FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board
Numism => Help For the New Ancient Coin Collector => Topic started by: Steven H on November 21, 2018, 07:33:10 pm
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Although I don't have a specific coin in mind, I've looked at tons of silver denarius coins and some have just the start of a blackish patina - just around the details and edges on the coin, not over the entire surface. I know patina is desirable, but I was wondering if there is such a thing as a mild cleaning or treatment that would remove this very early start of blackness.
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On a skill level of 0-10 what do you rate your ability to clean coins?
I just think that messing with them at all is inviting trouble unless you are the kind of careful and methodical person that can spend hours on one coin.
It might be easier to strip off everything and re-tone it. I don't know, let us hear what others think. I mean _I_ would _not_ do so, but I know I don't have the skill. I would leave it alone.
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On a skill level of 0-10 what do you rate your ability to clean coins?
I just think that messing with them at all is inviting trouble unless you are the kind of careful and methodical person that can spend hours on one coin.
It might be easier to strip off everything and re-tone it. I don't know, let us hear what others think. I mean _I_ would _not_ do so, but I know I don't have the skill. I would leave it alone.
I have exactly zero experience with cleaning a coin, so I wouldn't try it on anything but the cheapest/worst coin. I just wondered if real coin collectors ever give a coin a very mild cleaning (and not even down to a shiny silver surface).
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I would not clean any denarius nor try to remove any "blackening". It sounds from your description that the coins were already cleaned so much as to remove any patina. The blackening is therefore probably repatination beginning, slowly.
Leave cleaning of such things to experts. It's sad to wreck a 2000 year old thing. Plus, a shiny coin isvery difficultto photograph.
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... I was wondering if there is such a thing as a mild cleaning or treatment that would remove this very early start of blackness.
If you don't like it try a little liquid hand soap and water, rubbing the area between your fingers, then rinsing thoroughly.
It doesn't get more (or should that be less?) minimal than this. A lot of so called "silver toning" turns out to be nothing more than accumulated dirt and grime.
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I've bought overcleaned silver coins, and after a couple of years they'd turned black. What you describe sounds like the start of that process.