So I ordered this coin of Antiochus VIII. In my opinion I like the dark hoard patina and the irregular deposits which also gave me the opportunity to get it apparently in a very good price, as it is in in very nice condition and also nicely centered. If I though, in a parallel universe, wanted to clean it, how could I do it. Also I wanted some opinions from you people on if you like it how it is.
I can’t give you great cleaning tips… but I will give you my opinion. If you want to see this coin type shinny and silver, there’s no shortages of those coins to view and purchase online. I think a coin making it’s way to a collector like this is special. I wouldn’t touch it, it’s perfect. You can’t undo the removal of 2000 years of awesome patina! A lower cost example is this Gordian III. There are tons of these out there all cleaned up but I think it’s better and probably more rare like this… I love it.
I'm with Orange Julius, Its perfect, leave it as it is imho. I'm happy with this one, cleaning it would be a sin:
I'd be inclined to keep the coin as-is. The surfaces are slightly porous, and the patina covers some of that porosity, as well as provide contrast. Any effort to remove some of that patina will make the porosity more apparent and reduce the contrasts between the legend, the design elements and the fields. That's a nice tetradrachm with original hoard patina which in my view makes it quite desirable, compared to the masses of cleaned and over-cleaned coins on the market these days.
I would in truth leave it alone. The coin looks fine as it is and to attempt to clean it might result in a coin that is much less visually appealing than that one already is. I would be very cautious because those black areas circled in red and labeled as 1 would be very difficult to remove and so doing so would destroy the rather nice toning seen on the rest of the coin. There are some other areas which may also prove to be intractable. I have not bought coins for a number of years that would require such a major cleaning as you appear to want to undertake. The key to cleaning any coin is 1. Do not do it 2, If you must. Do not rush it. 3. The most important KNOW WHEN TO QUIT My coin with a similar surface, I have never touched it Too dangerous and too little return Antiochos VIII Gryphos Ar Tetradrachm Antioch 100-96 BC Obv. Head right diademed Rv.Zeus Nikephoros seated left SC 2309(2)8 HGC 1197e 16.28 grms 25 mm
I think if you were to clean this coin you would accentuate the differences in the toned areas instead of the smoother transition between dark and lighter areas. To me , the coin looks really handsome. I look for nicely toned coins like you found here. I would not touch it.
I wouldn't clean it. Toning adds to a coin's beauty and overall appeal. Cleaning it will not add any value. And coins condemned as "overcleaned" don't do so well in auctions.
I think a very gentle cleaning only in the selected areas could add eye appeal to this already beautiful coin and allow a more even toning in the future. I would put some disodic EDTA crystals on the darker areas and add a few drops of distilled water on them; wait some minute and rinse in distilled water. Repeat until the toning appears uniform and the rust spots are dissolved. In this way the chemical reaction between EDTA and silver sulphide can be easily controlled. Of course, no rush and let the coin dry to evaluate the result of each step. It could take weeks but the risk of overcleaning is almost zero
I interpreted the question as a what-if scenario.. not that OP actually wanted to do it. I generally don't clean my coins but I did have one denarius that was like a piss yellow... I used vinegar and am pretty happy with the result. But yeah I wouldn't personally touch that beauty you have.
So did I, and gave a tip from my personal experience for the parallel universe in which one decides a cleaning is needed
