Spots On Ancient Persian Coin - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 954
radial New Member United States 7 Posts	Posted 02/05/2019 11:53 am Hi everyone, Can someone help me identify the spots on this coin? I did some research and they look like carbon spots, but I'm not sure. Could it be environmental damage? I'm curios if there's a way to remove these spots, and if there is what is the best way to go about it? Report this Post to the Staff

louisvillekyshop CCF Advertiser United States 1306 Posts	Posted 02/05/2019 12:46 pm Oxides of silver are black. If it is stable it is safe enough to just leave there. Report this Post to the Staff
austrokiwi Pillar of the Community 2087 Posts	Posted 02/05/2019 1:15 pm That coin looks too good to try this technique on: Line a plastic bowl with Aluminium foil. Fill it with warm water and then dissolve a couple of tablespoons of household soda( acts as an electrolyte) in the water. Drop the coin into the solution ensuring it makes physical contact with the Aluminium foil. Silver Oxides will be reduced back to pure silver, while a small amount of the Aluminium will be oxidised. should only take a few seconds to work. Its a great way to clean silver cutlery. once the item is cleaned wash it in water to get rid of soda residue Report this Post to the Staff
radial New Member United States 7 Posts	Posted 02/05/2019 2:32 pm Hi austrokiwi, thank you for your reply. I've read up on that method online and was wondering if I should give it a go, but perhaps I should listen to your advice and not give a try on this coin. Would silver tarnish remover work? Report this Post to the Staff
austrokiwi Pillar of the Community 2087 Posts	Posted 02/05/2019 3:04 pm I would leave the coin as is... if you really have to clean those spots then use the soda and aluminium foil... its an electrochemical process and won't damage( scratch) the coin. Silver tarnish remover will damage the coin more often than not Report this Post to the Staff
sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21788 Posts	Posted 02/05/2019 3:55 pm For austrokiwi: What is "household soda" - is it baking soda? washing soda? caustic soda? Report this Post to the Staff
austrokiwi Pillar of the Community 2087 Posts	Posted 02/05/2019 3:57 pm washing soda Report this Post to the Staff
tdziemia Pillar of the Community United States 7952 Posts	Posted 02/05/2019 4:05 pm Either baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3) or washing soda (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3) will work. They are both good electrolytes (as best I can tell their purpose is only to facilitate the electrochemical reduction of the silver sulfide, which tap water does not do very well). To me the bright surfaces of the coin look as though there has already been some cleaning, in which case I doubt the electrochemical trick will give any benefit, but it's also unlikely to make the coin worse. If there is a patina on the coin, this technique will likely remove the patina before it removes the darker spots. Edited by tdziemia 02/05/2019 4:09 pm Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 7 / Views: 954

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: Ancient, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Coins

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.28 seconds to rattle this change.