Ive recently got into ancients. Prretty much enjoy buying a decent lot of uncleaned and attempting to clean them up. I am starting by using warm water/soap/toothbrush for the first step. But after that I cant tell what needs to be cleaned further. Meaning I dont know if its dirt / patina / if the coins is a cull etc. here are a few samples can anyone let me know what is in the images and if they are just dirty, culls, or patina?
I don't do unclean lots any longer, so I am probably the worst person to respond to your query. However, I'll give you my opinion nonetheless. These look like culls to me. The last image looks like you might be able to identify some of the legend if you let it soak and you pick at it over a long period. But, even then, you will have a coin that will more than likely only be a notch above a cull. This is a good example of why I gave up on these lots. These are the kinds of coins I would get in uncleaned lots. Even with lots of time and effort, the coins would turn out to be culls or vey low grade. Sorry, but this is my opinion. There are others here who disagree and enjoy the process of cleaning this kind of lot. Good luck.
Thanks, i know its probably not the best way to spend money but i enjoy it a bit. By the pics posted, the area i seem to get caught up the most is after the initial clean, how do i know what to clean up more, as if its actually dirt im picking at, or accidentally ruining patina, to if its not even worth giving a try if its a cull.
They're culls. You could chip away at them with a dental pick, if you had the patience, but I doubt you'd improve them much beyond their current condition.
I agree with Bing and John in that I would not buy these coins but I see nothing wrong with removing the crust and seeing if one might have a surprise below. I do not believe in olive oil so beloved by so many but would start with a long soak in distilled water. If anything loosens up, you can speed the process by picking at crust with a pick of some sort. A piece of copper wire is safer but a push pin is faster and I see little to lose here. I believe there is a lot of fun and maybe profit in cleaning coins but you need to start with coins that have not already been culled out by expert cleaners as not worth the effort. It is a fact that most beginners will buy $100 worth of uncleaned coins and not come away with ten coins worth anything, let alone $10. They could spend that same money and get ten presentable or 5 beautiful common coins. If you were to have a source for uncleaned coins that were worth cleaning, it is a different matter but many coins are uglier below than they are in the first state. Learning to tell the difference is a skill.
There are far better uncleaned coins out there than this. images 758/9 are the only ones worth bothering with...the others are clearly too worn. You could probably attribute them if you tried hard enough, but as Doug and others have said, you can buy decent coins at low cost, without trying to clean culls. If you enjoy the cleaning, then stick at it, but not with these.......look out for decent desert patina coins, which you can get for a few quid, and choose those with good detail showing. Cleaning desert patina coins can be really fun under magnification, so get yourself a binocular microscope if you are serious about it. Use toothpicks and a rounded scalpel if you have a VERY steady hand, if not avoid using anything to clean a coin which is harder than the coin itself or you WILL scratch it. Olive oil soaks are good, mildly acidic and quite forgiving, but it will darken a coin. Try mineral oil or DW instead if you dont get on with olive oil. The cleaning is easier than finding a good source for uncleaned coins......look on ebay, , just start by looking for coins that appear to need a clean. Most coins on ebay which are sold as uncleaned are the ones the seller cannot clean or have no detail, so trust your eye and eventually you'll get an idea of what a 'good' uncleaned coin is. I personally love cleaning, but I seek out good quality uncleaned and pay as much as £8 each. I have recently purchased 5 coins for over £1200, all are Postumus hoard sestertii, and if they clean well should be worth double. You have to pay a premium sometimes as a seller can see the potential a good uncleaned has and there is no good reason other than money for them to sell it to you cheap. If you can turn a £5 coin into a £20 coin, then its worth it if your methods are not too time consuming. You will learn tricks over time to speed cleaning up, but some methods are developed over many years by cleaners and will not be 'shared' with others, so research the net and experiment. You will spend a few quid before you get it right, as I have, but its easy to make a few quid after that. I have purchased more bad than good uncleaned on the way to where I am now..... Good luck and if you want a very good uncleaned coin, PM me. It'll help you make a start.
Here are some before and after pictures of a coin which I saw had some potential...... Still some issues with the Bust(obverse), but the tricky area can be seen on the unclean coin in front of the nose.....maybe a bit of BD or corrosion. Its not quite ready yet, but looking good. I only need a few nice uncleaned to turn out nice to make all the expense and time worthwhile......
I agree with Doug distilled water and time, (changing the water occasionally). I also agree most "uncleaned" on Ebay are really "floor sweepings" or rejects nowadays. Like YOC said, there are quality uncleaned coins. There used to be on Ebay good sources, and I could name the sellers, but they haven't listed there in a decade. I was there. I know the allure of "uncleaned coins". However, more than ever, it simply pays to only buy what you can see. You will be much happier with the results, trust us OP. We are old, grouchy men now but really were in your shoes once.
That's really tremendous work, Pete. Kudos! I would not have imagined you could go from the uncleaned version to what you've got there.
Thanks JA. I would love to share the method with everyone here, but it cost me dearly (many £'s) and I am sworn to secrecy by its founder. (seriously!) The coin took exactly 5 minutes to get from top to bottom.
Secrets of the trade are often worth keeping secrets. It wouldn't matter to me anyway - I have zero interest in cleaning coins. I'm just thankful that some people are willing to do it so I can enjoy the final results.
I am utterly astonished! Maybe I should take another look through the hundred or so seeming culls I have. Hmm, time to get out a chemistry set.
