's one that even got graded and sold for $128 just a couple weeks ago: www.ebay.com/itm/1918-7-D-Buffalo-Nickel-ANACS-AG3-Details-Very-Rare-Key-Date/402044407092?hash=item5d9bb6cd34:g:gvgAAOSwDnpeILTn Here's another that sold for $250 a little less than a month ago: www.ebay.com/itm/1918-7-D-Buffalo-Nickel-ANACS-AG-03-Details/153786881456?hash=item23ce6995b0:g:XN8AAOSwkVxa81li There's no question that there is a market for these coins, but I'm sure they're just a bunch of fake collectors anyway, right? /s
There's a big difference between restoring and cleaning a coin. Restoring uses varnish sealants and varnish/ sealant products that preserves the coin and make it look vibrant. Cleaning like using vinegar acetone apple cider vinegar ketchup similar products destroys coins by making them shiney and can reduce the value too zero
Definitely removing the nickel plating, and making them look rather crude. As a former numismatist, unless you want coins that are just going to be folded coins with little to no value then don’t use this. It’s often better just to leave it be for historical purposes. Sending these to be slabbed they would turn it back for environmental damage killing the price
What are you going on about? There was no 'nickel plating' applied to any coin ever produced by the U.S. Mint. Shield 'Nickels' were minted of the same 75% copper, 25% nickel alloy that was first used for the 1865 Three Cent 'Nickel' and is still used for the five cent 'nickel' and for the outer layer of all 'copper nickel clad' U. S. coinage produced since 1965. None of these severely worn and / or damaged coins were likely candidates for grading anyhow, and had they revealed an 1880 it could have been slabbed / graded as 'Genuine' with explanation of damage if one desired, and it would sell for hundreds as such.
It has been attempted by many, and from what I’ve read, the answer is no. There doesn’t appear to be a known solution to reliably reveal the date of a silver coin.
So someone mentioned that the acid was dissolving the material on the coin that was not compressed as much as other parts of the coin. But the way that I understand it almost all U.S. coins start out as blanks and these blanks, called planchets, in the mints terminology, are dropped into a collar to prevent the diameter from expanding as the blank is being struck under high pressure by the hardened steel coin die set simultaneously on front and back (obverse and reverse). The dies have the image of the coin's features, lettering, and date in a recessed or "incused" manner. All the other areas of the minted coin are referred to as the "field " which is sort of like the background so to speak. The "field" areas are the smooth areas of the coin with no images or dates and letters. This field or smooth area is raised up on the dies, so this raised area on the dies is the area that exerts the most pressure on the coin blank material as the dies come together and sandwich the coin blank thus compressing and forcing the metal to flow into the carved out recesses on the coin die surfaces. So if this is correct then it seems that the field would be the more compressed areas and not the image, date, or lettering. Can anyone clarify whether or not this would be the case?
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong. Your high handed indignation is also misplaced. Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive. At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate. I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed. Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
Thanks for subscribing! As far as value goes- there isn’t a ton of value in a dateless coin, so the effect on the value is pretty much negligible. If you were to find an 1880 key date shield nickel using this method, then you would be significantly increasing the value by finding out the date!
@RYAN Yes, I’m a budding numismatist, and one of the very first things I learned was to NEVER clean coins. If there’s no design left on the coin, the silver has worn off. The “coin” you’re using looks like a blank planchette. You can’t resurrect what isn’t there.
@@QuinsCoins It would take some time, but this reply should be cc'd to all of the fools who are commenting here that you are attempting to perpetuate some sort of fraud, which you clearly are not.
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong. Your high handed indignation is also misplaced. Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive. At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate. I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed. Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
@@gailmarie4039 These coins were so completely worn / damaged that there was no harm in damaging them further to determine their dates. Here's where else you're wrong: The unstruck planchet had a nearly even hardness before striking. When the coin is struck by dies in a multi ton coining press, metal that is forced into design areas of the dies is work hardened more than areas in the 'field', or lower areas of the coin's design, where it is simply pushed a bit. These work hardened areas such as date, lettering, design elements, are hence more resistant to erosion by the acid used to 'restore' such features by eroding the softer metal that surrounds them. The result will be a further damaged and degraded coin, but identifiable. An identifiable rare coin in altered grade is more desirable to most than is a generic, unidentifiable coin. Consider a 'slick' Shield Nickel that is acid treated to reveal a date of 1880. The retail price of an 1880 in G4 (per Numismedia.com) is $1,260 while an 1883 in the same grade is $24. As scarce as 1880 Shield Nickels are, someone will pay hundreds of dollars for an acid damaged, yet identifiable, example.
