Posted 09/14/2016 11:24 am
Looks pretty good so far !
You may want to leave just a little bit of the 'dirt' in place so I don't think you should go too much farther with the cleaning. The area below the portrait may benefit the most. The legend seems a tad bit weak at the beginning (before the bust) so I would not worry about cleaning it completely. The name of Caligula (Caius) is simply rendered as 'C CAESAR' so it does not detract too much.
Photographing dark coins is always challenging. I recommend losing the bright color though. Try using a black or dark grey backround. The dark backround will help your camera get the proper exposure. I use a pair of black Levi's !
You may be ready to dry the coin out (acetone or alcohol) and give it the olive oil soaking. Any areas of metal exposed will be darkened by olive oil over time.
I think you did well enough on the purchase. As stated at the time $100 would have been a "steal" and $200 would not have been ridiculous either. You fell safely into the comfort zone.
You may want to leave just a little bit of the 'dirt' in place so I don't think you should go too much farther with the cleaning. The area below the portrait may benefit the most. The legend seems a tad bit weak at the beginning (before the bust) so I would not worry about cleaning it completely. The name of Caligula (Caius) is simply rendered as 'C CAESAR' so it does not detract too much.
Photographing dark coins is always challenging. I recommend losing the bright color though. Try using a black or dark grey backround. The dark backround will help your camera get the proper exposure. I use a pair of black Levi's !
You may be ready to dry the coin out (acetone or alcohol) and give it the olive oil soaking. Any areas of metal exposed will be darkened by olive oil over time.
I think you did well enough on the purchase. As stated at the time $100 would have been a "steal" and $200 would not have been ridiculous either. You fell safely into the comfort zone.
