A salvageable Maximus sestertius.

[Will Hooton]

I have had this Maximus sestertius for a while, but it has always bothered me. The coin's obverse is acceptable but the reverse is in a bad state. The entire coin seems coated in some type of wax or adhesive, and hastily so, since it still has dirt encased beneath the wax. Furthermore, the patina on the reverse doesn't look stable. I fear the whole thing could dissolve with the wax!

To acetone or not to acetone?  Your opinions or experiences are most welcome!

[areich]

Either sell it or try acetone. There's no point in keeping a coin you don't enjoy. I rub most suspicious coins with acetone and very often stuff comes off. They may not always look better but an honest depatinated coin is better than a painted one.

[Will Hooton]

I never thought about selling it, but I suppose that's an option. I am tempted just to rub the reverse with low concentration acetone, and just see what happens. If the patina is stripped, then so be it.

[casata137ec]

Is the reverse really that dark? Does it look like dirt or corrosion (I can't tell on my monitor)? From what I can see, and from what you have said, if the reverse is unstable, that may be of benefit to you. I would suggest giving it the old pin test (ie poking an area with a pin and seeing what lies beneath...how stable the patina is...what the undercrud is made of) and going from there, even before you chemical it up. You may find that it would be impossible to clean and be able to sell before ruining any value...or you may find that the unstable parts are just dirt held fast by wax. Let us know your progress!

Chris

[Will Hooton]

Is the reverse really that dark? Does it look like dirt or corrosion (I can't tell on my monitor)? From what I can see, and from what you have said, if the reverse is unstable, that may be of benefit to you. I would suggest giving it the old pin test (ie poking an area with a pin and seeing what lies beneath...how stable the patina is...what the undercrud is made of) and going from there, even before you chemical it up. You may find that it would be impossible to clean and be able to sell before ruining any value...or you may find that the unstable parts are just dirt held fast by wax. Let us know your progress!

Chris

Hi Chris,

Yes the reverse IS actually that dark! I tried what you told me to do with the pin and the situation is either better or worse! The patina is stable in some areas and not others. There is a large blob of fallen patina on the top left of the coin, which leads me to think that this is why the coin was waxed so hastily, to prevent further deterioration of the patina. I think I can safely remove the waxing without ruining it......
I will give it a try tomorrow and post the results later on. Hopefully, it won't be a debacle!

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

Will, that is a very strange looking reverse.  As in 'dangerous' looking, ya know?

Not having it in hand, but from just the photo, the patina looks ready to just crumble away. I'd be very careful about probing the surface. If you're lucky, the corrosion is just on the bare surface, but if it goes any deeper, you could end up with a slug on the Rx with further cleaning attempts.

Not sure if you have the where-with-all, but I'd use a battery-powered Dremel tool with a SBBB (under running water), just tickling the Rev rim to investigate the condition of the surface metal beneath the corrosion.

My two thoughts,

Best,

Kevin

[Will Hooton]

Ave Kevin!

I've already taken the plunge and removed that terrible gunk covering the coin. I used a mixture of acetone and methanol and applied gently with cotton buds. From the state of the cotton, quite a lot of black stuff came off. The coin is less shiny, but ironically, the reverse actually looks better! Still it's early days. Now that the air is getting to it, it might look different tomorrow!

In the meantime, the dirt under the wax has been exposed and I am picking away at it with a dental pick. I have a Dremel knockoff with an SBBB, but mine works off a.c. and is vastly overpowered. I was using it for glass engraving.

[areich]

People smear all kinds of things on their coins, a bottle of acetone is just as essential to a collector as scales and a loupe.

[Mayadigger]

Ave Will!

People smear all kinds of things on their coins, a bottle of acetone is just as essential to a collector as scales and a loupe.

That's Andreas for you, always kidding around. 

I used a mixture of acetone and methanol and applied gently with cotton buds.

Will, I'm supposed to be the 'bad-boy' when it comes to coin cleaning/restoration, but dang...acetone and methanol? I've never used the aforementioned, so I don't really know the pros or cons and perhaps I'm becoming conservative, but this chemical mixture sounds much too harsh when other, more gentle, processes are available - at least to begin with.

Post pix so we can all see your progress, please.

Best regards,

Kevin