So with the age of these coins surely mintage and how many still exist will be different. How do you find the actual value of a coin if you dont know how many are still around?
I use a toothpick in the thickest part a drag it where I need it. But I've never used it on anything other than a Buffalo. I've learned using coconut lard on the coin after rinsing has brought it to its luster and stopped the nic a date completely
Good question! In my experience, they don't show up in groups often. I have had success cherry-picking them from coin stores and getting the store to agree to a lower price for the lot. You could probably get them for under a dollar a piece if you bundle them. You might also find them mixed in with larger lots on ebay. Kevin might be able to better point you in the right direction though, you should shoot him a DM! instagram.com/kqcoins
Yes, it is considering cleaning. However, something you should consider is this- how much is a dateless coin worth? Typically around face value to slightly above face value. So if you start with little value, there isn’t much to lose
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong. Your high handed indignation is also misplaced. Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive. At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate. I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed. Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
Question fellas. They say not to clean my coins. When one sends them to have them appraised, do the appraisers ever clean them properly to help bring the price up? And is there a solution like you are using here for pennies? And if there is a solution, if I use it, will it devalue my pennies? Thank you.
Interesting work here ✔️✔️ I was wondering what these coins are made of ❓ I guess any pure metals even ware down eventually. Is the acid ridding of build up on the coin or has it worn down and the coin is so deeply imprinted that the acid defines the print❓
I have a silver coin that I have no idea the date or country of origin, it is about the size of a ten cents Canadian and it might be, but idk because it's too worn. Idk if it's valuable or not, because idk what it is, should I put through this treatment? I CAN provide a vid of it if you want to see it
A few dollars. Normally they are found in old boxes of change or really old coin rolls in someone's grandma's attic in a shoebox from 1946. You can also metal detect old properties and find this kind of stuff. Coin dealers tend to sell coins in much better condition. The badly worn ones are almost always finds metal detecting or going through old piles of change. These from the civil war era are exceedingly rare however. Most likely a metal detecting find now that 150 years have elapsed
It would if a dateless coin had any value to begin with. And it’s true that dateless buffaloes, v, and shield nickels do have some value, but it’s not a lot. I see it as worthwhile to use this product to reveal a date, especially when the chance of finding a very rare date is there. And if you end up finding nothing, then you still haven’t lost much!
I am just starting to collect coins and I have been told by a couple of collectors if you clean a coin by any means you take away all the value. So these are only worth face value.
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong. Your high handed indignation is also misplaced. Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive. At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate. I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed. Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
Value is what someone will pay. I'll pay a lot more for a readable acid-etched coin than a flat piece of metal where you can't even read the date. But maybe I am the only weirdo on the planet. When they say, "ruins the value" I think they are assuming you had a coin that wasn't cull in the first place!
That was interesting, could come in handy. If it was a slick, I’d say you improved the appeal. There’s something to say about conserving a coin versus cleaning it with a Brillo pad. 😆
Thanks! If the acid is not properly removed from the coin after it has been applied, the reaction will slowly continue to eat away at the affected area and you may see a loss of detail over time.
@@QuinsCoins that's not the question... He is asking if the acid stripped so much material that after simple environment humidity exposure it will darken and look almost as if it on his way to turn rust colored.
@@QuinsCoins I know right. Man the detail that came out was awesome. Might try and pick up some of that nic a date. Also checked out Kevin's Ebay listing and might buy a coin or two. Mahalos again!!!
Yes. Don't use it on any with barely readable (two digit) dates but otherwise undamaged, as it will devalue them. If the coin is truly 'dateless', you're not harming anything and may reveal a rare coin (though very low grade).
No, it should only be used on nickels where the date is not visible. And so you know, the metal that this product is actually acting on is the copper in the coins- nickels are made of 75% copper and 25% nickel
There's an easier way to discover the date, and you don't need to use acid, or remove material. If you get "tool and dye makers ink", (a dark blue ink) that will bond to the stamped or molecularly compressed area. Just brush it on gently, it will bond itself. It can also be used to obtain serial numbers that have been filed off guns, it clearly beads on the digits or images that have been stamped. Try it, any machine or tool and dye shop will have it.
