All Hadrian provincials coins

EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian Drachm 132-33 AD Serapis bust Eagle standing
Reference.
Emmett 1026.17; Milne 1370

Obv. AVTKAICTPAIAN AΔPIANOCCEB
Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right, seen from behind.

Rev. L-IZ
Draped bust of Serapis right, wearing calathus, supported on wings of eagle standing on palm facing, head left.

23.64 gr

 

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Wow, really like the color of that Hadrian Oki.

 

It's a beautiful coin but I'm almost certain that desert patina is fake. It's too uniform in color, and it just happens to sit exactly where it needs to, to contrast the devices perfectly.

That's not a criticism, mind you. I've got a handful of coins just like it. It seems most everything coming out of the Levant these days has been doctored with "new" dirt. If you want certain types, you just have to accept it.

 

Hi John,

thank you i appreciate your comment, auction via HA, how about this coin?
also via HA

 

this one is on sale right now, looks like same seller

 

Yup, he's tooled and repatinated them all, or somebody has. See this site for more information...

http://www.fontanillecoins.com/tooling.htm

 

Asklepios also repainted?
tooled?

 

Reverse looks tooled and repatinated, obverse maybe just cleaned and repatinated. The author of the site I linked says cleaning and repatination are acceptable, tooling and painting are not. I suppose it depends on your personal tastes. I've come to be very careful, some would say paranoid, about coins with desert patinas.

 

i will want a refund on both coins.
i will mail them.
no tooling for me.

 

Yeah, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but if more of us reject these coins, perhaps we can put an end to the violence. Compare the three HA coins to the coin from Ako-Ptolemais. That one has original surfaces - it was only lightly cleaned, if it needed cleaning at all. The HA coins show tooling and repatination.

 

on the phone now

 

Hey Oki, were they graded when you bought them from HA or were they raw?

 

Underlying darker green patina with dusty orange and sage highlights. Very Fine.

Pine green patina with dusty orange highlights. Good Very Fine

 

Humph, hope you get the full refund...

 

If you don't mind that sort of doctoring, the coins end up having a lot of eye appeal, at first. The problem is, the tooling typically removes the patina, exposing the raw bronze to the elements. Covering it with new dirt will do nothing to prevent bronze disease from taking hold in the areas where the patina was removed.

So it's entirely possible that, given enough time, your stunning desert patina coin turns into a leprous green mess.

 

*rats*

Yah, I'm never sure if JA is actually correct, but he's correct enough of the time ...



=> it's definitely worth raising a "flag" to the auction-house (who is HA?)

Oh, sorry to pound sand, but I have a cool A-Pius example to toss into your amazing thread...

 

Hi my coinfriend
It Heritage auctions i was on the phone with them
They will look into it

 

Sometimes it's hard to tell. If there's no tooling and a bit of repatination, the coin can look quite natural. But these are blatant. They've been gouged out with a drill and plastered with modeling sand, probably held together with an epoxy glue.

 

CAPPADOCIA, Caesaraea-Eusebia. Hadrian Hemirachm 121-22 AD Nike
Reference.
Metcalf 86b; Sydenham 260; SNG von Aulock 6414

Obv. AVTO KAIC TRAI ADPIANOC CEBACT
Laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder.

Rev. ετε
Nike advancing right, holding wreath and palm.

2.02 gr
13 mm
1h.

 

Never skip a beat, eh my coin-friend? => I'm glad to see you buying-up more sweet examples!!

Cheers, Oki