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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 25483088, member: 110226&quot;]Oxidation happens to all metals, with the exception of gold.&nbsp; Yes, there are chemicals that remove oxidation, but the fact is that copper, the main element in Roman bronze coins, is a very reactive metal, so a coin will darken naturally over time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Smoothing/tooling is a mechanical process that alters the surface fields and devices through the use of usually a metal hand tool, such as a dental probe or scraper.&nbsp; Use of such a tool in smoothing almost invariably leaves telltale lateral marks in the field, where the pressure creates shallow groves or depressions.&nbsp; In the case of tooling, which I define as an intentional attempt to enhance a feature, such as hair, the result can be very obvious, with a hair line and other detail being too bold and not as one would expect from the minting of a coin and its subsequent handling or deposition in a hoard.</p><p><br /></p><p>I see neither obvious smoothing or tooling on your coin. Others might have different opinions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Patina is a general reference given to ancient bronze and sometimes even silver coins.&nbsp; Patina can come in a variety of colors and in the case of bronze coins mainly brown, yellow, green, blue and combinations and shades thereof. It can also be smooth, earthen, patchy or rough and uneven. Patina also refers to the surface characteristics of the coin that has accumulated over time.&nbsp; In the case of your coin, I&#039;d say that it has brown patina with green earthen highlights, again based on the photos. Patina can look different with the coin in hand. In ten or twenty years it might become a darker brown.&nbsp; Everything is in a constant state of change, and ancients are not excluded from this process.</p><p><br /></p><p>You have a really nice coin in my estimation.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Hope this helps.&nbsp; Congrats![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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