@@QuinsCoins I have not done this to a nickel, but I have it seen it work on several other alloys. The principle is the same I beleive. I can't say 100 % it would work, I beleive it would. If it did, it would not degrade the coin as the acid does. Just a suggestion.... that does work on the variety of alloys I've seen, can't guarantee it on a nickel. I know first chance I get Im gonna try it, seen it work many times. FYI
So you're using acid to clear the coins up and selling them for $100+. That doesn't sound right. Do you tell the buyers they have been restored and are not in original condition?
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong. Your high handed indignation is also misplaced. Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive. At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate. I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed. Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
That sit used to destroy any value the coin had at all unless it was a key date bringing back features on a cull is ok , it wasn't worth anything anyway ,but I hope you mention to the buyer that they are dipped when you sell them,
The police have a similar solution for people who have ground off serial numbers from motorcycle aluminum engine cases. The numbers are stamped in so hard they remain below what the criminals have ground off.
The police also use acid to reveal serial numbers that have been filed off gun barrels.
The metal pushed away by the stamps has been work hardened and is more resistant to acid, just as the struck detail areas of a coin (date, letters, design details).
From my experience, acid dated nickels tend to revert back to “unreadable” after a couple years. I have a few key buffalos that had clear dates after the acid treatment and now are unreadable again.
Are you able to retreat them and restore the date again?
John Sharp - maybe once. Maybe twice. Eventually the acid eats away enough of the nickel metal so that the date will be gone forever.
@@victorluc66 Guess the best thing to do is part ways with it before it reverts back.
@@johnsharp8627 all I can say is the first 10 minutes i could not see any of the dates. I don't get the whole point since these will revert back anyway. Stopped watching after 10 min.
WoW! Now they are totally worthless, LMAO. Congrats
I love this advice after realizing I have a few that are not identifiable due to wear. I've don't try to clean but if there is no way to know what you have, what do you have to lose when you have no option to identify?
Are there other techniques to safely clean coins to discover grade without damaging the value?
Coins, beside the point. You two gentlemen are BLESSED to have such a great relationship as brothers. Love it
Cool video.. I've used ferric chloride for many different projects and found that a little scoop of baking soda in your water will fully neutralize the acid and stop the process completely!
Thanks for the tip! I figured there must be a better way to stop the reaction aside from just using water. We will give this a try next time!
The MAGIC starts at 11:16..... Wow!
That was really fun to watch! Nice job Quin and Kevin!
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you enjoyed 😊
Shame their nickles. Nothing really value enhancing. Good job making them totally worthless is really something to be proud of. Congrats LMAO
@@keepitreal2044 C’mon man I was being serious
So the thumbnail and title are lies...
It’s amazing how that liquid will turn a G4 into a MS60! Great video!
This was fun too watch
I'm really glad you enjoyed! :D
I have a 1909 wheat, pretty heavily worn, but if I use a really good microscope I can vaguely make out VDB...any hope in restoring it at all?
I was just about to melt mine, but found you guys just in the “nick”of time. That was fun to watch too.
You were gonna melt nickles? For what reason? They're worth more as worn coins.
in doing this, do you run the risk of ruining the coin and devaluing it?
if not: is it safe to use on any coins? or does the chemical composition of the coin make a difference?
Yes, because even dateless coins can hold value. However, they don’t hold much value, and by revealing the date, you can potentially increase the value depending on what you get.
You can’t do this on any coins other than nickels
Mind-blowing how there are coins still around that are hundreds of years old.
You can go to your local gold shop / coin collector shop and buy an ancient roman coin for around $5 friend.
Some are thousands of years old! We still have Roman coins and Greek.
Why is that mind blowing? There are artifacts that are 1000+ years old.
@@timbuckohfive2751 guessing because they dont collect old coins and artifacts and dont know much about them?
It’s metal. Keep it away from moisture, and it will last thousands of years.
I've used CLR on old corroded unreadable nickels that I've dug while metal detecting... It works too
Will using this on a coin devalue it, since they always say never clean them? This stuff is amazing!
Yes, it will permanently damage the coin and cut its value by over 50 percent.
