A Few Questions About Sand Patina Ancients

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,331
VisigothKing Pillar of the Community United States 4778 Posts	Posted 03/08/2012 3:12 pm Are sand patina coins found as they are shown? Like, with the patina generally in the fields and in the lower parts of the coin (helping to bring out the details)? Or are they found with the patina covering everything and have to be cleaned a little to help with identification? I got my Magnus Maximus today (a stunning coin in hand btw) and was wondering if it would have been found in its current condition. It would be kind of amazing to think they come out of the ground looking nice and identifiable like that so I'm guessing they need to be cleaned a little when they are discovered. Report this Post to the Staff

Doucet Pillar of the Community United States 1315 Posts	Posted 03/08/2012 3:29 pm That's a good question ValiantKnight, I wouldn't know for sure but my guess would be ..both could occur. I know on some of my coins with desert patina you can see signs of scraping to bring out some details. Others show no marks, although they may have been covered with dirt over the sand patina, I'm not sure. Maybe someone who cleans a lot of coins can say if the ever cleaned one and found a desert patina underneath? Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 03/08/2012 4:15 pm The sand doesn't stick as hard as the dirt, so sometimes just a washing is all the is needed to remove most of the deposit and still leave only what has ahearded to the coin. Some further light cleaning removes all that remains and reveals the coin. Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16868 Posts	Posted 03/08/2012 6:57 pm Pretty much all ancient bronzes come out of the ground looking like rocks. The substance forming the "sand patina" originally would have been a rather thick layer covering the entire coin's surface, obscuring all the details. Sand-patinated coins are carefully cleaned only on the high points, to create the much-desired "cameo" effect. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
VisigothKing Pillar of the Community United States 4778 Posts	Posted 03/10/2012 10:28 pm Just as I figured. Thanks guys. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,331

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