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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 7579763, member: 110226&quot;]Back in November 2018, I purchased an imitative owl from Ars Coins of Vienna, via MA Shops.&nbsp; The coin was described as a Pharaonic Kingdom imitation, I assume based on its weight.&nbsp; The style of this coin is very Athenian in nature.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s the description on MA Shops:</p><p><br /></p><p>Grade: XF </p><p>Catalog: Van Alfen, Mechanisms, Group III.A.1</p><p>Material: Silver</p><p>Weight: 14.79 g</p><p>Diameter: 22.50 mm</p><p>EGYPT, Pharaonic Kingdom. Uncertain pharaohs. 450-350 BC. AR Tetradrachm. 22.5 mm - 14.79 gr, 8h. Imitating Athens. O: Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye. R: Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent to left; all within incuse square. Van Alfen, Mechanisms, Group III.A.1, Fig. 1 = Buttrey Type B. XF</p><p><br /></p><p>And the photo:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1306365[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Last month I removed the coin from the safety flip.&nbsp; Upon examining the reverse I was a nice case of bronze disease setting in along the edge of the owl&#039;s wing, along with smaller patches near the leaves and head.&nbsp; I&#039;ve never seen light, green powdery buildups before on an assumed solid silver coin.&nbsp; I&#039;ve seen it occurring on billon coins and of course bronze and brass coins, but never on a supposedly solid silver coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, I cleaned the areas with distilled water and washing soda, letting the coin soak for several hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the coin now.&nbsp; The treatment did not affect the weight, at least based on my cheap scale, which registers the coin at 14.8 grams.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1306367[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>I think the coin has been neutralized chemically and the bronze disease is no more. The corrosion did cause some loss of the thin silver plating in adjacent areas.&nbsp; I do have the coin out for monitoring for the next several months.</p><p><br /></p><p>Normally I would have altered Ars Coins about this situation, but I have not, so far.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Given the style of this Owl, I think there&#039;s a pretty good chance that it is one of the official Athenian emergency Owls produced near the end of the Peloponnesian War, in 406/5 BC, based on the style and execution of the dies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Any thoughts?&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Are there other coins that you have that started out as one type but revealed their true identities years later?</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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