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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,559 |
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Valued Member
United States
469 Posts |
I have purchased a few very nice Roman coins but not many. Lately I have been thinking about trying my hand at purchasing bulk uncleaned bronze and silvers to see what I can do and also to see if I can end up with some nice pieces if I put the work into it. What are the experiences of the fellow coin enthusiasts here? The second question is have you found it to be worth while?
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1411 Posts |
Nice timing... I was just about to post a thread on the same topic!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
Quote:
The second question is have you found it to be worth while? The short answer, from me anyway, is no. I started buying uncleaned lots a few years ago and have found that the majority of coins are slugs, un-attributable, or very poor quality common coins. If you pay on average $2 per coin and 4 out of 5 are just slugs, then the one coin that is attributable averages at $10. And, to boot, it is poor quality and common. The chances of finding something worthwhile are very slim. These coin lots have been gone through with a fine tooth comb. Anything, and I mean anything, of true value has been picked out long before you get your hands on them. There are those on here who will disagree with me. And they seem to have some fun cleaning the coins. But for me, I'm done with uncleaned lots. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
I'll let the first question be tackled by some other collectors before I jump in. But regarding whether or not it is worthwhile, it depends upon what you are hoping to get out of the cleaning experience. Yes, you will end up with some worthless coins, but I have found that usually I end up with a few coins out of the lot that pretty much are worth about the total amount that I paid. (Although I did once find a very rare and valuable Hannibalianus in an uncleaned lot).
But I also have found that cleaning coins can be a fun activity. You never know what you may find in a lot, and there is actually something kind of therapeutic about cleaning ancients. I actually have a very high-stress job, and I have found that checking on my coins and making progress each day really is helpful to my overall stress-level. So I feel like I am making a profit in that regard even if the coins end up being only worth what I paid.
Edited by Archraz
07/20/2012 2:26 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
946 Posts |
Depends. As I mentioned in another thread, there is one seller on ebay, who advertises the coins as uncleaned, but suspiciously they all seem to be ingrained with the same coloured mud. It is as if the seller had got a load of hard-to-sell coins, and "dressed them up" by dumping them in a hole in their back yard, leaving them for a while, digging them up, giving them a light rinse then baking them in an oven to harden the mud. Voila "uncleaned". But as mentioned, that way there is no chance of the buyer finding a random prized coin. However I was lucky to buy a lot of real uncleans two months ago. They were all "Radiates" and had the same green encrustation on them (not BD) typical of being stored for over 1,700 years. Out of that lot I found a "Bull", a "Pegasus" and a "Centaur". Well worth the while. Aside from that, I like history, and it is an honour to be able to catalogue the finds and find out as much as possible about them. A lot of those coins I did not clean, as the details were visable to allow attribution, and there are collectors who preffer the coin has not been scoured to death. As long as there is no BD, it is okay. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Best cleaning method I have found is the old fashioned olive oil or distilled water. Its by no means quick but it does give the best results without any danger to the coins. If thats not enough I use dental tools to pick away at them. Personally I dont clean many - I dont have the patience and like many have never really found anything special. Some people do though - I think most people enjoy the process of cleaning more than the desire to find a perfect or rare coin. The fact that you can see something nobody else has for 1500 years. echizento has found a lot of nice coins during his cleaning. One thing I have noticed is that year on year the quality of uncleaned coins gets worse and worse. I think its something every ancient collector should try at some point, it is as fun as it can be frustrating  |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
I like buying large uncleaned lots, though I haven't do so in a few years because the price has gone up so much. I enjoy the process of cleaning them and prefer using olive oil over distilled water. Don't expect to find any gold coins in these lots and it's pretty slim finding any silver either. I've only found four silver coins in thousands of uncleaned. As JW stated there are a lot of slugs and culls, out of a thousand coins expect that one third will be like that. But from the rest you have a chance of coming up with some gems.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
There is one other cleaning option. Instead of buying a bunch of unidentified coins that you may or may not be able to save or identify, buy single coins that you think you can improve with cleaning. For many people this is the next step after failing on groups. If your experience suggests that you might do well with a certain kind of dirt, look for coins that have that kind. More to the point, if your experience suggests you usually botch a coin with a certain look, stop buying that kind. I just ordered a single coin that I thought might be cleanable but I realize that the $7.99 I paid for that one coin will either be $15+ or under $2 by the end of the year. Chances are good that I will rush the matter and ruin it before fall comes but I still believe that the $7.99 has a better chance of increase than it would had I bought four $2 sight unseen uncleaneds in the hope that one of them would make up for the other three. Time will tell.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4964 Posts |
ds that is exactly what I've been thinking about doing...i just got done adding several single promising looking coins on my ebay watch list. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
I bought a bunch and they just arrived - A great mix. I dont cull off any, I'm looking for historical significance in the coins. I think if you already have a few roman coins, you'll find doubles coming out if you buy a big batch of uncleaned, but for me, this is basically the opening to the collection and so I wont have any doubles.
I find that a quick toothbrush scrub to remove mud and caked on dirt works well, followed by carefuly taking off anything else you can with a needle or dental pick until you can identify the coin. Once you know whats written on the coin, cleaning is much easier. After that done, I leave it in olive oil for a while to remove anything I've missed or wouldnt dare try to pick out (the inside of the As and Os, and the Ns and also, for some reason, Constantines ear).
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,559 |
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Posted 07/20/2012 1:41 pm
