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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;gsimonel, post: 3828297, member: 82549&quot;]You won&#039;t damage the coin by soaking it in distilled water and then scrubbing it with a toothbrush and dish-washing liquid and then rinsing it again in distilled water. So if you want to try this, go ahead. You might get off a little loose dirt somewhere, but I doubt that you&#039;ll notice much difference. The coin looks like it has already been cleaned pretty thoroughly. Actually, it looks like it has been zapped with electrolysis within the past few years or so.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do NOT use anything harsher, however, or you might damage it, as it appears that the patina has already been removed, leaving the bare metal exposed. Anything acidic, like lemon juice or a cola soft drink, will eat into the surface and leave a bunch of tiny pits and holes. Yuck.</p><p><br /></p><p>And do NOT use tap water, since most tap water has been chlorinated and, although not likely, could initiate bronze disease. Non-chlorinated well or spring water is probably okay, but I don&#039;t think it would accomplish much and is probably just and excuse to handle and admire your coin. Which is perfectly justified, but you can do that without the water, anyway.</p><p><br /></p><p>Getting back to electrolysis: judging by the color of the exposed surface on the higher-relief areas of your coin, I&#039;d say that if your coin was subjected to it, it&#039;s been several years since this happened, so what I&#039;m about to say is unlikely in your case, but there is a very slight chance that your coin has quite recently been cleaned with electrolysis, meaning that the surfaces have just recently been exposed to air and humidity after being covered with a protective patina for centuries. Sometimes--not often, but sometimes--newly-exposed surfaces will react with the moisture in the air and experience bronze disease (BD), the bane of ancient bronze coins. Two important things to know about BD: A) it is easy to treat, and B) left untreated, it will eventually destroy your coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>If your coin does develop BD, you will notice a bluish-green powder start to build up on different places on the surface. This power will be bright in color and can easily be brushed off with your hand. If you notice this happening, it&#039;s ding-ding-ding, ah-ROOOOO-gah! time. There are several threads here explaining how to treat BD, or PM me and I&#039;ll explain what to do.</p><p><br /></p><p>For now, what should you do to keep your coin safe? You&#039;ll like this part: for the next six months of so, look at it often. Pick it up, think about how cool it is to handle a coin minted 2000 years ago when people wore togas and spoke Latin. Basically, just leave you coin out somewhere where you will see it often. Oh, and check to make sure there is no blue-green power growing out of the coin. If you don&#039;t see any BD developing within the next 4-6 months, then you can assume that it&#039;s not going to happen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Isn&#039;t it nice when the solution to a potential problem compels you to do something you&#039;d want to do anyway?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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