Many coins on the market have been "repatinated" in one way or another. Here is a coin I bought recently that I like a lot, but the surface is modern, not old: I created a web page which is intended to teach about coins with altered surfaces: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/numis/surfaces.html I consulted with several experts and when there differing opinions about a particular example, I included all the opinions. If you think the coins you buy came out of the ground with their current surface and color, you might be right. However, a remarkably large percentage of nice ancient coins have had their surface selected in modern times by whomever cleaned them. Take a look at that page and learn a bit about surfaces. I welcome observations about coins on that page. If you think you have something to say about a particular coin, please private-message me and I might include your observation on the page. Web pages are easy to revise. Again, the page is: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/numis/surfaces.html
Personally I dislike heavy smoothing and any painted patina. Obviously tooling destroys the coin in my opinion. If the coin changes color with chemical cleaning, I'm not going to mind as much as long as it stops there. 15 threw me for a second, but I can't see the surface flaking off and the brown surfaces looked applied. Good post.
Thank you for the time and thought you invested in this post. It is highly instructive, and geared to make one think through their own beliefs, aesthetic preferences, and tolerances of acceptability for their collection. As for me, I'm a willing subscriber to the bottom-line tenets of your heretical sect. So, sign me up! (Unless annual dues are required.) ;-)
