First purchased tetradrachm - now what?

My recent branch into ancient coins has lead me to some reading, browsing articles on Roman coinage, etc. I just threw out a bid, and 3 weeks later I won. Hasn't arrived at my house yet but very excited. Heres an ugly one for 'ya.

Just a couple questions to you smart friends on these forums

How concerned should I be about the corrosion? How likely is said corrosion to spread? Is there anything I can do?

Just a few more questions here:

Where should I catalogue these ancient coins online?
Right now I'm using Numista but taking a look around I couldn't track this coin down. Anyone able to take a better look than myself?

RX87821. Billon tetradrachm, Geissen 2633; Dattari-Savio 4807; Kampmann-Ganschow 72.49; BMC Alexandria p. 247, 1907; Emmett 3401.3, aVF, pitting, flan crack, potentially active corrosion, Alexandria mint, 11.708 grams, 25.0 mm, die axis 0o, 29 Aug 239 - 28 Aug 240 A.D.; obverse A K M ANT ΓOP∆IANOCEVCE, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse eagle standing left, head right, wreath in beak, wings closed, L - Γ (year 3) divided across field

Photo courtesy of Forumancientcoins.com

Thanks to everyone who has helped me learn about ancient coins!

 

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These base metal tets are prone to bronze disease, which is what yours has. There are many suggestions on treating it and I don't have them all bookmarked but a CT search of "bronze disease" will point you in the right direction.

There are a couple of online resources for investigating similar coins in catalogs. Dattari's catalog and plates are online but you may have difficulty with it if you don't read Italian (and Greek). Note that the original Dattari catalog is not the same thing as "Dattari-Savio", which is a more recent compilation of the Dattari collection which incorporates all of the originally cataloged coins plus thousands more. Dattari-Savio is not available as a fee online resource.

Dattari .pdf files:

Catalog

Plates

Also, BMC Alexandria is online in pdf.

 

Depending how much you paid for it and whether it was showing signs of bronze disease in the auction photos, I would consider sending this one back.

However, if you didn't pay a lot of money for it, curing this coin could be a good educational experience. It still has a serviceable portrait, and, even though the patina will need to be stripped to treat it, the coin will retone, and, hopefully, the disease will not reoccur. You will definitely want to look at it every couple of months or so for a while to make sure it's not coming back.

 

25 plus shipping here. Considering trying to treat.

 

Think it's worth treating..? Would be my first time. Definitely educational.

 

Use a toothpick to pry off any soft powdery green corrosion from the coin. If the green stuff is hard, it's ok and you shouldn't worry about it....only the soft powdery stuff is bad.

Then buy and apply this... and let the coin soak it up for about 24 hours max. Then dry the coin and let it sit separate from other coins for 3 months. If you see no further signs of the soft green stuff spreading, your coin is in remission and will probably be ok going forwards. Inspect at least once a year for recurrence of BD, but other than that you should be ok after treatment.

 

..i concur with Sallent( and if course, TIF)...get ahold of badthad here in CT and get a small bottle of it for around 10 bucks and start putting it on..i use it religiously... kool coin btw...

 

It needs to be treated. As far as "worth treating"? Personally I try to avoid buying coins with BD, especially common issues where the coin is replaceable, and would try and send it back if that's an option. If not, it would be a good learning experience since just about every bronze collector encounters it at some point.

 

I will totally find out once I receive the coin. Get that money back and put it back into another nice bronze coin.

 

I think at $25, it would be a cheap lesson. I would treat it and keep an eye on it over the next few months to a year.

 

I would treat it as well. It won't cost much and you will develop a skill that will unlock future buying opportunities. One man's "problem coin" is another's opportunity.

 

Evan, why burden yourself with coins that have problems like bronze disease in your early stage of collecting ? Antoniniani of Gordian III are common & you could pick up a problem free example for the same money in VF or better condition. Another area you could explore that is inexpensive & rewarding are the plated antoniniani from late 3rd century - 4th century, where bargains galore exist .

 

I fully understand that, but, why not try? It's already on its way, it wasn't bank-breaking, and I'll get experience. I'll document it through photos and videos to post on youtube and facebook.

 

I gave up my facebook account long ago but will look forward to seeing something on U tube. I did plenty of experimentation in my early years of collecting with little success , but wish you better results than I had .

 

If the coin is returnable, return it. Whatever you do to treat the coin will not restore the material lost and you do not know how deep it is below what you can see. If the green seems hard and stable there is no reason to return it or treat it. If the green is as it looks in the photo, you can do better with a healthy coin even if it costs more. Lately there have been quite a few Gordian III tets for sale. Most are considerably more than $25 but have more going for them if only no BD.
Two year six - Tyche
Serapis

Year seven eagle with wreath

 

One reason why I collect silver coins instead of bronze ones is because the area I live in constantly has a humidity of over 50%

 

I would do with the coin whatever you wish. Lots of good suggestions here but ultimately it is your coin now. I did have some success with verdicare on a follis of Galerius that I bought when I was about your age. I had the coin for 20 years before I treated it. But in that time (20 years) the dreaded bronze disease did not spread. I did however keep it away from my other bronze coins to reduce the risk of the disease migrating over. Good luck in the hobby and I wish you well.

 

You lose the postage cost both ways. For a $25 coin it isn't even remotely worthwhile to return for this reason alone.

However, if you need another reason not to return it, the BD is clearly shown in the photos. It would be dishonest to return it for BD after purchasing it in good faith.

 

Welcome to the Ancients Forum, Evan!

 

Apparently, so do I (according to the internets), but I have many copper and bronze coins and have never had a serious problem. Honestly, I've had more issues with moderns going from red to red brown than I have with ancients in any form.

The thing is, it doesn't get very hot where I live. Remember that when you say "humidity," you really mean "relative humidity," which is related to the air's carrying capacity for water. Warm air holds a lot more water than cooler air, so I don't think my coins are suffering. I also expect that the climate inside my apartment is a bit different from outside in that respect.