Hello everyone May you tell me about meaning of european patina? I coud not find its meaning in dictionary
Patina is a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze or copper and similar metals through oxidation, it doesn`t matter what continent the process started its all the same
This is the only reference I could find relating to coins: "“European Patina” is just a polite way to describe a coin whose patina has been removed with lye." www.nobleromancoins.com/down.php?file=art.of.cleaning.coins.pdf
Yeah, I was scratching my head on that one too. Desert patina, Tiber patina, glossy green, etc I knew, never heard European.
There are three schools of thought on the proper definition: Conservative: A patina must form over time and protect the coin from further damage from other forces of corrosion. This patina can not be removed without ruining the coin and is not soluble in water or acetone. Liberal: Anything that has changed on the coin surface since minting is patina. That includes a coin whose 'Conservative' patina has been ruined. Commercial: Any way you can increase the sales price of a coin is worth inventing a term to sound good. Tiber Patina: An ancient coin (possibly found in a river) that has a yellow tone matching many coins found in the Tiber River in Rome. (This is toning, not a patina, to a Conservative.) Sand Patina: Caked dirt usually in the low areas makes pretty contrasting surfaces with the high points worn through to the metal or underlying real patina. Are the others?
Hard green patina. This fits all three of your schools of thought and is probably the most expensive ancient patina. Especially so it seems if on a sestertius. I love this patina above all others, but try to not pay too much for it. I would label toning, like US collectors use, as a patina as well since chemically it is a protective layer. Ancients are only "toned" this way if they have been stripped of their ancient patina typically, then retone.
