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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Marsyas Mike, post: 24630965, member: 85693&quot;]It looks fine to me - what happened, I think, is that it was over-enthusiastically cleaned, stripping away most of the patina/toning.&nbsp; These were made of brass (the Romans called it orichalcum, so the color on the OP is correct, as far as I can tell.&nbsp; Here is Wikipedia on the topic:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;The brass sestertius typically weighs in the region of 25 to 28 grams, is around 32–34 mm in diameter and about 4 mm thick. The distinction between bronze and brass was important to the Romans. Their name for brass was <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orichalcum" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orichalcum" rel="nofollow">orichalcum</a></i>, also spelled <i>aurichalcum</i> (echoing the word for a gold coin, aureus), meaning &#039;gold-copper&#039;, because of its shiny, gold-like appearance when the coins were newly struck (see, for example <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder" rel="nofollow">Pliny the Elder</a> in his <i>Natural History</i> Book 34.4).&quot; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sestertius" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sestertius" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sestertius</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Below is a batch of sestertii in my collection.&nbsp; On the left, a yellow Domitian cleaned down to the metal, much like the OP, with a few stray blotches of patina (it was brown at one time).&nbsp; The Hadrian in the middle is toned, but no patina, I think; you can still see it is brassy.&nbsp; On the right, a green patina on Gordian III.&nbsp; All made of basically the same metal (although the later ones were more coppery and less brassy - impossible to see on the Gordian because of the patina).&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>A lot of collectors don&#039;t like the overly-cleaned ones, but it does not really bother me (though I prefer patina).&nbsp; I would gladly add the OP to my collection (if the price is right) - it is well struck, with a great portrait and great centering.&nbsp; Hope that helps!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1566812[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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