My First Billon Coin? - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,108
gtkwml Valued Member United States 224 Posts	Posted 07/12/2018 8:36 pm I have cleaned coins with a partially flaked off silver coating, but this one is solidly silver colored. No lettering left to identify the emperor, radiate, 21 mm. Would this be billon? Report this Post to the Staff

josephrg Valued Member United States 234 Posts	Posted 07/12/2018 8:53 pm looks like Postumus silver coin Report this Post to the Staff
gtkwml Valued Member United States 224 Posts	Posted 07/12/2018 9:02 pm I didn't know silver would get so pitted. I thought only a copper/silver alloy would get pitted. But I'm a newbie with a LOT to learn. With little to lose on an electrolysis cleaned coin, I also tried a bit of silver polish to see what it would do -- but it remained very dull. That's why I thought billon rather than silver. Thanks for the info! Report this Post to the Staff
jskirwin Pillar of the Community United States 616 Posts	Posted 07/12/2018 10:28 pm Probably billon. My understanding is they used metal with a low silver content then used acids to eat away the billon to leave the silver. Could explain some of the pitting. And agree that it looks like Postumus. Report this Post to the Staff
Kushanshah Pillar of the Community United States 1554 Posts	Posted 07/12/2018 10:47 pm Yes, you coin is billon. Billon is defined as an alloy of silver containing less than 50% precious metal. The table below is from Kenneth W. Harl (1996), Coinage in the Roman Economy 300 B.C. to A.D. 700, Baltimore, p.130. Edited by Kushanshah 07/12/2018 10:50 pm Report this Post to the Staff
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