A Tragedy And A Fake?

[strick]

9 hours ago, Cal_Cobra said:

Natural electrolysis on the coin stack eh?  Was it in salt water?

If the Mary Queen of Scotland coin is a fake, and the original was gold, perhaps it was originally gold plated to pass as the real McCoy?

Plenty of minerals in the ground..salt water just speeds things up. Look what happens to a zinc penny in a few years.  My first thought on finding the three stuck together was that they corroded due to the differences in metals. These coins are not damaged  as bad as some some coins that I have dug that appeared to have been in a fire but a fire is possible maybe a small fire lol. Lots of cow piss at this spot you’ve been there with me 🙂 

I don’t know what the fake pendant is made of that black haze will not budge that’s on it...don’t ask how I know that 😆 

strick

[Valens Legacy]

7 minutes ago, strick said:

Plenty of minerals in the ground

 

I wonder that since they were stacked on top of each other that maybe they acted like a battery in the ground due to the soil.

Just a thought from how they look.

Good luck on your next hunt.

[GB_Amateur]

8 hours ago, strick said:

Plenty of minerals in the ground..salt water just speeds things up. Look what happens to a zinc penny in a few years.  My first thought on finding the three stuck together was that they corroded due to the differences in metals.

Were you able to separate the two quarters from each other?  Chemical or physical induced bonding between the 5 cent piece (25% Ni, 75% Cu) and one of the 25 centers (90% Ag, 10% Cu) seems plausible.  But why would the two quarters of identical composition stick togehter?  'Cold welding'?

Have you determined if the corrosion is a surface effect, possibly repairable, or actual deeper damage that permanently disfigures the coins?

[strick]

5 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Were you able to separate the two quarters from each other?  Chemical or physical induced bonding between the 5 cent piece (25% Ni, 75% Cu) and one of the 25 centers (90% Ag, 10% Cu) seems plausible.  But why would the two quarters of identical composition stick togehter?  'Cold welding'?

Have you determined if the corrosion is a surface effect, possibly repairable, or actual deeper damage that permanently disfigures the coins?

You make a good point and myself not being a connoisseur of Metallurgy I have no idea how this came about. The coins are disfigured..the two quarters are not coming apart without demolishing them...in fact it took a lot of soaking and prying to get the V nickel off. But the coins were never melted together just stuck...Close ups with the phone are hard but I'll try to get a couple more photos. 

strick 

[GB_Amateur]

4 minutes ago, strick said:

...It took a lot of soaking and prying to get the V nickel off.

Did you try heat?  Dropping the fused quarters into boiling water should be harmless (I think...).  Propane torch seems extreme -- depends upon how bad you want them separated, and such high temps may permanently damage them.  The heat may have worked well to separate the 5 cent 'nickel' from its mated quarter if the two alloys have different coefficients of expansion.

Less risky than torching and worth trying (but you need access to the equipment) is to put them in a vacuum.  If there is any gas trapped between it might just expand enough to force them apart.  Most high school physics departments (and of course colleges) should have a vacuum pump and small chamber to do the trick.  Don't know what industrial site would have one, though....

Dropping in liquid nitrogen?  (Do you have that available where you work?  Thought you said you are a veterinarian, or was that veteran... 🤔)  Can't think that would cause any problems.

That 1916 date is hiding in there awaiting your perseverance....  😉

[strick]

Lol I just got my tank filled this week but I’m not going to damage them any more then I already have plus I kinda like them stuck together and may glue the nickel back to its two old friends as its a good conversation piece between detectorists. 🙂

strick

[deathray]

Doubt if that's a fake. Never heard of a fake holed coin. I know a couple guys who have found Roman coins out here. People came from all over the globe, and some brought good luck pieces

[F350Platinum]

Deathray is right, an example of which is that 1816 Maravedis coin I found on a beach last summer. That coin you found looks almost like Tombac material, in its own right it is probably old.

Cool finds! 👍

[strick]

On 11/7/2022 at 11:36 PM, Valens Legacy said:

 

I wonder that since they were stacked on top of each other that maybe they acted like a battery in the ground due to the soil.

Just a thought from how they look.

Good luck on your next hunt.

 

On 11/8/2022 at 2:39 PM, GB_Amateur said:

Did you try heat?  Dropping the fused quarters into boiling water should be harmless (I think...).  Propane torch seems extreme -- depends upon how bad you want them separated, and such high temps may permanently damage them.  The heat may have worked well to separate the 5 cent 'nickel' from its mated quarter if the two alloys have different coefficients of expansion.

  😉

 Bringing this back to the top.. I just quoted a couple of you to get some attention as to what can happen when dissimilar metals are in contact over long periods of time. I got to watching some of Carters videos after he posted that latest Manticore vs Deus 2 comparison...In this video he finds a old coin purse with some nickels and quarters inside fast forward to 11:19  

strick 

[GB_Amateur]

1 hour ago, strick said:

In this video he finds a old coin purse with some nickels and quarters inside fast forward to 11:19

I only watched the last 4 minutes or so.  I assume he was in salt water.  The 25% Ni, 75% Cu coins ('nickels') appear to be more resistant to the salt water than the 90% Ag, 10% Cu coins, at least the faces he showed.  Is that a bulk property or did he only show the sides of the nickels that were mated with the silver coins?

I'll stick with the dry ground where numismatic value silver coins are still possible to find.  😉