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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 24842130, member: 110226&quot;]That&#039;s a very nice example, well centered and with excellent detail!</p><p><br /></p><p>My experience with these almost rock hard brownish and greenish deposits is that they simply do not yield to any cleaning processes easily.&nbsp; The way these deposits are structured, somewhat softer material is at the top and much harder material is under, near the surface. So, cleaning becomes a matter of compromise in this instance.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I agree that it is good to have some deposits on an ancient coin; it is, after all, not a Morgan or Peace dollar.&nbsp; Some collectors/dealers sometimes get carried away and over clean a coin.&nbsp; This is especially true for coins with horn silver deposits.&nbsp; While it is nice to have a bright ancient coin, often these deposits mask corrosion underneath with the result that the coin is bright and pitted - not good.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Looking at your coin, I would leave it as-is.&nbsp; Remember, with time the coin will darken, with the silvery areas blending more in with the deposits,&nbsp; which I think are cuprite.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s a billon tetradrachm that was my last cleaning project.&nbsp; It is a coin of Hadrian, Alexandria, with Nilus on the reverse, a relatively common coin.&nbsp; The main area of focus was on the obverse. There the deposits were quite thick and hard, obscuring much of the center of the portrait.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is a photo (somewhat blurry) from the seller, before cleaning:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1591390[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The cleaning of this coin was a protracted process using naval jelly, heated citric acid (lemon juice), distilled water, gentle mechanical removal with wooden tooth picks and frequent inspections.&nbsp; Initially, I also had to use 100% acetone to remove what appeared to be some kind of clear lacquer. </p><p><br /></p><p>After a few days I reached the point with this coin where enough is enough.&nbsp; Deposits remain, typical billon graininess is present, and the overall color is a medium grey, which will darken.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hadrian BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, Yr 20 (135/6AD).</p><p>Emmett 879; RPC III 6090 </p><p>24mm, 12.85 grams</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1591393[/ATTACH] </p><p>&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>So, cleaning, as with many things in life, is a matter of compromise and being happy or at least content with the results.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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