Lost Cents, Dead Owners: Appreciating Coins in Decay

A large cent caked with verdigris is not typically found on a collector's want list, but it should be. It is a relic, and like a rusty hand-wrought nail dug from a flowerbed, it has a story. Who lost it? When? And, how did this lowly cent survive the onslaught of Mother Nature? It is a mystery worth holding in your hand. Lost Cents, Dead Owners celebrates beauty in decay. Corroded coins in full bloom are like impressionist paintings with colors mixed in unpredictable ways. The evocative beauty of a corroded cent finds its energy within the darker emotions of loss, decay, and death. Lost Cents, Dead Owners likens corroded coins to ruins. Crumbling walls and fallen arches are mesmerizing. A ruinous coin has the same impact. No wonder we can't stop looking, our fingertips picking at the green verdigris with an urgent curiosity. Lost Cents, Dead Owners explores the corrosion processes at work. Like a thousand piranhas, oxidation bites off electrons, as the coin goes back to nature. The minerals left behind signal loudly that the end is near. Lost Cents, Dead Owners provides strategies for adding a few corroded cents and nickels to your coin collection. Whereas most collectors shun these coins, there is an active market for attractive and evocative pieces. Read more