1869 Two Cent piece / 1872 Three Cent Nickel - thoughts?

Just back from the coin shop with my son who had amassed a small fortune (for a six year old) of tooth fairy money.
He walked away with an 1869 Two Cent piece (best of the stack, tons of luster) and an 1872 3 cent nickel.
Would love to hear thoughts on grade (my boy assessed both at G4) as well as value.
We also got some older $2 bills as change! Steve at Cherokee Coins is a real gentleman.

 

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Good luck to your son.

FYI: The 2 cent is probably a Good, but cleaned, and unnaturally bright.
The 3 cent is nice, but something on the reverse

 

Help me out on the signs of cleaning and unnatural brightness. I know (somewhat)how to tell on silver but not on cents.
Thanks.

 

When copper is improperly cleaned, it generally takes on an orange appearance. Really, unless it is mint state, a copper should always be pretty brown. Here is an example from my large cent collection which really shows how unnatural the orange is compared to a nice original piece. These have a similar light wear pattern and a similar age, so they should really look about the same. The 1840 was obviously cleaned sometime in the past.

 

Would a cleaned copper coin be flat/dull or would it regain its luster? I had a similar cleaned large cent but it was dull yet orangish. The 2c. Has quite a bit of luster.
FYI, we paid $27 for the two coins together.

 

The 2 cent is a VG10 and cleaned, but still a beat coin.
The 3 cent is F15 and problem free if acetone lifts off that little spot.

Way to Go, Tooth Fairy!

 

You did fine for the two coins. A copper coin with that much wear, if not cleaned, would not have any luster. It would be brown and most have dirt in the crevices. Your son knows a couple nice coins when he sees them. Keep him looking and growing his collection.

 

Cleaned coins will not regain luster. What appears to be luster is just evidence of the harsh cleaning. $27 is ok. If I were buying I'd pay $13 for the 3 cent and $8-$10 for the 2 cent. But $27 is not highway robbery. Those coins are a good start to a type collection.

 

That's not luster. It's from the cleaning. It's too worn to have original mint luster.
The 3 cent is rarer and doesn't appear cleaned.
$20 for both is a little better, but $27 is not horrible. Coin guy has to eat.

 

What is the best method for acetone? Q Tip or dip?

 

Dip and rinse only. Never rub the surfaces in any way. This is just rule of thumb, I wouldn't expect that a q-tip would actually damage the coin, but it certainly would a proof coin.

 

...and why isn't your son a member. Believe it or not, this forum is generally very family friendly and is especially generous and kind to younger members.

 

He's only 6 so online forums are a little out of his depth. We do read the threads together when they relate to him like this one.
I tried acetone on the thrikel and the black spot didn't come out. Below are before and after...

 

Just leave it be or use acetone on a q-tip gently.

 

Nice pickups, and I think your son grades as well as most of the TPG's!

Just remember that wear and (original) luster are (typically) inversely proportionate; the more wear, the less luster, and the less wear, the more luster you can expect.