hi im new. i need help on what to get to clean some uncleaned ancient coins. i heard a brass brush is good but i wanted to know many peoples opinions. i also wanted to know if anyone here knows any good sellers of ancient uncleaned coins. thanks new
Hi Cleaning of Roman coins can be very time consuming - often taking weeks or months. Soaking in distilled water is a good method to loosen-up the "crust". Olive oil also works good, although it tends to darken the coin. Just soak the coins for a week or longer...remove them and brush with a stiff bristled nylon brush. Brass is ok, but even though brass is softer than bronze, you can still damage the coin if you use it too much. The most important thing to remember is not to clean more than necessary, and don't rush things- be patient! Once you are able to attribute the coin - you may want to stop. The "patina" (brown or green coloring) is very important to preserve to increase the value of the coin. A nice shiny bronze Roman coin may look nice, but it is not worth much. Dennis
Yes afvetroman61 has it down. I'll tell you first hand what happens with what method and show you some scans of some of my successes and some not so good results(mostly not so good heh) tomorrow when I get home as I am pretty tired right now.
