did i just destroy the patina on my eoman coin?!?

did i? i started cleaning them, after a while, this:
did i? i started cleaning them, after a while, this:

 

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Dang, you took the gilt right off of it. What did you use, gasoline?

 

Ayup.

 

holy crap, i did? man, all i did was use sharp pointy things.

 

Soak them in olive oil for a month or two, then use a soft toothbrush with some soap and water.

 

A MONTH OR TWO! WHAT! NO WAY MAN!
maby i'll try it.
edit: do you mean the coins pictured above?

 

I think he means from now on use olive oil on future uncleaned coins that you purchase.

If you want to darken those OP coins up a bit, you can soak in a non-acidic oil for a couple of weeks, it may also add a layer of protection to the metal.

When you use olive oil to clean coins, it will darken the patina some. Some people prefer to use distilled water for the initial cleaning and then use toothpicks and sometimes tools like needles and dental picks.

Yes, a month or two. The slower the better. It pays to have patience when cleaning ancient coins. They were in the ground for more than a thousand years in most cases. A month or two is relatively quick in comparison.

 

Yeah, you can also use a darkener for those coins. I don't have any experience with using that though.

 

"NO WAY MAN!"...ancient coins require patience. I have soaked ancient coins for far longer than that before. You have taken the patina clean off of those coins. They will now be prone to oxidation flare-ups and corrosion because their protective "seal" is gone. I have damaged more ancient coins than I would like to admit to myself and my conclusion from doing so is that cleaning them is best left to the professionals who know what they're doing.

 

here are the tools i used:
i used this one the most:

 

you mean you didn't soak them in anything? you just did mechanical cleaning with those picks?

 

yes. is that bad?

 

Yes, that's bad.

 

how bad?
if veery bad then at leeast they wereent rare.
this is what my other coins look like as they soak.

 

Yes, that's very bad. But, that's how we learn.

 

at least it was on only two coins.

 

True. I'm not an expert in ancients but my understanding is those are not rare. So, consider it tuition for your coin education.

That said, it looks like you used a dental scalier on them. Is that what that tool is (photo is blurry)?

 

thy're some sort of thin sharp tool, i think to work on things in tight areas, like cutting wires.

 

Let them soak - the gentle acids in the oil loosen the dirt. Then they can be cleaned off with soft tools - no need for the harsh dental equipment.

 

k, there are two coins in there there that ring when dropped.