bill

That is the definition of contagious in this case. If you have a coin undergoing a chemical reaction, those chemicals are in the atmosphere and any other coins with similar compositions can be attacked by the chemicals, i.e. the chemical reaction will spread from coin to coin. The spread assumes a closed environment (i.e. storage and environmental conditions). The environment may not cause the condition, but if you introduce the condition via a "sick" coin, it can spread if the conditions support the chemical reaction that is present on the coin.

The question was whether I ever cleaned coins. The medieval coin was a billion coin, not copper.

I generally don't clean coins. I will use an alcohol rinse followed by distilled water if a coin/token/medal is "greasy". I have experimented with olive oil on corroded tokens with good effect. The color comes out too bright, but I'm talking about heavily corroded tokens with the detail obscured. Vinegar works on real bad pieces, alternating with olive oil. I've used vinegar to remove "white crust" from a medieval coin, but that was a quick dip and rinse with distilled water. Too long and it would have had a negative effect on the coin. The crust was removed in less than 10 seconds. In general, I don't experiment on anything other that a real junker (the medieval piece was an exception, but I got tired of its appearance). I will sometimes buy a junker copy of something I own to see what effect the techniques have on them. I've never been willing to move from the junker to my good piece. So I stick to alcohol and distilled water to remove dirt. Anything else does effect the surface of the piece. The corroded pieces I have experimented with came in lots that I bought for other pieces and I was trying to see what I could salvage. Harsher techniques work, but they do alter the appearance. Bad chunks of dirt can be loosened with a toothpick in alcohol, but its risky. One slip and you can scratch the surface.

I think several issues are being conflated in this discussion. It started with the growth of a green substance on a copper/bronze coin, a growth that is contagious. That growth is known as bronze disease and is a chemical reaction that does spread to other coins. It requires moisture to progress. Super heating the coin will stop its progress, but discolor the coin. It does not stop the disease, as it will start reacting again when moisture is present. The processes referred to in the link are chemical processes to neutralize the chemical reaction. There is no way to avoid pitting or other damage since the chemical process has already started to break down the copper when it becomes visible. Neutralizing the chemical process is the only way to stop its spread and have a good shot at preventing its return (and spread to other coins). Since it has already produced a chemical breakdown of copper by the time it becomes visible, damage has already occurred. The other branch of the conversation seems to deal with "dirt" and "patina." Dirt can be removed without pitting or other serious damage to the coin. Patinas have already formed a reaction with the coin's surface, so removing a patina will necessary create some damage, even if its not readily apparent. Dirt and patina can be removed or left in place and not threaten your other coins. Bronze disease, on the other hand, needs to be dealt with immediately or the coin isolated from the rest of your collection.

A good review of the problem can be found at this location. Find the Bronze Disease pdf about half way down the table.

1914 Uniface medal copying early tokens. Aluminum, DeLorey 83.

I suspect that San Luis Rey and San Luis Del Rey in your list are one and the same. I have a book with the same 12 medals as you list (not counting your san luis del rey). I suspect those were the only 12 medals issued and the others were not issued (even though the book has spaces for them). I would love to confirm that.

Would not surprise me to find at least a small demand for mementos of such a man, bald though he may have been.

Anything about Granby or the year that might have made it a local marketable item?

I don't think it was unusual for different makers to copy one another. I'm not sure what the market was for medals of this sort, but knockoffs must have had some sort of market. I would be really surprised if it was anything other than a contemporary copy.

I don't think there is one right answer. It depends on the coins and what you want to accomplish. Your lighting on worn coins looks fine with the possible exception of the cent You need to do some processing such as tweaking the contrast on the worn coins. The detail and focus seems spot on. tweak the contrast and you'll like get the results you want. If the cent is brilliant or shiny, you would get better results with axial lighting (my preference), but even then I play with light angles.

And a prayer for Veterans' Day:

The Pilgrims:

Beautiful

1894 Aluminum Schwaab Modified State Seal, SF Facts So-Called Dollar Hibler & Kappen 257 45 mm EF Arguably the toughest so-called dollar of the series to acquire. I have one to go, but I have already passed on two because they were not the quality I wanted and several because they were too expensive. Otherwise, there are three tokens and medals that I am aware of that I have never seen offered for sale.

Two related Midwinter items. Almost exonumia: An aluminum key: And a small cast iron skillet (these seem to be issued for a number of expositions):

Another Klinkner store card. I've bid on several (not this one) and lost. I paid more for the one pictured here, but it is rare given that it is a pictoral with Klinkner's image. That's the Caper! Klinkner was known for his marketing flair and I can only assume that is what the slogan refers to. It could also refer to the fact that he was arrested for counterfeiting because he produced a 5¢ token that worked in nickel machines at the time. Bars complained and the FBI reacted. The token itself bore no resemblance to a nickel and was produced to put into his own stencil purchase machines. But, it also worked in other nickel devices.

Pond 49 Bronze Whitehead & Hoag, Newark, N.J. Unknown number made Pond did not know much about this medal and speculated that it could have been a generic medal adaptable for use anywhere within Massachusetts. He describes the piece with a multi-part ribbon and name tag pin clasp. Mine has the remnants of a ribbon and its attachment device. The medal could use a good cleaning. It is the first I have encountered. Unlike the similar medals, this one has the artist's initial to the left of the pilgrim. They appear to be JSL.

1902 Store Card (replacement for the one above): DeLorey 3, 1902 store card replacement for the card shown above that included a mis-spelled word. Aetas 28 refers to Elder's age at the time. This example struck in copper. 60 were struck in copper and 1,000 struck in aluminum.

While I can show the progression of my collection in the order in which items are added to this thread, it makes it difficult to see how the styles of the medals progress through time. While it is not complete, I have posted many of the badges on flickr and I keep the flickr set ordered by date. The items can be viewed in time order there.

1961 Annual Convention: Atlanta, Georgia Designed by Edwin Harrison Manufactured by Medallic Art Co. Mintage: 1,500 1967 Annual Convention: Miami Beach, Florida Designed and Sculpted by Margaret Grigor Manufactured by Medallic Art Co. Mintage: 3,000

1955 Annual Convention: Omaha, Nebraska Designed by Rev. E.N. Catich Manufactured by Green Duck Co. Mintage: 500

1952 Annual Convention, New York, NY Designed by Louis Werner Manufactured by Whitehead & Hoag Co. Mintage: 450± I don't know what the material/die is for the blue ribbon, but they fade to an add color (see the Official's badge earl;ier in this thread).

1950 Annual Convention, Milwaukee, WI Designed by L.W. Culver Manufactured by Schwaab Stamp & Seal Mintage: 550

Another batch of badges to post: 1947 Annual Convention, Buffalo, New York Designed by William C. Behringer Engraved by Alphonse A. Kolb Manufactured by Whitehead & Hoag Co. Mintage: 400±