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Author Topic: Second attempt at coin cleaning  (Read 1354 times)

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Offline Hello There

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Second attempt at coin cleaning
« on: February 09, 2019, 03:15:49 am »
A few moths ago I had my very first experience with cleaning ancient coins, and the results were horrifying. I used a brass brush and I brushed the coins to the point where they became smooth (or maybe they came that way). This time I am soaking them in distilled water for a month and using a toothpick and toothbrush from time to time. Some I already IDed and placed in 2x2s. I have a couple of questions though. I read that people are using wax to preserve their coins better, is it mandatory? Can I melt down a candle and use that wax on my coins? I have some coins that are green but I don’t know if it’s just patina or verdigris, if it’s verdigris, how do I remove it with stuff that people usually have at home

Here are some coins that I’m just done cleaning and will try to ID them eventually. Tell me if you would have cleaned them a little more, or if I did a decent job.


I need some help with the first picture. The large coin in the middle, I can’t figure out where is the top and the bottom of the reverse of the coin. Any idea? Also, the coin to the left of it, if you look closely, you can see a line separating the coin and the letters are almost smooth at the top. Do you think it’s just the gunk making it look like it’s smooth, and I can try clean it a little more?

Sorry for the long post.

Offline SC

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    • A Handbook of Late Roman Bronze Coin Types 324-395.
Re: Second attempt at coin cleaning
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2019, 04:37:06 pm »
If you have questions regarding particular coins you really need to post a separate thread with just that coin.  That way the picture can be bigger so that we can see it better and the discussion of each coin does not get all mixed up.

As to your general questions:

Your cleaning is clearly way better this time.  I don't think there is much left to do.  Maybe still some dirt on a couple of them - hard to tell from the phots - but many are completely done.

Nothing is mandatory, including waxing.

If you do any waxing it should only be with a microcrystalline wax like Renaissance Wax (Red Wax) and not candle wax or bee's wax.

Verdigris is patina.  What you need to be worried about is bronze disease (or BD) but that is light green, powdery, brushes off, and is usually in small spots.

SC
SC
(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

 

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