New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

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creamer		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 9:58:02 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,022 Location: Bay of Islands Thanks: 2289 times Was thanked: 525 time(s) in 391 post(s)		Tonznz. Thats an impressive lot of coins there. And thats alot of digging youve done, The beach must look loke a pin cushion..lol, awesome. Yes its that thought of the big gold one that drives us on. 9 rings ive found so far but none are gold. I can feel it just around the corner.. Gold, yummm.. Shilo. Great info there. I have recently stopped trying to clean my coins because of damage. Tossing up whether to buy a rock tumbler. Trademe new, about 90 bucks. Maybe this might be more damaging, not sure. Will try your idea on a few. Cheers. Shane Extra Edited by user Tuesday, 13 September 2011 2:53:09 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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creamer		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 10:06:18 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,022 Location: Bay of Islands Thanks: 2289 times Was thanked: 525 time(s) in 391 post(s)		Originally Posted by: kiwikeith keep those photos coming my wife loves looking at them as well (not to sure about the creamer in the tunnel) never mind they are interesting thanks kiwikeith Hi kiwikieth and partner, glad that you guys like the pictures. With the test mines they would drill in say 15 meters, then a few meters to the left and then to the right and if they found no quartz, coal, silver etc, they would move on to another spot. These test mines are all over Whangarei. Interesting to visit them still. lol.. Shane Edited by user Sunday, 4 September 2011 10:15:13 AM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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Lammerlaw		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 10:49:46 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Originally Posted by: creamer Tonznz. Thats an impressive lot of coins there. And thats alot of digging youve done, The beach must look loke a pin cushion..lol, awesome. Yes its that thought of the big gold one that drives us on. 9 rings ive found so far but none are gold. I can feel it just around the corner.. Gold, yummm.. Shilo. Great info there. I have recently stopped trying to clean my coins because of damage. Tossing up whether to buy a rock tumbler. Trademe new, about 90 bucks. Maybe this might be more damaging, not sure. Will try your idea on a few. Cheers. Shane I sure in hell hope that you are not buying a rock tumbler to clean coins - thats a bit like buying gelignite to get rid of the rust on your car! You never ever clean coins with any type of abrasive or grit, nor by tumbling them together. Quote from the top coin catalogue - in this case Coins of England - Seaby;- Cleaning Coins Speaking generally, DONT clean coins. More coins are ruined by injudicious cleaning than through any other cause, and a badly cleaned coin loses much of its value. A nicely toned piece is usually considered desirable. Really dirty Gold and Silver can, however, be washed in soap and water Copper coins should never be cleaned or washed, they may be lightly brushed with a brush that is not too harsh. New Zealand Coins and Tokens - By A.W.Grant As a general rule DO NOT CLEAN COINS. Collectors prefer coins to be in 'original' condition. The value of a coi is not determined by how shiny it is but by the degree of wear. Cleaning may drastically affect the value of a coin. In the case of coins which were so dirty that they had oxidised or could not be cleaned I sold them for scrap value and all others I cleaned in soap and water using cotton buds under a microscope sometimes. Edited by user Sunday, 4 September 2011 11:11:12 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

