Hadrian out of the acetone

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Strizzle, Jun 19, 2021.

  1. Strizzle

    Strizzle New Member

    I soaked it as suggested and the gunk came off pretty well, but left some green discoloration behind. I can't pinpoint the exact RIC # as there are so many varieties of these. It appears close to the below, but each one has subtle differences.

    RIC II.3# 859
    RIC II.3# 3072

    I also got a USB microscope for better pictures :)
     

    Attached Files:

    Marsyas Mike likes this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    Good man. Try leaving it in longer. The green will come off with enough time.
     
  4. Strizzle

    Strizzle New Member

    I'm fairly certain that is Annona holding a reaping hook on the reverse.
     
  5. Strizzle

    Strizzle New Member

    I left it in for 4 days already!
     
  6. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    Ouch. You could try sodium thiosulfate; that's usually good for horn silver and iron oxide, but might be worth a shot here.
     
    Strizzle likes this.
  7. Strizzle

    Strizzle New Member

    I'll revisit in time as I learn more. For now, I carded it for safe storage. I've been moving everything in this collection into newly bought cards that are PVC free since everything has sat for over 60 years.
     
  8. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    Sodium thiosulfate is pretty effective for silver coins as it tends not to damage the surfaces at all.

    IMG_E9246.JPG
    Trajan AR Drachm Syd Bostra 385.jpeg

    This one is low-grade billon silver, but the point stands.
    IMG_E9975.JPG
    IMG_0354.jpeg
     
    Bing and Strizzle like this.
  9. Strizzle

    Strizzle New Member

  10. Roerbakmix

    Roerbakmix Well-Known Member

    I fail to see why sodium thiosulphate should work? It’s not a magic bullet - it dissolves silver chloride and bromide, but that’s about it. Note that coins that are pitted due to corrosion, and then covered by AgCl will not be better of with this treatment either.

    That being said: I would soak this coin in synthetic citric acid, dissolved in distilled water, heated to boiling point.
     
    hotwheelsearl likes this.
  11. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    When I use citric acid, it tends to leave a rather dull gray surface. Maybe I’m doing it wrong
     
  12. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    I also fail to see why sodium thiosulfate should work against iron oxides, but in all my experiments it has been the one thing that works against rust. I don't know why, as the chemistry doesn't point to thiosulfate being effective against it!
     
  13. Thelivinglady

    Thelivinglady Member

  14. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    I get it from eBay. It's like $8 for a small bottle, pretty cheap. Works wonders for silver coins!
     
  15. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

  16. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    I just learned this, but NaSO is really good for treating cyanide poison. In case you eat too many almonds
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page