That is what they use to identify guns with the serial numbers ground off. If you use this with your protective gloves, that one drop being smeared around will cover the whole coin. Being if you have limited funds, your acid will go farther for your budget. Plus these coins are in poor condition, so cleaning them will not matter much. Cleaning coins is bad because if you don't know what you are doing, you can destroy a good coin. I used to polish molds or dies in tool and die. If you polish them right they will not have scratches, except for microscopic scratches.
This makes me even more shocked that the 1822 coin I've once found (without even a metal detector, it was a surface find!) has quite a bit of detail and a very clear date!
What kind of coin in what environment?
Gold can survive unscathed in seawater for centuries while copper and nickel quickly degrade if buried in moist soil. Silver will degrade, but not as badly or as quickly as copper or nickel.
If your 1822 coin survived well in harsh conditions, it may not have been there as long as the date would indicate. It could have been lost much later.
@@-oiiio-3993 That was a copper coin I've found in my school's backyard that was renovated a year or so before. The backyard used to have concrete all over it so I don't think that counts it as a moist environment. The coin was heavily corroded and dirty so I don't think it was touched in a pretty long time. It really doesn't seem it was dropped there recently.
@@Cp-71 Interesting, and cool.
In what general area do you live?
@@-oiiio-3993 A quieter district of a capital city - I don't know how to describe it well
@@Cp-71 A place where British coinage was used in 1822?
Do they make a product that will work on copper or bronze coins ?
Cool video, but it makes me more apprehensive of what I might purchase. Hoping that technology doesn’t ruin a timeless hobby in the near future. Thanks for sharing!
It's been done for many decades.
Learn to recognize coin surfaces and what makes them as they are.
An experienced collector learns to recognize 'honest wear', evidence of cleaning, actual toning, alterations, varieties, errors, etcetera.
Grading is an art form in and of itself and third party grading services' are far from being infallible.
Wow, that was incredible to see! Thanks, I'd never even heard of this Nic-A-Date product, but it sure brought out details that were invisible to the naked eye. Sure, the coin would get a "details" grade if it were submitted, but still- you've got a coin that is recognizable, which is far better than just a worn planchet!
This video should be called "How to turn your almost worthless coins into completely worthless coins"
they were already worthless.
REC: Don't do this to your coins.
If you are keeping the coin for yourself yeah do it so you can lig it like in a book that's you've cleaned. I use a binder and if not cleanable I test for metals but I keep them separated
I spread with a tip of a toothpick so I dont have to much.
@RYAN Wow
@RYAN What about cleaning silver coins?
Wow these guys know *everything* about coins.
So, my question is... Why don’t you use the acid on the entire coin every time? Wouldn’t the results be more balanced and even, instead of the eyesore (“dot”) that’s on the coin after doing just the date?
The idea is to damage as little of the coin as possible, but I think that you are probably right in pointing out that most people would rather have an evenly colored coin, even if it means more damage. It’s sort of a tough decision- whether or not to apply acid to the whole coin 🤔
Quin's Coins, thank you for your response. I wasn’t sure if there was a particular “coin etiquette” on this topic. Lol
@@marleyteee9617 The old time 'etiquette' is to not clean coins at all, but as one can see these were already severely worn / damaged.
Nic - A - Date has been around for many decades, going back to the days when a kid would try to fill a coin album with coins found in pocket change. With the date as highest point of the design, dates of 'Buffalo Nickels' and early (pre 1925) Standing Liberty Quarters would soon become unreadable when passed through circulation.
just a thought, to get both sides done at the same time, and make it easier to lift out. make a 6 spoke wire cage to dip into solution (bit like a ultrasonic cleaner)
bend "feet" at the edges so the surface is raised off the bottom slightly meaning more acid can get under the coin
Did you weight them before and after and if so was there a weight change?
Law enforcement uses a similar process to identify equipment when a stamped serial number was filed off
That was cool. Nice variety from just hunting.
Award for biggest BS thumbnail goes to you. Lol
This was a real wow to watch for me. However, what do you do with them after? Sell? Save? etc. Thanks for this video!!
We sold these ones, yes. But also, you could use them to fill holes in your collection albums as well.
@RYAN Hi, my name is Fick, and I have 20+ years in grading rare coins at my shop. The novelty and fun of Nic-a-date plus the fact that you turn a near worthless coin into a different version of a near worthless coin should not matter to you. People aren't going to be doing this to a MS67 XF 16D, this is all for fun and games, LET THE MAN GET HIS BAG AND MAKE VIDEOS
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong.