Shilo		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 12:13:33 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 29/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 573 Location: Kawhia Thanks: 17 times Was thanked: 285 time(s) in 185 post(s)		I agree that cleaning coins destroys their value. But I still do it for the following reasons: 1. Most of my finds are from the beach and the coins are in such a condition that they need cleaning to identify. 2. If I plan on keeping a coin and not selling then I will clean it as I personally prefer a shiny silver coin for display then one completely tarnished (a matter of preference). Of course if I ever find a broken back shilling or a 1935 thrupence then I wouldn't clean it at all unless it is in such a bad condition I can't identify it. Most of my silvers are not rare and the value is only in their melt. In these cases it is a quick clean to see what it is then in the container. Coin collectors throw up their arms over MD'ers destroying a coin by cleaning it, but they are used to ones not dug up on the beach and so encrusted that it is only the shape which says it's a coin. We have to be able to see its year at least before knowing if it is valuable or not. As soon as it can be identified as a valuable cleaning should stop. A tumbler would be good for modern currency as it may clean the $ coins enough that a bank will accept them. But it will wear out the silvers a bit too much for my liking and if they are only for refining then keeping them "crusty" is not a problem. For Pennies and copper coins - hot 3% hydrogen peroxide can get them nice without destroying the patina, otherwise a soak for a week or 2 in olive oil can also help. Do not use CLR, acids or electrolysis on them! If you do you will get "bronze disease" attacking not only that coin but all others close by and its a bugger to get rid off. Once cleaned with peroxide or olive oil coat them with a good wax. This one here is ideal and made for precious copper based coins: http://www.conservations...ies.co.nz/lines/161.html I repeat though, Lammerlaw is correct and the above is only for non-valuable coins. Edited by user Sunday, 4 September 2011 12:23:18 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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tonznz		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 12:39:50 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 20/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 667 Thanks: 261 times Was thanked: 199 time(s) in 152 post(s)		Hi all. About coin cleaning. To quote from the Royal Numistatic Society of New Zealand website on the care of coins: ".....Handle with care. Hold by the rim. Do not polish coins. Only clean them if you are an expert. Use non-reacting “Mylar” plastic flips to store your coins, even if you use a coin album. Never store coins in damp conditions...." I guess storing a coin in the sand at a beach for 100 years would be a no-no for storing coins? My point being an old coin found by me at a beach has minimal monetary value. However like Pippi Longstocking, I am a "turnupstuffer", and take child like delight in funding stuff, stuff that other people may see as having no value. Yes if it is a pre 1947 NZ florin, shilling, thruppence it has value for its 50/50 silver melt value. A 1935 thruppence I would take advice on. { it would hardly be in an uncirculated condition anyway, so it would hardly matter much would it? )The others be dammed. I would rather have a cleaned coin for my own personal edification and amusement than an encrusted lump vaguely coin shaped. "Rules" regarding cleaning coins are seldom relevant to the coins I find. Rock tumbling is brilliant for cleaning my coins. It makes my moderns usable and my old ones recognisable. Just my thoughts.

Lammerlaw		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 12:43:12 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Originally Posted by: Shilo I agree that cleaning coins destroys their value. But I still do it for the following reasons: 1. Most of my finds are from the beach and the coins are in such a condition that they need cleaning to identify. 2. If I plan on keeping a coin and not selling then I will clean it as I personally prefer a shiny silver coin for display then one completely tarnished (a matter of preference). Of course if I ever find a broken back shilling or a 1935 thrupence then I wouldn't clean it at all unless it is in such a bad condition I can't identify it. Most of my silvers are not rare and the value is only in their melt. In these cases it is a quick clean to see what it is then in the container. Coin collectors throw up their arms over MD'ers destroying a coin by cleaning it, but they are used to ones not dug up on the beach and so encrusted that it is only the shape which says it's a coin. We have to be able to see its year at least before knowing if it is valuable or not. As soon as it can be identified as a valuable cleaning should stop. A tumbler would be good for modern currency as it may clean the $ coins enough that a bank will accept them. But it will wear out the silvers a bit too much for my liking and if they are only for refining then keeping them "crusty" is not a problem. For Pennies and copper coins - hot 3% hydrogen peroxide can get them nice without destroying the patina, otherwise a soak for a week or 2 in olive oil can also help. Do not use CLR, acids or electrolysis on them! If you do you will get "bronze disease" attacking not only that coin but all others close by and its a bugger to get rid off. Once cleaned with peroxide or olive oil coat them with a good wax. This one here is ideal and made for precious copper based coins: http://www.conservations...ies.co.nz/lines/161.html I repeat though, Lammerlaw is correct and the above is only for non-valuable coins. Bronze disease can attack if cleaned by any method so that the oxidized patina has been removed exposing the nuice clean metal underneath but also exposing that nice clean metal to the air which reacts with slats which have permeated into the crystalline structure of the metal. I learnt this the hard way with a couple of arrowheads I got form the Caspian sea and a couple of Bronze bracelets dating from circa 1000BC which came from Mesopotamia - I did luckily discover that I could halt and prevent the bronze disease, also called Bronze cancer by boiling the items in Wax then if the Bronze disease re erupted I would remove it carefully under a microscope with a pin then reboil until I had halted the process and protected the items...they are as good as gold now - rushes off to double check! Olive oil is standard in cleaning Roman and ancient world coins. If one finds modern coins then who cares - by all means shine them up by whatever means you wish in order to use them! Same with worn silver coins. My own coin collection actually includes many valuable coins which I detected in the early 1980s and which cleaned up well in soap and water to the degree that they are highly collectable having been lost when they were still in EF condition and better and actually preserved and protected from further wear by being buried in the soil which was non acidic. Some of the nicest coins I own in my British and New Zealand collections were metal detector coins. Edited by user Sunday, 4 September 2011 12:48:24 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

