Hey guys.. Im new to the collecting of ancients, however, im already becming frustrated by the majority of sellers that i buy from. Ive done my best to research the sellers i buy from, and they all seem to be gr8, however, i feel like they are constantly advertising falsely, just to turn a profit. I have never found a lot of ancients to be truly unsearched. uncleaned, yes, but any idiot can see the relative value of an ancient without cleaning it. Even when ive bought so-called premium ones, they still fell short, and you can forget about finding silver, or gold. I understand theyre inert metals, but some have to slip by, right? Is theyre really anyway to buy a lot of ancients, sealed by the excavators, without another going through them?, or do i have to travel to europe, with a metal detector in hand, to find anything worthwhile? Sincerely frustrated numismatist!!!!
there is no way...sorry. They will always be the bottom of the horde, no gold ever. Gold shines like the sun in a lot of buried coins...there is little chance one would not be found before it is sent to you. Silver is highly unlikely as well. There are a few dealers that still have DECENT uncleaned but they will always be scraps.
If you want ancients then try this guy in Canada :hug: http://www.vcoins.com/ancient/ancientcoinscanada/store/dynamicIndex.asp He is also on ebay and I can honestly say I have had some lovely stuff from him
First thing you have to do if you're buying uncleaned coins is to dispel the myth that you'll make a profit. Unless you buy them directly from the guys who dig them, that will most definitely not happen. Even if you do manage to get them direct, don't expect to find any gold or any valuable silver. If you're looking for low to mid-grade specimens of common coins, then go for it. If not, I'd advise you to buy pre-cleaned.
I highly recommend them, I have bought some nice uncleaned from him...and not just constantine and his brood. But still like said above. Mid to low grade LRB. But he also sells cleaned coins at pretty good prices and once in awhile will have a real gem, I bought this from him for relatively cheap: Probably the only precleaned coin I have purchased from him.
I have not bought any Roman or Greek but I do have quite a few of his Indian cleaned and uncleaned and I have to say I have been very impressed with what I have bought :kewl: Ps that realy is a beauty
I was very pleased with Promeneta 2 to 3 years ago. Back then they were selling for about a buck or so a coin. Tried buying from them this year and they were so so. The best chance at finding something good are the ones completely covered in gunk. Here's a group from several different batches that didn't make the slug jugg after cleaning. Yes, I went overboard on a few.
Tnx alot guys for the advice. ill try that guy in canada, and go from there. Happy hunting. and good luck!!!!
You did go a bit overboard on a few of those, looks like you might have used vinegar on a few maybe? That looks to be a nice stack though I know what you mean about the slug jug though...I have probably a few hundred or more sitting in slug jugs...most arent quite slugs as much as they are just in very very bad shape.
Drusus, Vinegar would have taken too much time. I knew nothing about coins let alone cleaning ancients back then. From the ground in Serbia they went straight to a jar of tarnx and then a wire brush. This one is my all time favorite. Of course I thought it was gold and that's when I learned about orchicalcum. Elagabalus
orchicalcum? Is that a brass alloy? Ill google it and see. I know the miliarense was eventually debased to a copper coin with a thin silver wash. Is it gold plated?
Orichalcum is a brass alloy that, during the early Roman empire, was valued at twice that of copper The miliarensis was one of the larger silver coins issued during the Constantinian dynasty. We do not know the names for the bronze denominations, so we simply call them AE1-4. However, it is likely that the largest AE2 bronze coin, first issued in 354 by Constantius II, was known as a cententionalis. The coin you're thinking of is the follis, first issued under Diocletian and debased to only a quarter of its original size by 320 AD. By the way, the name follis is a conjecture too, from the Latin word for bag because it would take a bag of them to purchase a solidus. Don't worry too much about those provincials. I've seen a lot of them overcleaned in the same manner. Try using some darkeners to repatinate them.
mix viniger with salt and flour, make a paste, soak your coin in that then scrub and it will strip a coin to the pink copper in no time
sal, flour, and viengar? Would you soak the coin in that paste for a similar amount of time, as say, An olive oil concoction, or just a vinegar solution?
Rlynaugh, Don't use my coins or post as an example of how to clean ancient coins. The idea is to clean the dirt off but leave the patina. This can take some time. Soap and water. olive oil soak. and a tooth brush work good. Be patient. Have fun good luck!