Your high handed indignation is also misplaced.
Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive.
At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate.
I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed.
Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
@@fickoffduck675 Well stated.
Really enjoyed this video, very cool!
Forget the price guide, these coins are graded poor and cleaned. No value.
Wrong, even a poor grade cleaned coin can be valuable if the date can be verified and it is a rare key date coin.
@@justinsnider9772 someone might be interested in a 1918/1917 D for example. I'll give you that, but a real dealer won't touch them and knowledgable collectors dont want them.
That’s all a lot of people can afford for some coins, any 1909 s vdb penny or 1916 D merc dime or any other similar key dates command hundreds of dollars in literally any condition if the coin and date can be verified.
> a real dealer won't touch them and knowledgable collectors dont want them.
Ahh the old "no true collector" argument. Kinda sounds similar to this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
Anyway, I've gotten a lot of comments about this. Sounds like you already know about the 1918/7-D buffalo nickel- that's a good example of a highly sought-after coin that can be found using nic-a-date. Here's one that even got graded and sold for $128 just a couple weeks ago: www.ebay.com/itm/1918-7-D-Buffalo-Nickel-ANACS-AG3-Details-Very-Rare-Key-Date/402044407092?hash=item5d9bb6cd34:g:gvgAAOSwDnpeILTn
Here's another that sold for $250 a little less than a month ago: www.ebay.com/itm/1918-7-D-Buffalo-Nickel-ANACS-AG-03-Details/153786881456?hash=item23ce6995b0:g:XN8AAOSwkVxa81li
There's no question that there is a market for these coins, but I'm sure they're just a bunch of fake collectors anyway, right? /s
@RYAN get over it , moron.
There's a big difference between restoring and cleaning a coin. Restoring uses varnish sealants and varnish/ sealant products that preserves the coin and make it look vibrant. Cleaning like using vinegar acetone apple cider vinegar ketchup similar products destroys coins by making them shiney and can reduce the value too zero
Definitely removing the nickel plating, and making them look rather crude. As a former numismatist, unless you want coins that are just going to be folded coins with little to no value then don’t use this. It’s often better just to leave it be for historical purposes. Sending these to be slabbed they would turn it back for environmental damage killing the price
What are you going on about?
There was no 'nickel plating' applied to any coin ever produced by the U.S. Mint. Shield 'Nickels' were minted of the same 75% copper, 25% nickel alloy that was first used for the 1865 Three Cent 'Nickel' and is still used for the five cent 'nickel' and for the outer layer of all 'copper nickel clad' U. S. coinage produced since 1965.
None of these severely worn and / or damaged coins were likely candidates for grading anyhow, and had they revealed an 1880 it could have been slabbed / graded as 'Genuine' with explanation of damage if one desired, and it would sell for hundreds as such.
Who cares, it makes it look cooler.
is that acid work on brase or gold as well?
It will work on most metal but not gold
Thats wild! Very cool results, boys!💥🍻👊
Thank you for watching!
Cool vid, thanks guys
We love finding new ways to restore old coins!
Like how you made this video, with the picture in picture, and the use of nic a date, glad you used gloves ,that stuff is wicked bad!
Would that stuff be good at revealing a date on a standing liberty quarter.
It has been attempted by many, and from what I’ve read, the answer is no. There doesn’t appear to be a known solution to reliably reveal the date of a silver coin.
Quin's Coins You are wrong. This absolutely restores the date on S.L. Quarters. I’ve done it to several with great results.
So someone mentioned that the acid was dissolving the material on the coin that was not compressed as much as other parts of the coin. But the way that I understand it almost all U.S. coins start out as blanks and these blanks, called planchets, in the mints terminology, are dropped into a collar to prevent the diameter from expanding as the blank is being struck under high pressure by the hardened steel coin die set simultaneously on front and back (obverse and reverse). The dies have the image of the coin's features, lettering, and date in a recessed or "incused" manner. All the other areas of the minted coin are referred to as the "field " which is sort of like the background so to speak. The "field" areas are the smooth areas of the coin with no images or dates and letters. This field or smooth area is raised up on the dies, so this raised area on the dies is the area that exerts the most pressure on the coin blank material as the dies come together and sandwich the coin blank thus compressing and forcing the metal to flow into the carved out recesses on the coin die surfaces. So if this is correct then it seems that the field would be the more compressed areas and not the image, date, or lettering. Can anyone clarify whether or not this would be the case?
