Questions!

[jfrost]

Could you guys help me with a word?

What do you call the green/black stuff that accumulates on a penny/ or on any coin?

ie. in polishing it away/getting rid of that which covers the picture

??

Tanks,
Judith

[Darlene]

Are you looking for tarnish?

[jfrost]

Darlene,

Is that what you would call it on an old penny? Maybe!
Thank you!
Judith

[Brekke]

I think that green is tarnish, yes.

However I just googled "green stuff on an old penny" and here's what I found:

(noun) - Verdigris is a green or bluish-green pigment. Its name comes from the Old French vert de Grece, which literally meant "green of Greece". It was used as the primary green pigment up until around the 18th century. Think of the way copper changes color, as with an old penny - that weird looking green stuff is verdigris. (By the way, it is a poisonous chemical compound. If you come across a small child attempting to insert such a penny into a nostril, you may consider frightening him or her into sensibility with that "poisonous" part.)

[jfrost]

Neat. I never knew what verdegris meant. It's one of those words that they throw around in decorating magazines. I just skim over it! True Confessions.
Thank you, Brekke. Interesting word and I'll remember about the poisonous part.
Judith