I've been reading about the various patinas bronze coins can have, both natural and artificial, and a I would like opinions about the coin below. I've had this coin for several years now, sitting in an obscure corner of a cabinet. It is a sestertius of Caracalla, one depicting Asclepius and the serpent on the reverse. This coin has a surface of medium dark bronze and very dark brown, with the black areas showing corrosion. I don't see any signs of cleaning marks, but it might have been cleaned chemically. So, the question that I have is whether the patina would be considered "Tiber" with corrosion, or would it be considered a corroded coin that has been cleaned at some point and is starting to tone to darker shades? This coin weighs 20.0 grams Overall the strike is good. 28 mm., 2 h.
It doesn’t look like a Tiber patina to me. Tiber patina is orange-golden coloured, and shows particular marks similar to carved signs, like this
'Tiber Patina' is one of those numismatic terms not to be taken too seriously. What happens to a coin that spent a long time in muddy water does not mean it was in any particular river. I would not use the term for the Caracalla but would for the Titus even though I might prefer 'river coin'. 'Tiber Patina' does sound better than 'no patina' however that state of smooth color was achieved.
Thank you all for your help. It seems that "Tiber" patina like many other descriptions applied to coins is, to a degree, subjective. I hold no illusions about this particular coin. It has a nice strike and very good detail, but it is corroded, but not to the point of total oblivion. To me a coin must stand on its merits, and all the words and embellishments about a coins condition do not change the coin's desirability or lack of desirability based on the final question: does that coin appeal to me?
Laureate cuirassed r, with three obv. dies, is the scarcer of the two bust types for sestertii of this type. The commoner bust type, represented by nine obv. dies among my plaster casts, is Laureate, draped, cuirassed r.