FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board
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This one for sale by a well known seller. Such a shame, very obviously tooled - and poorly done at that. It's too bad, because even in fair condition this is a really rare issue - now it's just another tooled coin. Pretty obvious around the obverse legend, but I suspect both legends are touched up.
(https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51928/normal_tg8C9XTmH5eD7BLyoiT4HZ3cpPn2Jf.jpg)
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I don't think it is tooled, there are many scratches on it but I doubt they are due a bad cleaning because are on all the surface.
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Bad cleaning that just happens to make the letters way more visible than they were. Hmmm.
I suspect that the actual surface was removed/lowered to make the letters look like that.
It may be technicality, but to me that it the distinction. Removal of stuff above the original surface is cleaning - alteration of the original surface/metal is tooling. And I think this one crosses the line, or at minimum is sitting on the fence having a laugh at us all.
SC
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To me it appears as if the fields have been clumsily scraped. I doubt there there is any original surface left on this coin.
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There is likely some original surface in the low points of the portraits, but I generally agree with your diagnosis.
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...have been clumsily scraped.
I agree. Cleaning can be a long and tedious process. Looks like this one was done by a real amateur. This is a Caracalla that took weeks to clean.