Hello- first time poster here,
I purchased a nice bronze coin of
Carthage recently and received it on the 3rd (I've noted dates to give an idea of when the following images were taken).
I kept the coin in a
flip and didn't pay much attention until the 7th, when I noticed bright green patches on the top and bottom edges of the coin (unfortunately, I did not get images of the initial
bronze disease). The green was very powdery and came off easily and I recognized it as
bronze disease.
While I was figuring out how to treat it, I placed the coin in distilled water. On the 9th/10th, I took the next set of images after taking it out of the distilled water. I noticed several red/orange "rust" colored spots, which seemed to be spreading with each passing day. I got baking soda & washing soda involved
as is commonly discussed, and started soaking for 24-36 hours twice. I dried the coin in an oven at a lot temperature and sealed it in an airtight container and observed for a few days, as I did not want to seal it with wax only to have the
bronze disease break out again.
Unfortunately, on the 16th I noticed the green spots again (last image) and resumed the baking soda & washing soda treatment. At this point I'm not hopeful that I'll save the coin and I'm trying to use this experience to learn about treating
bronze disease in the future.
My biggest questions are:
What is the orange "rust" that gradually appeared across the coin? Is that
part of the
bronze disease spreading?
What should I do at this point? Should I write this one off, or could it benefit from more soaking & drying with the baking soda & washing soda?
I'd appreciate any input or advice
Thanks,
-Rob