I picked up this Caracalla denarius at the Marietta show last week. At the time I didn’t even entertain the thought of cleaning it because I never have before, but after getting it home I thought it might be worth the effort. I really just wanted to remove some of that darker tone that normally I enjoy but this seemed to detract from the coin, in my opinion. I just used the aluminum foil with baking soda and hot water method. No harsh scrubbing. No scrubbing at all for that matter. After a few times of adding more soda and hot water I dipped in distilled water and gently massaged with thumb and forefinger. I think it was a net gain for the obverse. Not much reverse change. Caracalla 198-217 AR Denarius 18mm 2.9g Rome Mint 213 ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT laureate head right/ PROVIDENTIAE DEORVM Providentia standing left, holding wand over globe and sceptre RIC 227, SEAR 6879 Please share any coins you’ve tidied up a bit.
From your pictures, I agree that you did an excellent job. Turned out to be worth the risk. The obverse now seems to match and fit with the reverse in a much more harmonious way. Congrats.
Thanks everyone. I was a bit nervous about the attempt, but glad it was so easy and not abrasive to the coin.