Great to watch thanks guys
I am truly amazed how well Nic-A-Date on some of those nickels. I may have to get some for future silver coins.
Don’t use it on silver coins! It only works on the copper + nickel alloy that nickels are made out of
@@QuinsCoins Thanks for the input.
Very entertaining guys! Amazing how that acid eats through and reveals the detail like that.
Wow I never seen a coin this clean! 16:23 🎉 more vid pls
Great video thanks for sharing
What is the weight of that after the dip ? I would imagine it was off from the wear over the years
Thanks
very cool that you dipped the whole coin
Have yall did a video of your collections ? If not could yall do one ?
Thank you Gents. I enjoyed this tremendously. Learned a couple things as well. 👍👍😃
Thank you gentlemen , I appreciate your factual way of presenting this information.
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong.
Your high handed indignation is also misplaced.
Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive.
At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate.
I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed.
Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
Thanks for sharing a system I haven't seen before. How does this affect value? Thanks again, this deffinately deserved my sub.😎👍👍👌👌⛏⛏
Thanks for subscribing! As far as value goes- there isn’t a ton of value in a dateless coin, so the effect on the value is pretty much negligible. If you were to find an 1880 key date shield nickel using this method, then you would be significantly increasing the value by finding out the date!
@RYAN Yes, I’m a budding numismatist, and one of the very first things I learned was to NEVER clean coins. If there’s no design left on the coin, the silver has worn off. The “coin” you’re using looks like a blank planchette. You can’t resurrect what isn’t there.
@@QuinsCoins It would take some time, but this reply should be cc'd to all of the fools who are commenting here that you are attempting to perpetuate some sort of fraud, which you clearly are not.
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong.
Your high handed indignation is also misplaced.
Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive.
At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate.
I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed.
Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
@@gailmarie4039 These coins were so completely worn / damaged that there was no harm in damaging them further to determine their dates.
Here's where else you're wrong:
The unstruck planchet had a nearly even hardness before striking. When the coin is struck by dies in a multi ton coining press, metal that is forced into design areas of the dies is work hardened more than areas in the 'field', or lower areas of the coin's design, where it is simply pushed a bit.
These work hardened areas such as date, lettering, design elements, are hence more resistant to erosion by the acid used to 'restore' such features by eroding the softer metal that surrounds them.
The result will be a further damaged and degraded coin, but identifiable.
An identifiable rare coin in altered grade is more desirable to most than is a generic, unidentifiable coin.
Consider a 'slick' Shield Nickel that is acid treated to reveal a date of 1880. The retail price of an 1880 in G4 (per Numismedia.com) is $1,260 while an 1883 in the same grade is $24.
As scarce as 1880 Shield Nickels are, someone will pay hundreds of dollars for an acid damaged, yet identifiable, example.
So with the age of these coins surely mintage and how many still exist will be different. How do you find the actual value of a coin if you dont know how many are still around?
Where do I buy this product ???
There is a link to buy it on amazon in the video description!
Where do you buy nik a date
I use a toothpick in the thickest part a drag it where I need it. But I've never used it on anything other than a Buffalo. I've learned using coconut lard on the coin after rinsing has brought it to its luster and stopped the nic a date completely
How much do you think it would cost me to get my hands on some dateless shield nickels?
Great vids keep it up!
Good question! In my experience, they don't show up in groups often. I have had success cherry-picking them from coin stores and getting the store to agree to a lower price for the lot. You could probably get them for under a dollar a piece if you bundle them. You might also find them mixed in with larger lots on ebay. Kevin might be able to better point you in the right direction though, you should shoot him a DM! instagram.com/kqcoins
I don’t have an Instagram but thanks for the tip!
Hell look me up at pocketwatchpanda and I might even have some dateless that I can dig up for you from my storage bins...
Don't know, but while you are at it find out about Indian Head pennies. I can't find any prices or samples.
@@edvardarmandodelgadodelgad1855 I think all of my Indian Head have dates. 🙄
Good Afternoon,
The process you're using..Is that also called Washing/Cleaning a coin which would devalue it?
