HELP! Help with cleaning pin

Hi! I received this pin in the mail today from *bay. When I placed my bid, I wasn’t paying close attention to the picture and assumed it was just dirt or house debris that I could easily clean off since it was listed as new condition. I’ve had a hard time removing this residue. Any ideas what it is and how to remove it? Also, was disappointed to see the condition of the pin underneath doesn’t look great. Would love any tips on how to clean this pin up or if I should just throw it out.

Here’s the photo from the listing:



And here’s what it looked like in person when I got it:

And how it looks now after I’ve tried to clean it (used cotton q tips dipped in alcohol and soft cloth):


Or is there anything anyone recommends to seal it to prevent it from getting gross again? It’s isolated from the rest of my pins and I’ve placed it in a sealed clear bag in the meantime. I’ve never tried to clean a pin like this before.

Thanks so much! 🙂


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I'd try slightly warm water with some very gentle dish soap and a soft bristled toothbrush to gently work the oxidation off, and...it mostly looked like tarnish so I'd try and keep it dry. If I had to guess it was exposed to moisture to reach that level of almost corrosion.