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Message:: [QUOTE="BenSi, post: 3903203, member: 95174"]Here is my example of a coin but it is a bit of an oxymoron. It is an example that comes close to “as Struck”  but if it was not for the silvering it would not be in my collection. Non attractive but it is a very rare example of an Alexius Constantinople tetarteron with its silver wash still intact. [ATTACH=full]1028777[/ATTACH] Alexius SBCV-1923 Constantinople tetartera of the post Alexius coin reform I believe were coated with a thin silver, this way it was easy to differentiate it from the more common coins minted at Thessalonica and other mints. The Constantinople tetartera were all proven to have a silver content (Metcalf proved it in the 60’s and Hendy seconded the results in the 90’s). I have seen numerous examples with slight traces of silver but handling makes it wear off quickly, like the AE3’s of earlier Roman Times. I should note neither mentioned the silver wash, I have seen several fully silvered examples but this was the only one I have owned with this much silver, I have had numerous examples with traces of silvering so that is my only real basis for that theory.  CLBC is the only catalog that mentions silvering but the authors believed it to be for ceremonial purposes only, I have seen too many examples to agree with them. Here is the primary example in my collection, no silvering at all but much better  strike and far more attractive.[ATTACH=full]1028779[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]