Recently we have been doing a lot of decluttering especially when we are deciding whether or not we may (or may not) have to let go of my parents' house (that is a little worn out due to non inhabitant premise)
For those who remembered I shared about my parents' home went through a spiritual cleansing time because it was turning into a haunted house (with several accidents happened when my cousin was helping us to repair part of the house)
And actually after that, around a year from today, my parents' home had a break in and all the antiques were stolen!
Especially some items were my parents' memories when they were expats overseas. like the vintage pioneer recorder...
Including my parents' safe deposit box keys
(Which my mom swore she took to along with her when they moved over to stay with me)
Thinking we lost most of the vintage stuffs, after paying a heavy fine of force open my parents safe deposit box, we found a really old vintage herbal metal box in it, with some really old coins!
Those brought some tears of relief that part of their memory were still in tact and not all are lost!
One of them is this really old oxidized old 5th year Malaysia Commemoration coin. When those days our MYR was still 1-1 with Singapore dollar, and I think it was a ratio of 1 USD : 2.4 MYR.
Malaysia's economy was still strong and inflation was all time low
Not to mention bank interest rates were still at around 10% at the time.
But without a proper macro lens, you won't be able to see its beautiful details with the naked eye.
So I started searching a proper coin cleaning polish cream, and I came across this in online Shopee Malaysia where I might have a chance to restore it nicely.
Probably not as good as new
And I am not certain was this coin circulated or not circulated because we only have one
with a diameter of 3.3cm and quite heavy, it really looks nasty without a proper cleaning, and this special polishing green cream was supposed to do the trick.
Good thing the seller actually provides a tutorial in how to clean the coin without damaging my own thumbprints and treat the coin with gentle and care. With just a cotton bud and a tiny bit of polish and patient motion, I could see the dark oxidized dirt starts to detach itself from the coin.
After the first round of cleaning from the one side of the coin, you can actually see the beautiful details, but I think I have to add just a little more polish to rub out all those black dirt.
(However, according to Google Gemini A.I assistant, a coin should not be polished too much in case it loses its value)
But perhaps because this is not silver or gold I can safely say a tiny little more polish won't harm too much.
I did the same with the other side and it looks even more like a little oxidized nickel coin ๐ but it is easier to rub the dirt out because it has less details.
According to search results, it is best to give a proper bath of mild soap (like baby shampoo type of soap), so I decided to not only use the baby shampoo, I decided to get out my mini ultrasonic washer and give it a thorough clean.
What do you think?
I think this is the front part
Did the coin polish cream do justice for this dormant coin asleep for more than 2 decades?
Compared to current minting methods, the old coins has more "character" to the design. I am so amazed that there are so many things squeezed into the coin.
I think during that time, oil palm plantation was just introduced, not to mention Malaysia's proud produce of good cacao fruit for chocolate.
And...
Did I see a tank on the side, or a tractor?
And the willingness to bilaterally trade with others is obviously shown there.
According to online, because it has 1 million mints, it doesn't cost much, probably around $3 USD per coin, depending on the quality of the coin.
In local stores, it can go up to $15 USD depending on the condition as well.
Like it or not, because it is not the Silver Edition of $25 coin, it will cost a lot less.
@philiprenelee just came out to inspect what I am writing and dad sad, "might as well keep it, unless someone is willing to take $100 USD from our hands" ๐
Any numismatics here on HIVE? Our #teammalaysia expert is quite quiet for a good few years now.
I'd like you guys to analyze how much would you feel it should worth. Please feel free to comment below! ๐
Until Then
Stay healthy, stay curious and learn new things, and stay happy!
If you would like to give some encouragement outside HIVE with some fiat backing, please feel free to visit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/littlenewthings