HI, I have read about "verdigris" but not sure that what I am seeing is that or something weird. . I obtained about 6 Ancient uncleaned coins back in march. I immediately put them all in a bath of distilled water and left them until now. Some of the coins have hundreds of tiny green dots all over them. . I purchased some Acetone but one post suggested Acetone will not get rid of "verdigris" if that is what these are. Any suggestions appreciated.
Try using the search function for threads with "Bronze Disease" in the title. There are a lot of threads on this subject with great advice. Hope you get the assistance you need!
Sometimes green specs are not bronze disease. This stuff is very hard and appears to be stable (ask me in 1000 years to be sure ): Constantius I Chlorus as Aug. (struck by Maximinus Daia) Æ Post-reform radiate (305-306 A.D.) Alexandria IMP C CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, Radiate, draped, cuir. bust rt. / CONCORDIA MILITVM, Constantius r. receiving Victory from Jupiter l., Δ /ALE. RIC VI Alexandria 59a. (3.68 grams / 20 mm)
Usually people completely clean coins before worrying about verdigris. You have a lot more soaking and brushing before you have to worry. Search CT for verdigris
Look closely at the coin posted by Marsyas Mike. The green spots are raised and rounded hard little pellets. These will not damage the coin or grow larger now that the coin has been removed from the soil. Compare the Silver Eagle photo with bluish green spots that appear recessed into the surface of the coin. If this is bronze disease, you might dislodge the green into a powder by pushing it with a toothpick. Left alone, the green could continue to eat deeper into the surface of the coin until it runs out of metal. This can be speeded up by keeping the coin in high humidity and slowed down by baking the coin in a slow oven to drive out the moisture but sooner or later the coin will need serious treatment or just be thrown out. Clavdivs is correct about searching for instructions but, in all honesty, coins like the pair in the upper left are probably not worth the effort. Don't buy $10 worth of medicine to cure a coin worth ten cents. The most certain way to tell bronze disease from 'healthy' corrosion is to look at the coin regularly. If the green grows, you need to act. If the green stays the same for month after month and year after year, you can check it less frequently. Some people call 'bronze disease' 'coin cancer'. Wile neither is a technically correct metallurgical description of what is happening, like cancer, no coin is ever fully cured but only 'in remission' and best given a regular checkup to see if the green has returned. I have a couple coins separated from the rest of my collection that have not shown a problem for several years now BUT I still look at them every once in a while just to be safe. If the green spots are hard and stable, you might remove them but find that the spots under them are uglier than the spots were. I suggest leaving well enough alone unless you decide that you would rather destroy the coin than live with it. If the spots are 'active', you really don't have much a choice. Good luck.
Thanks Doug, your reply is both enlightening and comforting. You are correct, it is probably not worth trying to clean any further.
