I posted this back in February when I found it, but have a question. This coin is listed on Wildwinds as seen below. My question - should I do anything regarding preservation of this coin. It was amazing just to find one qualified to be added and posted as R4. I don't want it to deteriorate due to some lack of attempt on my part. Thanks for any help. Constantius II, AE follis, Cyzicus. AD 335-336. FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS, two soldiers holding spears and shields with two standards between them. Mintmark star SMKA. RIC VII Cyzicus 113 var (officina); notinric 7cyz113. Rated R4. Contributed by David Zachmeyer, Feb. 2020
The "classic" way would be with Ren Wax but I'm not sure that's any better than just putting it in a flip or a capsule. I've been experimenting with linseed oil which hardens to a plastic.
Sulfur will not hurt bronze coins. It will cause silver to tone over time. You do not need Renwax or any preservative. It has already survived over 1600 years without it, and in much harsher conditions that you are likely to subject it to. (I hope!) Your coin is in nice shape, but it is not pristine, and it is common. Anything short of burying it in the back yard is probably fine. If you think you will want to handle it frequently--which won't hurt it--use a plastic or mylar flip. If you plan to just look at it and don't need to hold it, use a 2x2 plastic mylar holder. That will prevent the coin from accidentally falling out of its flip.
That is correct. Don't do anything to it at all. Every ancient coin is interesting to some extent, but that one is in no way worthy of extraordinary treatment. Put it in a tray, flip, or paper envelope--whatever you would do with any other ancient coin--it doesn't matter.
"...but that one is in no way worthy of extraordinary treatment..." Doesn't the fact that it is posted on Wildwinds as an R4 make it a bit worthy of some preservation?
No. Zillions of coins are r4 or r5 or unlisted. It will be well-preserved if you do nothing to it. That volume of RIC has thousands of listings and people have been misinterpreting "r4" for decades. If is virtually meaningless for minor varieties of extremely common types. No experienced collector of that era would pay a premium for it. For all collecting purposes it is extremely common--one of the most common ancient coin types of all.
The R4 rating describes how many coins of that emperor with that reverse type from that specific workshop of that particular mint during that specific time period were found in major museum collections at the time that that volume of RIC was written. (Whew!) The irony is that since your coin is common, it is unlikely that museums would go out of their way to acquire a specimen with all those exact characteristics. Most museums would be perfectly happy to own a specimen with an SMKB or [dot]SMKA mint mark. That is why a coin like your,s with all those exact characteristics is rare in museum collections.
Yes. It is interesting. I did not mean to say it is not. I meant to say the interest is not in the fact that it is somehow "rare." Collectors who focus on US coins learn that rarity is very important for value. However, that lesson is for US coins and not for ancient coins--with some exceptions. For the difference between US-coin rarity and ancient-coin rarity, read this: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/numis/rarity.html Enjoy your coin. Read up a bit on Constantine and his sons. There is a lot to like about your coin.
Thanks. I'm 77 years old and not in this for profit. And I now understand how there can be some terminology issues between current and ancient. I only collect coins that I have personally cleaned and identified. Therefore, I want to know as much as I can and give myself an attaboy if I find something special. And, I do want to preserve and protect them. Thanks again for the feedback.
Your coin has a workshop that is not listed in RIC; which means it is unlisted, not an r4. It will always be unlisted in RIC (unless a new edition changes it), no matter how many turn up in the future.
When I read this, I was reminded of a picture that shows ancient Roman statues that was taken in the 1920's contrasted with a photo from the 1990's. Badly scarred and eaten away by acid rain. Wonder what the Elgin Marbles would look like if they weren't in the British Museum?
Fortunately, there weren't any marble coins. Or if there were, they've all been destroyed by acid rain without leaving a trace.
