AEMILIANUS - Should I clean some more?

[Batista]

Hi all,

Just received a green and brown crusty roman coin. After a soak of 1 day in demineralized water I saw some silver shine from under.
So I gave it a bath in Acitric Acid with demineralized water.

And there emerged an ANTONINIANVS - Obverse: IMP CAES AEMILIANVS PF AVG - Reverse: IOVI CONSERVAT



Its really a beauty but still has those brown and green spots...What do you think? Should I clean those or leave the coin has it is?
How could I remove those green/brown spots without damage to the coin?

Thankx,

[Akropolis]

My two cents worth: quit while you are ahead. Yes, a bit more soaking in concentrated lemon juice would remove some more, but not without risk.
Heck, a bit of soil and corrosion is kind of a badge of authenticity. :-)
Nice coin. Better than average silver....I think.
PeteB

[Batista]

My two cents worth: quit while you are ahead. Yes, a bit more soaking in concentrated lemon juice would remove some more, but not without risk.
Heck, a bit of soil and corrosion is kind of a badge of authenticity. :-)
Nice coin. Better than average silver....I think.
PeteB

Thank you for your opinion Akropolis  ... You are right...I'm leaving the coin like it is and not cleaning it any further.
I'm afraid that removing those brown spots will result in pitting on the coin surface.
I just hope that the brown/green patchs don't grow in time...

[SC]

You can always treat them if they get worse but I agree with leaving it as it is.

By 253 AD the silver content has dropped quite a bit and so acid cleaning can end up doing a bit of damage/pitting unlike with earlier higher-silver coins.

Shawn