Origin of pin and a condition question

Has anyone seen anything like this before?

It's at least 20 years old and I assume it either was a crafter's item or imported from somewhere, like maybe India?

And, maybe more important, is the green on the back mold? I think the flat substance under the wire is paper, but am not sure.

If it is mold any suggestions on how to get rid of it? I hate tossing it since it's a such a pretty thing, but will if it's mold and will be hard to get rid of. I have respiratory and immune system issues and shouldn't even be around mold to begin with.

Thanks!

 

Ozone will kill it if it is.
Do you possibly have a small ozone machine?
They are...or were...on the market at one time.

 

Too risky with my having respiratory stuff... I'd be afraid to go anywhere near ozone.

 

It is everywhere naturally. This is why your clothes smell better line dried...
Any electric motor in your house puts out ozone.

 

It's the quantity put out by the generators. I've read too many cautions to trust using one.

 

Ok....

 

It's probably "greenies". i.e. copper oxide. It's not mold, so if you can handle copper or brass you're fine. If that's paper underneath I might not even try to clean it off with anything other than a dry toothbrush.

 

Baking soda dry too?

 

Ah, brush it off... will try. I didn't notice when I photographed it, but see in the photo enlargement that the greenies are starting to come through to the front.

 

In that case definitely get it off of there. The normal methods would be wet, but those won't work here and would make things worse. Dry baking soda and a toothbrush might do the job.

 

I'll try it and keep my fingers crossed. How can you tell it isn't mold?

 

Wrong color. It's the right color for fresh oxidation; it looks like the pin got wet somehow. I've never seen mold that looked like a really bad green paint job.

 

LOL! Yeah, it does look like that.

 

I hope the cleaning works, it is a nice piece! Your photos are excellent Pat

 

Hi Pat,
I would try the baking soda also. By the way it looks more like a moth than a butterfly. I think it is gorgeous.
greg

 

Yes...moth.

 

Artistic license may make this a moot point, but I believe the visible difference between moths and butterflies is moths have feathery antennae and butterflies have smooth antennae, so I assume your sweet pin is a butterfly.

 

Moths seem to have fat bodies like this too but this is probably a fantasy design anyway.

 

Cxgirl, thanks!

 

Thanks for the comments on moth vs butterfly. If I can clean it sufficiently to sell, I'll use both for keywords.