Choice "desert patina" on Constantine AE

As you may have noticed, the so-called "desert patina" is one of the trickiest patinas to deal with. Here is a coin that I think shows how it should look on a coin to enhance the overall appearence of the coin instead of obscuring devices as it usually does.
Coin and picture from a dutch dealer:


CONSTANTINE I AE3 19mm 2.73g Follis/Nummus (VF, patina, choice)

AV: CONSTANTI - NVS MAX AVG; rosette diademed head r.

REV: LIBERT - A - S PVBLICA; Victory standing l. In galley, wreath in both hands; E in left field

EXE: CONS, Constantinople mint.

REF: RIC VII Constantinople 25, rated - S (one of the types in the so called "consecration of Constantinople" series) 327-328AD.

 

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Great addition, seth ... congrats

Oh, and I totally agree that your OP coin has fantastic eye-appeal ...



However, I am a bit gun-shy at times to purchase too many of these glitzy examples, for I hear that it is fairly easy to glue-on a bit of desert-patina to enhance the overall eye-appeal (and that scares me a tad)



... but I guess as always, the smartest way around that problem is to only buy from respectable and knowledgeable dealers, right?

=> Great coin!! (I love it)

 

Hm, good point. I have seen fakes being covered with dirt that was glued to the surface, so I think it's possible to fake this soft sandy patina also. What might be an antidote against being fooled by such fakes is observing as many desert patina as possible.

 

Very nice looking coin with a very interesting reverse. I need one like that.

I'm gun shy as well since I have no idea how to tell the difference. Perhaps someone can enlighten the rest of us. In the meantime, here is a coin I purchased years ago with desert patina (I think):

CONSTANTINE I
AE4
OBVERSE: DV CONSTANTI-NVS PT AVGG, veiled head right
REVERSE: No legend, emperor veiled to right in quadriga, the hand of God reaches down to him, star in top centre
Struck at Constantinople, 337-340 AD
1.39g, 16mm
RIC VIII 39

 

I don't see any reason to suspect fake desert patina on your coin either, @Bing
It wouldn't make economic sense in going through such a laborious process to fake a patina on a rather common coin.

 

I do not see anything suspicious either. However, its extremely easy to take a coin and apply a "desert patina". I won't go into it online, but I read once how they do it. Don't worry, though, its a very common patina that is not adding value per se for a coin. A beautiful green or the rare blue is a patina to examine to make sure its real, since just the patina adds value to a coin in that case. Some people like desert patinas, but some don't. I do not think most coins sell for any more with them versus simply cleaned.

The nice thing about a desert patina is how easy the coin is to clean. I have taken coins from the soil, soaked then in water for a couple of days, then let them semi dry. Buff on a soft towel, adding a touch of water to the high points at times, and you have a "cleaned" desert patina coin if the coin was found in this type of soil.

 

The desert patina really enhances the coin. Great addition Seth

 

I am far from expert in separating real from fake in desert patinas but one category I consider fake is a coin that has surface roughness with the sand filling in the low spots filling in the roughness. Sand should fill fine lines and details created by striking but not pitting resulting from corrosion removal. I suppose it would be possible for these to be OK if the coin were lost and corroded but then found again in antiquity before being deposited the final time after which the sand surface formed. I believe both the coins shown above are OK.

 

I never thought about that. Could it be possible that a coin was subjected to corrosive force in the ground, say from 800-1000AD, then the ground changed and the sand then adhered to the resulting coin? Just wondering out loud.

 

Very nice @seth77

I'll admit that I'm shy about desert patina as well after reading a website posted to another topic about how people were faking them on Judean coins.

 

Nice looking piece Seth! The "Patina's"not distracting to me much.....

 

I like the look if these "desert" coins and I have many and continue to buy some even though TIF has convinced me some are attributable to Max Factor or Cover Girl

 

So we return to the question of the ages: If you put lipstick on a pig, does it ruin the bacon? The market suggests that there are more people who like meat with preservatives than Vegans. If this were not also true with coins, people would not spend so much effort doctoring them up.

 

Well, I guess I'll never really know the truth, but I sure like to think that my coins and their patinas are authentic (otherwise, this coin-thingy ain't that fun)

 

Here is an actual example of how thick sand patina obscures details:

 

A couple of things people should know about "sand patina":

1. Its not a patina, its dirt.
2. Since its dirt, its hiding stuff, but the good thing is its always removable. Some sellers simply leave it this way since its easier for them to not clean it, and some buyers like the look. However, it is removable as little or as much as you want. I have taken some sandy patina coins and completely removed the dirt, since the real patina underneath was more attractive to me.

 

Here are some of my desert dawgs ...

 

=> "Just a 3 dressed-up as a 9"

 

I feel the desert patina on this coin of Constantine, struck in London, is real. What do you say, please ?

 

No idea but it didn't pick it up in London