Does this need cleaning? I can't tell :/ I'm new!

Ancient coins with a sand

Honest answer (quoting Doug @GDJMSP ) there is nothing wrong with "cleaning" but not "Harsh cleaning". In general any wiping on modern coins will leave hairlines that most find objectionable.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Looks great to me

 

Ancient coins with a sand patina should be evaluated to see 1) is there enough left of the design and legends to identify it and 2) would it benefit from some gentle brushing/soaking to reveal more details. Just be careful, cleaning can never be reversed (legitimately)

 

Good answer

 

Depends on the dealer. A good dealer knows enough to leave it be

 

I like the way the details stand out on OP’s coin. If you take all the sandy look away it just might distract the details. Do I make sense?

 

I like the way coins look Not the value. Says the poor girl

 

Legitimate sand/desert patinas should be left alone. You will find dealers that apply paint or glue to create a "sand patina". It has already been mentioned that the patina is probably hiding fitted fields. The question I have is this. Is it ethical for dealers to apply a patina without disclosing it? You can find coins from dealers that will say repatinated.

 

No, but it’s done all the time.

- Broucheion

 

Yup, and I agree, as long as the "sand" doesn't obscure details.

 

I was addressing the OPs noob status as he asked for advice.

 

Great question. Cleaning coins removes the natural luster of the metal. If you take a silver dollar and slowly move it parallel to a light source, you'll see a kind of cartwheel effect rotate as you turn. This is severely diminished or even eliminated when the coin is cleaned.
https://www.google.com/search?sca_e...ate=ive&vld=cid:8258bcbb,vid:jJf9GMDmRKM,st:0

 

Yes, he asked for advice about an ancient coin and you were talking about modern coins. Wrong board...and I see you just followed up talking about a silver dollar. What we have here is a failure to communicate.

 

Personally I have never seen the attraction of a coin obscured by a layer of clay.
But anyway, if desired the clay can be removed by soaking in a weak acid like vinegar, plus a bit of rubbing and scraping with plastic needles or similar.
However underlying a desert patina you will (normally) find a hard black oxidised surface, which really isn't much more attractive, so I simply don't collect such coins in the first place.

Nemo