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Cleaning a Silvered Antoninianus of Tacitus, 275 AD.
I purchased this coin as part of a larger lot of random bronze artifacts from various periods. Most of it was junk, but there were some interesting pieces. I purchased in part because of the Tacitus Double Denarius which was identified by a fellow roman coin enjoyer in a forum that I posted to. Below…
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Cleaning a Sestertius of Emperor Marcus Aurelius
The sestertius as I purchased it I found this coin for sale on a bidding website. I purchased it for the higher price of 116 CAD or 80 Euro. I believe I was the only bidder. Even at minimum bid, this is about or around retail price for a piece in this condition (lots of…
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Process of cleaning ancient coin (Case Study)
1. Acquire some dirty coins Find a dealer that provides dirty coins. There are many categories of uncleaned ancient bronze coins 2. Image and Identify coin as best as you can before cleaning Taking Photos Taking good before photos is important in the process. It allows for you to later see before and after comparison.…
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What tools should you use?
Let’s cover the basics. Distilled Water Distilled water is great and safe for soaking ancient bronze coins. Most crusty ancient coins should soak in a glass jar for weeks if not months before you try to mechanically remove anything. Patience is key. The coin spent a millennia entombed in dirt. Give a few weeks in…
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Buying a Stereo Microscope
This will be a blog on the decision making process on buying an stereo microscope When Getting a Microscope here is my “Buying Guide” Almost all consumer Microscopes are White labelled (all made in the same factory and effectively drop shipped in Americas) from China so I won’t bother giving you a “brand” specifically for…