tonznz		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 1:14:53 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 20/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 667 Thanks: 261 times Was thanked: 199 time(s) in 152 post(s)		Hi all, here's a photo of St Kida beach where I have been metal detecting in the last week or so showing the massive undercutting. This has exposed an older sea bed. The height of this area of undercut is just over waist high. Some of the sea wall of sand dunes towards St Clair beach have much more sand ripped away and I have found even older coins and artifacts. In some places my detector is going off! For those who don't know Dunedin, St Kilda and St Clair beaches are one continuous beach with the middle bit called, you guessed it, Middle Beach! File Attachment(s): beachstkilda.JPG

creamer		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 7:52:00 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,022 Location: Bay of Islands Thanks: 2289 times Was thanked: 525 time(s) in 391 post(s)		Well, wot to do with the precious coins after all that.. I have to agree with all of you actually. Clean with water and soap first and see if you can get a date. Log it all, take pics and stash it away i guess. Anything good ,well, get advice first before cleaning. Im still going to trial with a few more irrelovant coins to see wot else happens. Nice one. Still like to get a rock tumbler tho for our rocks and stuff. Tonznz. Nice beach shot, interesting. I like hunting beachs the most so far. Something about finding things in the sand.. awesome. Happy fathers day to you all. Shane Edited by user Friday, 9 September 2011 9:12:04 AM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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under the bedrock		Posted : Sunday, 4 September 2011 11:10:12 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 6/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 116 Location: invercargill Was thanked: 14 time(s) in 13 post(s)		Originally Posted by: tonznz Hi all, here's a photo of St Kida beach where I have been metal detecting in the last week or so showing the massive undercutting. This has exposed an older sea bed. The height of this area of undercut is just over waist high. Some of the sea wall of sand dunes towards St Clair beach have much more sand ripped away and I have found even older coins and artifacts. In some places my detector is going off! For those who don't know Dunedin, St Kilda and St Clair beaches are one continuous beach with the middle bit called, you guessed it, Middle Beach! tonznz I remember about 10-11 years ago at that same beach there was a massive sea and the sand was stripped back a huge amount at the junction of beach and sand dune.I wasnt into mding at that stage but did find it interesting at the time as i was doing a geology paper at otago.I remember lots of layers exposed,some had black sand running 30mm thick some had loads of small twigs that hadnt rotted . Thanks for that photo-)

