My Ultimate Coin Cleaning/Conservation Project.

Far from a thing of beauty, but a learning experience.
The colors are mottled as the coin oxidized unevenly.
And there is quite a bit of roughness to the surface.
The green oxide was very much like glass. Both smooth and brittle. It had to be scraped off, chemicals weren't much help.
Hope you enjoyed.

Great difference. Would rather have the coin looking like second picture.

I can appreciate what ancient collectors have to deal with.
The green stuff was so much like slag, that it had to be chipped off. The remaining bits were scraped like I was cleaning a badly burned frying pan.
I made a couple of tools using a pin vice and sewing needles. Some were pointed like an awl, and some ground like a screwdriver.
I used common mineral oil, VerdiCare and acetone. Many alternating baths. If I tilted the flat tipped tool (dia. .030") it could be used almost like a paint scraper.
The oil helped me keep control of the scraping, and the wet surface helped me see the color difference between the oxide layer and the base metal. As the oxide layer became thinner, I had to rely on "feel."
Acetone is always good for flushing off the debris, and frequently dried foreign material so that it looked like a white powder in the coin crevases.
Periodic applications of VerdiCare did dissolve pockets of softer oxides.
The key ingredient was patience. It took a lot longer than the value of the coin would warrant.
Krause's 15th Edition of world coins, printed in 2015 lists a value of $1.24 G4, $2.00 VG8 and $3.50 F12.

Great job work very well done

You could probably start a business doing that haha.




My issue is the same when it comes to coin values. Some of my ancients aren't really worth enough but when it comes to the more valuable ones this process seems pretty smart. It must be kind of stressful having to rely on "feel" to avoid damaging your coin though, yikes! Good job though, it looks good.