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Author Topic: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?  (Read 758 times)

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Offline Britanikus

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Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« on: December 18, 2011, 02:24:32 pm »
Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?

Offline Britanikus

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2011, 02:54:02 pm »
Also any suggestions on cleaning.I was thinking maybe  distilled water and baking soda .Regards and Happy holidays.Yavor

Offline areich

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2011, 03:02:42 pm »
If it's good silver, and it should be, I would wrap it in aluminum foil and throw it in HCL (hydrochloric acid). Once the foil has dissolved, take it out and put some baking soda and some water in the palm of your hand and gently rub the coin with it. You can try to remove any remaining dirt with a toothpick or simply repeat the process.

This is the last coin I cleaned in this way. It will be shiny but I think it's an improvement.
Andreas Reich

Offline Britanikus

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2011, 03:03:57 pm »
Thank you  :)

Offline David M3

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2011, 03:10:30 pm »
If its not to encrusted lemon juice has worked for me. It is a very nice coin and I would say it is authentic.
 
David V McCallum II

Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2011, 03:42:47 pm »
Lemon juice should do that; no need to buy nasty chemicals. It'll come out looking pretty harsh and unattractive, but it should begin to tone over a year or two.
Robert Brenchley

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Offline Syltorian

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2011, 03:52:12 pm »
If it's good silver, and it should be, I would wrap it in aluminum foil and throw it in HCL (hydrochloric acid). Once the foil has dissolved, take it out and put some baking soda and some water in the palm of your hand and gently rub the coin with it.

Don't you have to be careful with HCL? I've never tried it myself, but I recall reading somewhere that (beyond the obvious "don't try to touch it") you should not use it inside because of the fumes? Or am I confusing with something else? [Post made by someone with only token high-school chemistry knowledge]

Offline Britanikus

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2011, 03:53:37 pm »
Thanks I will try the lemon juice what will hapen if I use amonia.Regards.Yavor

Offline areich

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2011, 04:05:56 pm »
You should not breathe in the fumes but going out on the balcony will do. It's not particularly harmful, they sell if for cleaning toilets. Even touching it won't do much if you rinse it off quickly, though I did run very very quickly.  ;D It works fast and well and isn't very expensive either. But it needs to be good silver.
Andreas Reich

Offline Britanikus

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2011, 06:23:54 pm »
Thank you all for the info i will start i stages 1st i will try  in baking soda solution ,then i will try lemon juice and if the patina is still there i will try the acid .Happy holidays to all of you.Regards.Yavor

Offline Britanikus

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2011, 06:27:59 pm »
I will post pics when the coin is clean.Regards.Yavor

Offline Jaimelai

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2011, 06:38:57 pm »
Lemon juice with the aluminum foil works well.

Offline David Atherton

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #12 on: December 18, 2011, 07:03:27 pm »
Personally, I don't mind the way the coin looks in the picture. If it was mine I wouldn't clean it...unless there are unsightly encrustations that obscure the legend and features.

Offline daverino

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #13 on: December 18, 2011, 08:27:39 pm »
If it's good silver, and it should be, I would wrap it in aluminum foil and throw it in HCL (hydrochloric acid). Once the foil has dissolved, take it out and put some baking soda and some water in the palm of your hand and gently rub the coin with it. You can try to remove any remaining dirt with a toothpick or simply repeat the process.

This is the last coin I cleaned in this way. It will be shiny but I think it's an improvement.


I never tried this method but if you use a strong acid like HCl don't forget the aluminum foil. It acts like the positive pole of a battery with the silver coin as the negative and the acid as an electrolyte. The acid then dissolves the crud and the aluminum foil before attacking the silver. But once the foil is gone the protection ends.

Offline Britanikus

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #14 on: December 18, 2011, 10:18:08 pm »
Thank you  :)

Offline Constantine IV

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #15 on: December 19, 2011, 11:14:42 am »
I never tried this method but if you use a strong acid like HCl don't forget the aluminum foil. It acts like the positive pole of a battery with the silver coin as the negative and the acid as an electrolyte. The acid then dissolves the crud and the aluminum foil before attacking the silver. But once the foil is gone the protection ends.

Great information. I had used lemon juice on a Cotton Bud to rub the blackened parts on a silver denarius of Caracalla, then some Silver Polish fluid, also using a Cotton Bud.
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Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #16 on: December 19, 2011, 04:26:14 pm »
HCL is a poisonous gas dissolved in water, and a strong acid. It's safe to handle as long as it's well diluted, but there's no point in going out of your way to get a potentially hazardous chemical if it's not needed!
Robert Brenchley

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Offline Britanikus

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #17 on: December 19, 2011, 04:29:54 pm »
Thank you

Offline Ryan C

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #18 on: December 20, 2011, 02:20:58 am »
Personally, I don't mind the way the coin looks in the picture. If it was mine I wouldn't clean it...unless there are unsightly encrustations that obscure the legend and features.
I couldn't agree more. One must remember that these "unattractive" smudges and slight encrustations contain the history of this coin. Someday you may want to know where the coin came from, if it is a hoard coin, the soil can give a pretty good idea where it was stashed. The patina, unless completely obscuring the coin is , IMHO, a true indication of age, and sometimes your"desert patinas"..etc..can be very attractive. Personal preference really, I just thought I would throw in my two cents.
Ryan Collins, happy member of the Forvm.

Offline Britanikus

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Re: Hi i did buy this Vespasian is it Authentic ?
« Reply #19 on: December 20, 2011, 04:25:13 pm »
Thanks i will see the coin when it arrives if it looks nice in hand i will place it in 2x2 and just ad it to my collection .Regards.Britanikus

 

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