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 Replies: 13 / Views: 1,281 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1315 Posts |
I went back to a local shop on Saturday with a pretty tight budget and picked up three new coins. This Claudius II and two Greek coins... I'll put them in separate posts. This Claudius could use some cleaning, I think, but it has some silvering left on it, especially on the reverse, and I'm afraid it might come off if I mess with it.   |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
It seem that your local coin shop may have a good range of varying numismatic items, and a wide knowledge base of the proprietor to back it up.
That is just the coin dealer I like. What other areas of numismatics is the business strong in?
The Claudius Gothicus is nice coin, with full legends, and better than most of this emperor.
Pity about the need for cleaning with this one. It's going to be a tough call to improve it.
I think best left alone.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1315 Posts |
It's funny Sel,
This shop has one box of ancients he keeps in a bottom cabinet and lets me go through them when I come in.
He doesn't really deal in ancients, but I'm sure he knows more about them than what meets the eye.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Nice pickup!  I wish I had a local dealer with ancients. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
Nice coin! I'd clean it. Possibly just a distilled water soak would loosen the obverse dirt and rubbing lightly between fingers would be a place to start.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
Considering my last coin was a left Claudius with retained silvering, I have to wonder if there is a recent hoard?
Edited by dougsmit
01/27/2013 5:25 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2044 Posts |
Quite a few left facing heads lately, considering. Nice coin!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3229 Posts |
Nice coin! I agree with Doug about cleaning:) It already has good details and with cleaning on the high points it will be even better! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4973 Posts |
i wish I had someone like I could go to around where I live, cool coin. i think it may be a good candidate for a light clean also. |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
Nice coin, it should clean up really nice.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
946 Posts |
The left facing busts of the Claudius II AE's are hard to find. As with most of the Antoninianii of the 260 - 294 era, the silvering is thin. Best leave it as it is. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1316 Posts |
Super coin, nice find ... |
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New Member
United States
31 Posts |
While I agree with Doug it could be cleaned, of course be careful. I have soaked a similir in DW and rubbed it only to have the silver come off in my fingers.
I would suggest just a DW soak, changing the water every couple of days. Try that for a month. If no improvement, then try to rub it off gently with your fingers. Silvered coins have to be the worst in terms of cleaning, if you are trying to retain the silvering.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
567 Posts |
Rubbing a paste of baking soda or toothpaste on to the coin with a soft toothbrush might also work. Depends on if the silvering is tightly adherent or not. A soak might disrupt the layer of oxidation between the silvering and the bronze. Bronze and silver have a different Eo (electrolytic potential) so a passivity layer forms naturally between the two. It depends on whether the passivity layer is stable between the silver and the bronze (good, tightly adherent) or if the the corrosion layer turned to active oxidation at some point (bad, flaking or raising of the silver) by intrusion of water in the ground. If so then there would be flaking of the silvering. Look for that as a guide for what method of cleaning. I wouldn't reccomend acetone or lye for this one, it's a fairly nice piece as it is.
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Replies: 13 / Views: 1,281 |
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Posted 01/27/2013 4:55 pm
