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Author Topic: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!  (Read 1953 times)

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impreprex

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My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« on: May 15, 2011, 02:13:34 am »
Hello folks! Great to be here!

I'm just getting into coin cleaning (ancient, of course). My first order was on Ebay (I hear bad things...) and I purchased 3 uncleaned "Roman" coins...

I don't have pictures of when I first got them, but I have pictures of their progress. If I had only known then what I know now...

So anyways, I just had to stumble upon these:

One was a slug which I didn't even bother to post, but the other two... - Did I really just screw up THAT bad??

Am I to understand the Procopius coin is rare, and the Thrace (Mesembria) is pretty decent as well?!

 :-[ :-[ :-[

So for kicks, the last image is of the Procopius coin before I stupidly removed the Patina. It looked so good, but I just did NOT know what I was doing.


Offline areich

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2011, 03:40:18 am »
You already know what you did was stupid (and it was) so there's no need to rub it in. Procopius is not rare but rarish and yours was very nice before. You probably learned your lesson, because it was a painful one.
Andreas Reich

Offline benito

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2011, 03:48:38 am »
OOOUUUUCCCHHHHH. 
What did you use for cleaning.You removed more than the patina

impreprex

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2011, 12:51:28 am »
OOOUUUUCCCHHHHH. 
What did you use for cleaning.You removed more than the patina

I used Lye and zapped it for 2 minutes... Believe it or not, the image of the Procopius coin that was looking good was AFTER the lye, but before the electrolysis. Trust me - I'm not going to be using lye again any time soon - I'd rather just go mechanical. :) But that lye did indeed clean it up good...

That side by side comparison is nasty: I can't believe that I actually ate away at the coin itself! I didn't even realize. Darned noobs.  ::)

Like I said - lesson learned... I went into this with not knowing what was up. Now I do - and I have a great forum here to learn more!

Offline commodus

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2011, 02:02:44 am »
This comes too late for Procopius here, I realize, but... always experiment on cheap, common, relatively worthless coins first! There is no shortage of them.
Eric Brock (1966 - 2011)

Offline ickster

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2011, 02:47:03 am »
As Commodus says, experiment on cheap coins first. There are many great resources here on the FORVM to help you.

One of the things I learned is to always start with the least damaging method (DW soak and light brushing with a nylon brush) and slowly escalate in your methods. Electrolysis, if used at all, should be the last resort (there are many opinions on that). If all else has failed, such as months of DW and Gringott's soaks and not a single speck of dirt removed through scrubbing, dental picks bent in the encrustations, scalpels dulled in the cement covering...well, you get the picture...then maybe zap it.

At the start, patience is the best skill to master. The next one is knowing when to stop cleaning. This is one I'm trying to master now  :-[

impreprex

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #6 on: May 22, 2011, 02:02:10 am »
I have received more uncleaned coins. Thankfully, I did it right this time (I believe).

I used Gringgott's #2 and a soft bristle brass brush. What do you all think?  :afro:

I don't know what any of them are, but they're still beautiful!

Offline areich

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #7 on: May 22, 2011, 04:44:34 am »
Nice work.
Andreas Reich

Offline Aarmale

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #8 on: May 22, 2011, 10:59:29 am »
Much better.  Patina is preserved, and the coins look much nicer, without pitting.
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impreprex

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2011, 09:42:19 pm »
Much better.  Patina is preserved, and the coins look much nicer, without pitting.

Thanks! Yeah, I see what I did wrong now. :D

They do look good! The Soft Brass Bristle Brush is my new best friend. That and Gringgott's.

Offline ickster

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2011, 02:08:41 pm »
I would still recommend starting with a stiff nylon bristle brush (like the small nylon nail brushes) first. It often cleans up a coin pretty good. I then move to a soft brass brush if repeated attempts with the nylon prove fruitless.

The brass is still a bit harsh if something softer will work. I've found that with the brass, you can "wear" away the patina of the highlights as you attempt to clean in the recesses. You see this on cleaned coins online from time to time.

Offline Lucas H

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #11 on: August 07, 2011, 12:46:14 pm »
Quote
I don't know what any of them are, but they're still beautiful!

I've been waiting to see if you have identified any of that last batch of coins you cleaned?  There are lots of resources here to help identify coins, and if you just hit a wall, you can always ask for help.

Other than identifying those coins, have you received any new coins?  Be sure to show us some before and after pictures so we can see how you are coming.

gavignano

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Re: My first thread - and my first 3 uncleaned coins!
« Reply #12 on: August 07, 2011, 09:06:51 pm »
Welcome. You will learn a lot here!
the odds of getting an attributable Procopius in an uncleaned lot is low, and one that nice is real low. Almost all his coins are on lousy, choppy flans.

 

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