Yes, it is considering cleaning. However, something you should consider is this- how much is a dateless coin worth? Typically around face value to slightly above face value. So if you start with little value, there isn’t much to lose
@@QuinsCoins I do understand
@@QuinsCoins Bingo.
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong.
Your high handed indignation is also misplaced.
Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive.
At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate.
I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed.
Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
Question fellas. They say not to clean my coins. When one sends them to have them appraised, do the appraisers ever clean them properly to help bring the price up? And is there a solution like you are using here for pennies?
And if there is a solution, if I use it, will it devalue my pennies? Thank you.
Great video guys I can't wait to see it 😳
Interesting..thanks! You guys are awesome!
Baking soda in your water will instantly neutralize acid. I'm not sure how your coins would look however.
Well, there’s a way to lose money.
If you can't make out the date, it's not really worth anything anyway.
John Sharp well then you should at least just do it on the date.
@@NachoFreckle Agreed!
inflation 5 cents is like 1000$ from 1880s
punker4Real what no not even close
Interesting work here ✔️✔️ I was wondering what these coins are made of ❓ I guess any pure metals even ware down eventually. Is the acid ridding of build up on the coin or has it worn down and the coin is so deeply imprinted that the acid defines the print❓
Fantastic video! Really enjoyed it :)
Thank you for watching!
This was a great video. Good research on acid and nickels!
@RYAN I read your post the first time you posted , you do not have to keep posting and reposting.
That was pretty astonishing to bring those details back great video😉👍
MAGIC DATE 😆 COOL VIDEO 🇺🇸
Anything like that for silver coins?
From what I’ve read, the answer is no. There doesn’t appear to be a known solution to reliably reveal the date of a silver coin.
Quin's Coins Wrong, wrong, wrong, again.
@@QuinsCoins There was, 'back in the day', but i've never used it.
I have a silver coin that I have no idea the date or country of origin, it is about the size of a ten cents Canadian and it might be, but idk because it's too worn. Idk if it's valuable or not, because idk what it is, should I put through this treatment?
I CAN provide a vid of it if you want to see it
How much do worn nickels like the ones shown in your video usually cost?
A few dollars. Normally they are found in old boxes of change or really old coin rolls in someone's grandma's attic in a shoebox from 1946. You can also metal detect old properties and find this kind of stuff. Coin dealers tend to sell coins in much better condition. The badly worn ones are almost always finds metal detecting or going through old piles of change. These from the civil war era are exceedingly rare however. Most likely a metal detecting find now that 150 years have elapsed
Doesn't what you're doing take away from value of coin... Have you taken these coins to be graded?
It would if a dateless coin had any value to begin with. And it’s true that dateless buffaloes, v, and shield nickels do have some value, but it’s not a lot. I see it as worthwhile to use this product to reveal a date, especially when the chance of finding a very rare date is there. And if you end up finding nothing, then you still haven’t lost much!
I am just starting to collect coins and I have been told by a couple of collectors if you clean a coin by any means you take away all the value. So these are only worth face value.
@RYAN Thank you for writing that out! Mad respect for what you do!
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong.
Your high handed indignation is also misplaced.
Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive.
At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate.
I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed.
Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
Value is what someone will pay. I'll pay a lot more for a readable acid-etched coin than a flat piece of metal where you can't even read the date. But maybe I am the only weirdo on the planet. When they say, "ruins the value" I think they are assuming you had a coin that wasn't cull in the first place!
Nice video..Thanks for sharing👍👍👍
How can I restore coins which have a kind of purple/rainbow colour on them? Please, help...
Super cool video. Thanks for sharing.
That was interesting, could come in handy. If it was a slick, I’d say you improved the appeal. There’s something to say about conserving a coin versus cleaning it with a Brillo pad. 😆
Truly a dumb ass ignorant process of making the coins totally worthless. LMAO.... Congrats
i have very old coins like 1891 and 1899 1905 but i don't know how to sell them or how much they are worth can you guys help me out
Does that stuff reduce the worth of the coin?
does the solution work for silver coins?
Remember! Do not do this without knowing what you doing!
Where do you get nic a date
I have a link to purchase the product in the video description! Check it out 👍🏻
Amazon
Nice job guys I’ve seen people use that on Indians. Just wondering does the coin oxidize after it sits for a while?
Thanks! If the acid is not properly removed from the coin after it has been applied, the reaction will slowly continue to eat away at the affected area and you may see a loss of detail over time.