creamer		Posted : Tuesday, 6 September 2011 8:30:20 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,022 Location: Bay of Islands Thanks: 2289 times Was thanked: 525 time(s) in 391 post(s)		#20 trip. Sunday at the beach with the young one and we scored 2 in goldies and a 10 cent piece. Good fun for an hour. #21 trip. Back to a previous beach it has taken a while to figure out where the coins and stuff actually are. After a while i found it hard up against th dunes all jammed in the edge, amazing. 43 coins, 16 in goldies, one american quarter dollar and another STL. SIL ring not far from the last one. Goin back asap. Im sure theres gold here.. Shane Edited by user Tuesday, 6 September 2011 8:36:51 AM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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madsonicboating		Posted : Tuesday, 6 September 2011 10:03:59 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 21/03/2011(UTC) Posts: 674 Thanks: 187 times Was thanked: 157 time(s) in 127 post(s)		Interesting ideas guys...I too believe that if a coin is for self viewing pleasure (does that sound too much like porno? lol) then by all means do as you like with it...all my silvers that don't clean up with soap and water get the lemon juice and baking soda treatment. Some of these coins are still valuable after this as the lemon juice does not eat into the protective layer of the silver and the soda is not really abbrasive enough either. As Lammerlaw says, a lot of the non deteriorating coins we find may have only been in circulation for as little as 1 year...which can make them very sought after to a collector. Happy Hunting everyone theres a gold sovereign out there for all of us :)
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tonznz		Posted : Wednesday, 7 September 2011 12:51:19 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 20/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 667 Thanks: 261 times Was thanked: 199 time(s) in 152 post(s)		Hi, I've had new thoughts on cleaning coins. My first reaction to Lammerlaw criticising my rock tumbler was to think bugger him, what does he know. One thing has changed my mind. Finding a rare coin on Sunday. Creamer and Lammerlaw have got it right. If us lot are going to be into metal detecting we have to be educated as to what to do with what we find. I have been much more cautious now about what I toss in the tumbler. I am slowly educating myself as to what is I have found by looking coins up on goggle. However I don't think we can trust what coin experts think either. One visiting "expert" this week tossed my rare 1813 new south Wales dump, found last Sunday, as a fake. What an idiot. I knew more about the coin than he did. And he hadn't ever seen one before! And didn't know there were four indentified types made. So much for experts.

Lammerlaw		Posted : Wednesday, 7 September 2011 1:01:59 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Originally Posted by: tonznz Hi, I've had new thoughts on cleaning coins. My first reaction to Lammerlaw criticising my rock tumbler was to think bugger him, what does he know. One thing has changed my mind. Finding a rare coin on Sunday. Creamer and Lammerlaw have got it right. If us lot are going to be into metal detecting we have to be educated as to what to do with what we find. I have been much more cautious now about what I toss in the tumbler. I am slowly educating myself as to what is I have found by looking coins up on goggle. However I don't think we can trust what coin experts think either. One visiting "expert" this week tossed my rare 1813 new south Wales dump, found last Sunday, as a fake. What an idiot. I knew more about the coin than he did. And he hadn't ever seen one before! And didn't know there were four indentified types made. So much for experts. Even if it was a fake its a bloody cracker - as for the experts - how the hell does he know? If he has not seen them nor held them then he has no idea. I have a ocin here bought from the Director (or high up anyway) of Sotherbies in England back in the 1960s - it is gold, it is Californian private mint and yet NOT one dealer can authenticate it for me - they are decent enough and honest enough to simply say that they dont actually know despite the fact that mine is in the Main USA catalogue - the dealers out here simply have never seen one therefore cannot comment. I suspect that your coin is in the same catagory - yours is the first they have seen, they are so scarce that they dont believe it so they pronounce it a fake!

