Copper coins can be found in great condition!

This post is in response to those questioning whether coppers can be in the ground for over a hundred years or more and look rather great after a light cleaning or hardly none at all.

Sugar sand in the East and Upper Mid-West can and does at times supply the right conditions for copper relics and coins to remain in a relatively great condition, despite being in the ground, exposed to the harsh moisture conditions.  Fast Drainage and lack of vegative matter make the big difference in not allowing acidic conditions to increase to help start corroding any copper/brass item.

I think perhaps one of my best "as found" old coins was this 1796 Liberty Cap Cent I found back in September 2004.  The site was white Sugar sand but was very near a cedar swamp, which the soil is highly acidic, and totally destroys coppers, but since this was found on a higher knoll of sand (ancient sand dune type) the drainage of the sand allowed for this copper to remain in relatively great shape.

Sometimes they come out of the ground, even sugar sand in bad shape, but the chances are always better in this well drained "soil" than in a area of less drainage and more vegative matter.

Also included a few photos of coppers that cleaned up well either with distilled water or Peroxide........

Don

I have found over the years that coins coming out of sandy soil always come out much cleaner than
coins coming from red clay or other types of soil.
 I have done a lot of hunting in the lowlands of SC anywhere from Rock Hill to the coast and its mostly sandy soil, and although it can sometimes come out bad, most of the time...
they are clean with a good patina.

Hey Don,
Those coins look amazing.  Wish I could find some sugar sand around me. I made the banner with an 1872 Indian Head months back and it came out of soil that was somewhat sandy.  It was by far my best conditioned IH.  The photographs you take of your coins are amazing as well.  I think I remember you posting your method of photographing coins a while back.  You built some kind of tripod for your camera if I'm not mistaken.  I can't find that post anywhere.  

Ah yes, my homemade camera stand post, here it is,  LOL< made the base out of an old cutting board that we were going to toss, made for a nice stable platform.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,51350.0.html

Don

Ah yes, my homemade camera stand post, here it is,  LOL< made the base out of an old cutting board that we were going to toss, made for a nice stable platform.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,51350.0.html

Don

That's the post I was talking about.  Very innovative!!! I will have to try and build one for myself.  I don't even use a tripod for my photographs.  It makes shooting in macro nearly impossible. 

Very nice coins Don.  Last year I found an Indianhead penny up close to an old tree stump (maple I think) It came out of the ground looking like it was dropped yesterday,still had the copper color.I put it in my pocket and when I got home and took it out it had changed to a dark chocolate brown color.