Just won this auction Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Dupondius . Rome mint. Struck circa AD 120-122. Radiate bust right, with slight drapery / Virtus standing right, holding spear and parazonium; S C across field. RIC II 605. is there bronze disease or just green encrustations?
great portrait...looks ok to me as well. maybe it had BD in the past with the pitting? may want to keep an eye on it.
From the rust-coloured holes, I'd say definitely a BD victim that has received some treatment. It looks like it was affected quite extensively, so you really want to be keeping an eye on it for any recurrence of the problem. The deep hard green is probably stable, but take a close look and poke any lighter green spots with a toothpick to see if they flake off (like the spot between 4 and 5 o' clock on the reverse).
Arrived a few days ago, The reverse seems to be ok, but i think there is some bronze disease on the obverse lettering at the top, some came off with a toothpick.
Arrgghh, hopefully it was merely an innocent chunk of loose green material that you picked off (bronze disease is a drag) ... do you have a wee lil' bottle of Verdi-care handy? ... it's a very cool coin, so I wish you all the good coin-luck possible
I would be very worried about this coin personally. I do not think they are mineral deposits as they are in the holes, not lumps on the surface. It is certainly a victim of BD, but the worry for me is that the treatment does not appear to have been too thorough and then it looks as though a sealant has been used which has darkened the green and undoubtedly locked in the BD which may well eat the coin from within. to be specific, areas between the IA of Hadrianus and the S and III on the obverse look a lighter more ominous light green waiting to fluff up and turn powdery. I'd quarantine the coin after drying it in an oven for a day to be safe.
That is a fabulous coin. I agree with the others, you should be very suspicious of BD lurking beneath the surface. I never consider a coin cured, merely in remission.
