First uncleaned roman coins purchase

[Zadik C]

Good evening to you all, So I recently began delving into ancient numismatics (roman coins in particular) I started to read different guides and resources in order to gain information before my first purchase. I unfortunately found myself in a weak moment and I made an impulsive ebay purchase. The lot that I have purchase seemed in good condition (to my beginner eyes) however, I was really wanting to get a second opinion as to what I have exactly purchased. have I wasted my money? or have I gotten some decent coins? hopefully it is the latter. I would greatly appreciate any feedback from the community. Thank you in advance! Attached you will find the images of the coins.

[Molinari]

They are all real and show decent details, and are therefore identifiable to a reasonable extent (i.e., beyond "late Roman"), so it isn't a bad lot (which would be one full of unidentifiable slugs).

We don't really talk prices here but I'll assume you looked at other lots and made somewhat of an informed decision in that respect.

[Molinari]

Depends on your goal.  If you want to take the time, you can carefully and patiently remove all the dirt (and there is plenty of good advice here on how to do that).  If these were mine, I would soak them in distilled water and clear the loose dirt off with a soft brass brush, being careful not to reach the shiny metal but clearing enough dirt off to see some of the legends and devices better.

[Zadik C]

Ok, thank you for the advice!

[peterpil19]

Hi Zadik,

Welcome to the discussion board!

Once you have cleaned your coins you will want to attribute them. To find out which emperors, reverse types they are, start here: www.romancoin.info

Peter

[Zadik C]

Ok I will do so, thank you!

[peterpil19]

Make sure to post photos once you have cleaned them. Good luck!

Peter

[SC]

Welcome to the forum.  Definitely looks like a nice start.  I would say that half look to be fully attributable - type, Emperor, mint and exact issue/mint mark.  The other half are at least partially identifiable - type and probably Emperor.  Again not bad these days as a start.  Many do worse.

I don't want to disagree with my good friend Molinari but some of these might clean up without resorting to the brass brush.  I would start with a nylon brush - try cutting the bristles of a old toothbrush down.  Maybe one with 1/4" length and one with 1/8".  By using several different old brushes you should be able to get a variety of hardnesses/stiffnesses.  All will be softer than a brass brush. Soak in DW first, maybe wash using warm water and dish soap, then scrub with increasingly stiffer brushes.

SC

[Zadik C]

Thanks for the feedback, i will try to gather different types of toothbrushes and experiment woth them during the cleaning process. Any idea as to how long should i leave the coins in DW before brushing them?

[SC]

You don't need to leave them in for long before a first brushing.  Sometimes, though rarely, that's all a coin needs.  When that doesn't do the job you start the soak and clean cycle.  That depends on your schedule as much as anything else.  You can try it every day, or two or week or two.  People often decide to group the coins into ones showing regular progress and ones that need longer soaks.  There is no wrong answer.

SC

[Zadik C]

Ok, understood. Thank you!

[singig]

Hello Zadik,
some of your coins looks to have a very fragile surface, the ones with light green spots and broken edges.
I recommend you to start with the worst one, if you find that during the cleaning you are losing details, you have to stop and leave all coins like this.

[B-Chicago]

yeah those look like re dirtied coins and they are best to practice on but dont expect much

patience is your best friend in cleaning ancient coins