@@QuinsCoins that's not the question... He is asking if the acid stripped so much material that after simple environment humidity exposure it will darken and look almost as if it on his way to turn rust colored.
Awesome videos guys. Wow crazy how much detail that last one that was pretty much blank lol Mahalo for sharing and Aloha!!!
BOOMBA SHOOTS 🤙🏽
Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed! We were shocked as well to see the details come through so clearly.
@@QuinsCoins I know right. Man the detail that came out was awesome. Might try and pick up some of that nic a date. Also checked out Kevin's Ebay listing and might buy a coin or two. Mahalos again!!!
You probably already saw already, but I have an affiliate link to buy nic-a-date in the video description. Only $7 plus free shipping!
@@QuinsCoins yessir!!! I will definitely use your link when I buy it. One way I can support the channel. Mahalo again Quin🤙🏽
Is this stuff good for "no date" Indian( buffalo) nickels?
Yes.
Don't use it on any with barely readable (two digit) dates but otherwise undamaged, as it will devalue them.
If the coin is truly 'dateless', you're not harming anything and may reveal a rare coin (though very low grade).
Can this be used on any metal coin? Or just nickel?
No, it should only be used on nickels where the date is not visible. And so you know, the metal that this product is actually acting on is the copper in the coins- nickels are made of 75% copper and 25% nickel
Will it work on silver ?
Very cool, guys!
Nice job guys , love that nik a date
thank you!
where can you buy nic-a-date
I’ve got some buffalo nickels they’ve been nicked dated you can tell there’s a mark and you can’t see the date anymore, so what’s the point
Can you use nic a date on any coins or just nickels
Just nickels
There's an easier way to discover the date, and you don't need to use acid, or remove material. If you get "tool and dye makers ink", (a dark blue ink) that will bond to the stamped or molecularly compressed area. Just brush it on gently, it will bond itself. It can also be used to obtain serial numbers that have been filed off guns, it clearly beads on the digits or images that have been stamped. Try it, any machine or tool and dye shop will have it.
Interesting...have you done this before on a nickel?
@@QuinsCoins I have not done this to a nickel, but I have it seen it work on several other alloys. The principle is the same I beleive. I can't say 100 % it would work, I beleive it would. If it did, it would not degrade the coin as the acid does. Just a suggestion.... that does work on the variety of alloys I've seen, can't guarantee it on a nickel. I know first chance I get Im gonna try it, seen it work many times. FYI
I have to wonder if it works with silver Standing Liberty quarters.
@@calzonemaniacsvideocorner0804 It will work with almost any metal that has been "stamped".
Muito bom
So you're using acid to clear the coins up and selling them for $100+. That doesn't sound right. Do you tell the buyers they have been restored and are not in original condition?
Jordan Edmonds I think he said a buck or two.
William Rohane you know you what. You’re right. I way misheard them. Thanks.
@RYAN Well thanks for the info 8 months later, I guess.
@RYAN I have decades more numismatic experience than you and can tell you that you are entirely wrong.
Your high handed indignation is also misplaced.
Nowhere in this video are these young men advocating fraud in any way. They are showing a process by which coins that are so severely worn and / or 'environmentally damaged' as to be dateless can be identified by date after treatment. This process has been used for longer than I have been alive.
At one point, as they pondered the value of a barely identifiable 1880 example, one of them indicated that an acid treated coin would surely grade less than G4, which is accurate.
I have never acid treated a coin in my life and generally show disdain for such coins. That said, there is no harm in further damaging a coin that is already so severely worn or damaged that its date cannot be discerned. If they are later sold with a description as being treated, again no foul has been committed.
Get off your high horse for a minute or three.
Loved this vid. I want more planchet coin reveals
@RYAN get therapy and medication.
@RYAN don’t believe this guy… I’ve used it on Buffalo nickels and it works, however it does lower the value significantly…
That sit used to destroy any value the coin had at all unless it was a key date bringing back features on a cull is ok , it wasn't worth anything anyway ,but I hope you mention to the buyer that they are dipped when you sell them,
Mind blowing, thanks for sharing.
The video thumbnail is extremely misleading
Does this work on Indian had nickels
The only benefit is that acid satisfies your curiosity…maybe while removing any value the coin MIGHT have had! Nothing before, nothing afterwards.