A question of morals????

[Lee S]

Hi Folks..

  I am wondering about the esteemed experts on this sites opinion on turning a coin into Jewellery..

    Normally I would be dead set against this practise... No one wants to ruin a bit of history for vainness, however perhaps it is ok from time to time depending on circumstances??

   I received this coin in a lot of uncleaned Greeks about a year ago, and after half a year soaking in various liquids it became apparent that nothing much was happening with the b-side, although the A-side was beautiful... so I gave it a bath in the electrolysis pit of doom, and it became apparent I was right... Tyche looking good, and bugger all else.

  So, My mother in law is a jewellery maker, and I am going to ask her to mount the coin in something resembling a signet ring... I consider this a good result for a two thousand and something year old coin with absolutely no market value... it actually regains value...

  But I am still green around the ears... I would love to hear what the guys steeped in coin history and lore feel on this subject...

 Best wishes,

  Lee.

[rick2]

its like asking an opinion about taxidermy in an animal care forum

[carthago]

its like asking an opinion about taxidermy in an animal care forum

LOL, that's a good one Rick!

Lee, it may not be a popular opinion here but I think you're fine to mount that coin.  There are probably millions of bulk coins extant like the one you want to mount.  It would be quite a conversation piece with people, and who knows, might intrigue some new collectors.

My father back in the day used to mount rather nice denari as tie tacks (back when men work tie tacks), cuff links and even made a half decent aureus of into a signet ring.  Even as a kid it used to bother me that he'd take nice coins and ruin them like that.  His answer to me was "someone has to be the final consumer". 

To each his own I guess.  You own it, you can do what you want with it.

[OldMoney]

My personal opinion is that I have no real problem with a coin such
as this being turned into jewellery. I have been asked several times
to obtain items that might be suitable for precisely this purpose.

In each case I have endeavoured to obtain something that is quite
common, so as not to be missed by the general collector or academic
world, and that would be considered much less of a 'collectable' item
because of a fault or damage, etc.

One such piece was a lovely coin that had an excellent obverse, but
the reverse was struck so far off-centre as to no longer be present
except for the barest of traces at one edge.

The flan on that side was also very worn, removing all original traces
of anything that may have been on the flan.

It was really only good for a one-sided display piece, . . . or jewellery.
Subsequent requests have been met with the same reaction; if I can
obtain a more-or-less one-sided piece for the purpose, I will.

Your choice to make this into jewellery will probably give it new life,
and have it serve a greater purpose than it otherwise would have as
a one-sided slug, or languishing in a junk box.

Walter Holt

[areich]

The problem is not so much turning it into jewelry but turning it into the brutally overcleaned junk it now is.

[Lee S]

 to Areich...

I agree that it's value as a "coin" is gone, but can I ask, with the greatest of respect, what would you have done with it?
     It originally had a green/brown crusty patina... I soaked it for about 4 months in olive oil, then for a little over 2 months in distilled water with frequent washes with soap and water and water changes, and only when it became apparent there was absolutely NOTHING to see under one side I zapped it.

   I harbour a little guilt, but I also have a bowl with perhaps 30 or 40 coins which it seems will never be more than crusty nuggets or shiny slugs... ( I have been a prolific purchaser of uncleaned coins from EBay ) And while I have unearthed some treasures, and added some wonderful coins to my collection, I wonder what the dedicated experts opinion is that I do with them?

   This one I hope to wear for the rest of my life.. Which seems, to me, to be good enough..

* Modified for clarity..

[djmacdo]

I see nothing wrong in turning a one-sided coin into jewelry.  In fact, I have an early Seleucid tetrdrachm from the Ai Khoum mint way out east that is VF on the obverse and terribly corroded on the reverse.  That might be a good jewelry coin--I cannot imagine if would be much use to a collector.

Mac

[Mark Z]

Lee,

Does the deity portrayed (in this case, Tyche) on the obverse somehow resonate with you on some level other than the "Luck" or "Fortune" aspect or is that where you were going? (pretty good premise actually)

For example, I am a big fan of Marcus Aurelius so if I had a one-sided coin of his I would happily turn it into a piece of jewelry.

My point is that unless your MIL is willing to do it for nothing and throw in the metal, as well, I wouldn't do this to just any coin. I would want something or someone depicted on the coin that has some great personal value to me.

Why? Let's not forget that it was made by your mother-in-law and every time you go to see her she will be looking for it  

So make sure it's something you're willing to or will want to wear for the foreseeable future!

Regards,
mz

[areich]

With hindsight, maybe the coin should have stayed the way it was. Months of olive oil alone can damage a coin's surfaces considerably. Ultimately, it's up to you what to do with your coins but I use every opportunity I get to say that electrolysis, if it is going to be used at all, should truly be the last resort. Much too often it is the first resort of the lazy, this is not aimed at anyone here.

[stlnats]

I'm not sure how morality plays into this.  While I'm not into comparative religions, I'm pretty sure that you don't have much risk of being consigned to one of the levels of perdition for cleaning and using a coin for jewelry.  In terms of ethics, assuming you acquired the piece in a fair transaction and don't subsequently try to misrepresent it, since its your property you should be able to do with it as you will.  In some cases, you might suffer an economic loss, but that's a trade off only you can assess.

Lee, it may not be a popular opinion here but I think you're fine to mount that coin.  There are probably millions of bulk coins extant like the one you want to mount.  It would be quite a conversation piece with people, and who knows, might intrigue some new collectors.

Your choice to make this into jewellery will probably give it new life, and have it serve a greater purpose than it otherwise would have as a one-sided slug, or languishing in a junk box.

I strongly agree with these excellent points and mentioned a personal experience along these lines in another recent thread.  So, 'seems to me that you should be comfortable proceeding with a clear conscience.