Tasteful coin restoration?

[Platon]

I got a cheap lot of uncleaned/half cleaned coins on eBay and I found this interesting coin. I don't know what it is but regardless I would like to try and make it look presentable. My question is, does anyone have any advice on what to do with damaged coins like this one? My particular frustration is that whoever owned it prior looks to have done a hack job at trying to quickly cleaning it and then abandoned it.

My goal is to perhaps "mask" some of the prior damage in some way. I don't intend to ever resell this coin and pass it off as something in good condition, I would merely like to make it presentable and try to make it look a bit less.... hideously damaged. The terracotta coloured pits around the edges of the coin are particularly ugly and ruin the nice round shape the coin should have. I've thought of somehow filling these in, similar to how parts of ancient statues are sometimes smoothed over, or their cracks are filled in.

Normally I think it's best to do as little to the coin as possible, but in this situation I thought a little restoration might be appropriate. Thanks!.







My inspiration was this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyhaEvNdwrQ 

[Andrew McCabe]

I don't think the effects are disfiguring at all, and I would leave the coin as is - also from an aesthetics viewpoint. The coin has lovely surfaces, there's no BD, the corroded areas are not particularly deep or ugly and they add some natural colour and variety to the coin, and it seems stable, with no flaking. If you add some resin to the coin, then it will look as concealed, and one's attention will be more drawn to the filling than to the natural effects which you see at present. Be proud of it.

All that said I did have a friend fix-up a coin for me once, but the starting point was several orders of magnitude worse and uglier, with active, terminal BD, and whilst the end point is many orders of magnitude better than where it started, the resin is visible (as I would want it to be, and I've marked the repair areas on the photo). Had my coin's 'problems' been akin to what you've just pictured, I would certainly, definitely, have left the coin well alone, with those pretty coloured areas you shoud delight in.

[Platon]

You've convinced me, and somewhat changed the way I view a coin. My immediate reaction was "urghhhhh!!" by far the most valuable coin in my lot seems to have been tarnished!!! But it is still a decent coin, and I can't complain cause I pretty well paid a dollar for it. I have about 250 uncleaned coins and this is the only one that could be from outside the 4th or 3rd centuries (I still havent figured out what it is), so maybe I should be happy that I got it at all regardless of damage.

[Andrew McCabe]

I have about 250 uncleaned coins and this is the only one that could be from outside the 4th or 3rd centuries (I still havent figured out what it is), so maybe I should be happy that I got it at all regardless of damage.

Seems to be an Augustus As, struck 16 BC, C Gallius Lupercus, moneyer. CAESAR AVGVSTVS TRINVNIC POTEST, bare head right / C GALLIVS LVPERCVS IIIVIR AAAFF around large S C. Sear RCV 1679, RIC 379, Cohen 436, BMC 174. http://wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s1679.html

You are happy you got it.

[Platon]

Seems to be an Augustus As, struck 16 BC, C Gallius Lupercus, moneyer. CAESAR AVGVSTVS TRINVNIC POTEST, bare head right / C GALLIVS LVPERCVS IIIVIR AAAFF around large S C. Sear RCV 1679, RIC 379, Cohen 436, BMC 174. http://wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s1679.html

You are happy you got it.

Well this is the best news I've heard all week! Should I do much to try and clean it up or should I leave it as it is? Should anything be done about the corroded areas?

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

Interesting.

Should I do much to try and clean it up or should I leave it as it is? Should anything be done about the corroded areas?

Anyone?

Best,

Kevin

[Andrew McCabe]

Well this is the best news I've heard all week! Should I do much to try and clean it up or should I leave it as it is? Should anything be done about the corroded areas?

If there's no active BD (the greens appear dark and solid and not flaking, so it doesn't look like it) I would do nothing at all; you might make it look worse by digging. Its surface seems to consists only of patina and stable metal oxides that belongs to the coin. I collect Roman bronzes, and for most of my coins the ideal state is reached after a little brushing to remove unattached or loose matter, and a rub down with a soft cloth. Or just the soft cloth. I'd only consider cleaning a coin that has foreign matter attached, or surface stability issues; anything else is "clean enough" in my view. But that's just me.

[SC]

I agree with Andrew.  It is fine as is and is definitely not a common find in uncleaned lots.

I would keep a good watch on it though and examine the coin, especially the edges, from time to time.  There was likely a history of BD behind those pits on the edges even if there is nothing active right now.  These Augutsna moneyers asses (and yes that is the plural of an as) were almost pure copper but were often made from a high sulpher alloy if I recall correctly. 

Keep it dry. 

Shawn

[Tony A]

I agree with Shawn. Keep and eye on it, especially if you live in an area with high humidity. If you do, perhaps some RenWax would seal it up and help you avoid the re-emergence of BD (if that's what damaged the coin).

Tony