FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board

Numismatic and History Discussion Forums => Uncleaned Ancient Coin Discussion Forum => Topic started by: ancientone on June 10, 2014, 07:18:03 pm

Title: Mantineia Achaean league hemidrachm -Before and after
Post by: ancientone on June 10, 2014, 07:18:03 pm

Greetings,

  I finally felt confident enough to start working on a silver coin.  It was in an awful state (looked like it had been at Pompeii) with what looked like lava melted onto the coin.  I'm happy with the results, even in it's present condition. 

Regards,
Charlie

Title: Re: Mantineia Achaean league hemidrachm -Before and after
Post by: Molinari on June 10, 2014, 07:27:27 pm

Nice work, Charlie. 

Title: Re: Mantineia Achaean league hemidrachm -Before and after
Post by: ickster on June 11, 2014, 06:18:58 pm

May I assume you used a slow manual method (pick etc.)?

Title: Re: Mantineia Achaean league hemidrachm -Before and after
Post by: ancientone on June 13, 2014, 07:22:29 am

Thanks Nick!

ickster:  I used a bamboo skewer, scalpel and ammonia soaks over a period of about a week.  Probably could have gone longer but I was not sure about metal quality.

Title: Re: Mantineia Achaean league hemidrachm -Before and after
Post by: Lee S on June 13, 2014, 02:06:02 pm

 ;D +++ ;D

Title: Re: Mantineia Achaean league hemidrachm -Before and after
Post by: SC on June 16, 2014, 04:32:27 am

Awesome.

 Can I ask whether the ammonia was diluted and how long the soaks were?

Shawn

Title: Re: Mantineia Achaean league hemidrachm -Before and after
Post by: Tim on June 17, 2014, 03:38:30 pm

Charlie,

    The little divot at the top of the coin (right over his head) in the first picture seems to have gotten a little larger, post soak.  Am I correct in assuming that this was just dirt or something, pre-soak, or or was there a chance that the coin's metal quality was uneven and the ammonia was eating away at it?  (I'm just asking so I can file the info away for when I actually have a silver coin to clean.)

    Regards,

   -Tim

Title: Re: Mantineia Achaean league hemidrachm -Before and after
Post by: ancientone on June 22, 2014, 03:38:31 pm

otlichnik:  No dilution so I watched very carefully for the first soak of about 3 minutes.  After that I was ok with leaving it for longer periods working up to 1 to 3 hours.  I've seen AR coins destroyed by ammonia so be sure of the silver quality before. 

Tim:  I am just noticing this too.  Under magnification it looks like a piece chipped off. The flan is very thin at that point.  I would attribute it to something I did rather than the ammonia.


Charlie