I recently bought a silvered AE1 Galerius follis from an auction and realized it has several powdery light grayish-green patches on it that I could remove with a wooden toothpick. There were no pits or holes underneath the patches after they were removed. You can see the patches best above the second 'M' in MAXIMIANVS, above the 'E' in GENIO, and on the Genius' abs in the pre-cleaning picture below. There were several harder dark green specks on the coin's reverse and the Genius' right arm that I am less worried about. From this picture do y'all believe that any of these spots are likely to be bronze disease?
I can't tell from the pictures, but from you description of the spots before removal I would see yes! Powdery, light greenish, and easy to remove = BAD Such a great looking coin! Don't let the BD get it!
What is the best ways to treat bronze disease that would be friendly to a silvered coin if this happens to be bronze disease?
AFAIK, the least harmful and easiest of all verdigris treatments is good old VerdiCare from our own @BadThad who compounded it.
Try acetone first as it will do no harm to the coin. If it remains, moisture in its environment must be minimized. Thad's compounds won't hurt, so it is worth a try. If you are not one to caress and talk to your coin, I would put it into a well sealed holder after the acetone rinse. I use mylar 2x2 and heat seal the opening. It should be good for a lifetime. If you are the opposite coin personality, if the before mentioned didn't do anything, enjoy it until it is too bad, and trade it in for a cleaner model. Sometimes no chemicals can maintain life. Jim
From the photo there is nothing to indicate BD. From just the photo alone I would not touch it in any way. Messing with coins assuming there is something where nothing exists will only lead to damage.