Shilo		Posted : Wednesday, 7 September 2011 1:17:59 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 29/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 573 Location: Kawhia Thanks: 17 times Was thanked: 285 time(s) in 185 post(s)		Also the "experts" are used to seeing coins obtained from Ebay, Trademe etc where fakes abound. They don't realise that our coins are found in place where it was originally dropped 150-200 years ago. Don't think there is much chance that an Ebay fake was lost 150 + years ago..... The best expert is your own research. With Google and the web there is enough information available for us to work it out ourselves. Keep a record with the coin of the date found, how it was found, even a photo of the site if you have one and treasure it! If you ever want to sell those records will go a long way to authenticating it.
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creamer		Posted : Thursday, 8 September 2011 8:45:46 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,022 Location: Bay of Islands Thanks: 2289 times Was thanked: 525 time(s) in 391 post(s)		#22 trip. Third and final trip to this beach. I went on till 9am, there was a moonlight shining luckily. It was quite fun fumbling around in the dark using sound and feel tactics only. 8 in goldies, 34 coins and a hex shaped pendant. This one had ''Stella Artios'' engraved one side and ''Wilson PH 426-7*** (real number withheld) Yes i think this may be a dog tag but im sure ive seen this type of tag somewhere other than on a dog. Like a drink promo possibly, not sure. I did find one old coin that was perched on a small clump of grass. Actually sitting on the blades of grass themseves,amazing, one of those odd unexplained finds. No gold here as i thought, just the two silver rings so my next beach is going to be cool. Oh yeh goin hard this month. Shane We rang the number on the back of the badge and yes its a dog tag. Dogs name is Stella. The lady who owned the dog was happy to get the call. Dog is a golden lab and he lost the tag some years ago. Edited by user Thursday, 15 September 2011 5:17:27 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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nzpoohbear40		Posted : Thursday, 8 September 2011 8:58:23 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,482 Location: Matura Thanks: 26 times Was thanked: 384 time(s) in 329 post(s)		great finds there creamer...sure looks like the beaches give the coins a beating....
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creamer		Posted : Thursday, 8 September 2011 9:01:41 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,022 Location: Bay of Islands Thanks: 2289 times Was thanked: 525 time(s) in 391 post(s)		I think you summed it up quite well there Tonznz. Taking a step backwards and thinking bout wot one has and wot to do with it. At the moment im trying out the ol Coca cola cleaning method just to see wot happens. Ill keep you updated. And yes, the experts cant possibly know everything so it pays to do a little homework on the more precious finds. Mmm, a gold coin sounds nice. Gold yummm. I am starting to keep my book of finds better updated all the time. Records are just as valuable. Ive seen records on Antiques Roadshow go for thousands or make an item more valuable. Shane Extra Edited by user Tuesday, 13 September 2011 5:22:33 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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creamer		Posted : Thursday, 8 September 2011 9:15:07 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,022 Location: Bay of Islands Thanks: 2289 times Was thanked: 525 time(s) in 391 post(s)		Originally Posted by: nzpoohbear40 great finds there creamer...sure looks like the beaches give the coins a beating.... Yes this beach did have a certain rust ellement to it. One end of the beach played havoc with the detector, even when the sensotivity was right down. That was very very frustrating.. But i battled on at that end and only found 2 coins if any, bizzarre, tons down the other end!! Shane Extra My next mission will be next monday. Top secrete location this time (another local beach lol). Looking for gold hard this month. Mmmm gold. Sunday. Ok its only sunday, rains stopped for now and im keen as to get to this particular beach. Cant wait so maybe off ill go.. (and i did) Extra GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD Since joining this forum i have.. * been to new places searching for gold * bought fossicking gear and a metal detector * built a sluicebox * made new friends and contacts from all over nz * gone to numerous beachs * been outdoors more with family * centered my attention on fossicking rather than d......g s.....g and such * found an addiction which is socially acceptable * thus become more responsible * learnt heaps about fossicking and where to head with it * stirred a few goldheads up, how i dont know lol * had hours of enjoyment and the list goes on. Thankyou Gold Forum and all those in it. Shane Extra PLEASE NOTE. Hi. And a very Special Hello to Every Single Member. This is a clean page and very positive. I will not reply to any nonpositive posts and please refrain from posting any such things. If you find the need to, PM me personally, i wont bite. And remember, keep smiling. Everyday is a happy day. Edited by user Tuesday, 13 September 2011 2:43:08 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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crisyboy		Posted : Sunday, 11 September 2011 10:50:57 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 20/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 233 Location: whangarei Thanks: 39 times Was thanked: 76 time(s) in 69 post(s)		hey bro what do u do with all the junk. i keep almost everything. File Attachment(s): DSC03034.JPG
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tonznz		Posted : Sunday, 11 September 2011 11:09:35 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 20/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 667 Thanks: 261 times Was thanked: 199 time(s) in 152 post(s)		Hi, I sort my scrap metal. I cash it up at a scrap metal yard when I have enough. Its surprising how it adds up. On some particular beaches there is a lot of scrap metal. That reminds me I left a large lump of brass or copper at the beach tonight. I meant to pick it up but forgot it. Never mind.

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