This lot just safely arrived yesterday after a almost two month wait. The package went through customs and finally here. This assortment of coins was found in various areas around Negotin, Serbia but is not a hoard. There are 35 coins and one strange square object, I don't know what it is yet. There are some interesting coins in this lot. Many of them will not turn out well, more than a few will make F grade, perhaps. There are a lot of AE4 late Roman coins here and a few AE3s and a AE2 fallen horseman. A few Roman Provincials as well as the largest coin being a provincial from Viminacium, Moesia Superior, more than likely Gordian III. Unfortunately I don't think it's going to turn out well. A few Gallienus coins are also there. Last but not least a medieval coin. I started cleaning some of the coins yesterday night when I got home. What I done with some of them was to hold the coins under hot running tap water, then using some Dawn dish soap and scrubbing the coins with a toothbrush. Dry them thoroughly and I placed them in a old sauce pan and boiled them in distilled water for several hours. Several times I pulled a few coins out to swipe them with a cotton swab. You might be surprised how much dirt comes off but it doesn't completely clean the coin. So, I set them up for a long term soak for about a month. Changing the water every 1-3 days. This is just the beginning stage of cleaning. Constantius Gallus, AE2, Thessalonica, 351-354 AD, 6.4g, 22mm OBV: DN CONSTANTI-VS NOB CAES, Bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right. REV: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, Soldier spearing fallen horseman who is sitting on ground, arm(s) up, wearing Phrygian helmet. Left field: gamma, right field: star. Mintmark: star-TS epsilon-star. REF: RIC VIII Thessalonica 177 This coin is showing a lot of promise after the boiling stage and soaking for a entire day in distilled water. It's going into my collection since I don't have a fallen horseman from Thessalonica nor the sitting soldier. This is a Roman Provincial coin before I have done anything to it at all. It's soaking right now. There is a hard layer of mud or clay on the reverse that is difficult to remove but it needs a lot of soaking. I'm not sure what ruler this coin is yet but it might be Gordian III. It is said that Gordian III has the largest selection of Roman Provincial types. I may know what the reverse type is later on. If someone knows what coin this is, I'd appreciate it. I think I'll have a better chance of attributing the coin after it is cleaned. I think this lot is going to be fun and even if they were not found in the same place they are fairly representative of the coins used in this area although there are a few like this Arcadius AE4 3 emperor reverse(soaking) from Alexandria that is outside the area because any coin can be found anywhere in ancient Europe or any place that has access to these coins back then. I am definitely happy with this lot so far.
Congrats on your new lot of dirty coins ... you're a better man than me, my coin-friend!! (sadly, it's not the first time that I've typed that sentence!) => my hat is off to you dudes that purchase uncleaned coins ... I have zero patience and would be absolutely horrible at cleaning coins!! I can't wait to see you post a few of your winners ... and/or losers (yah, I never get tired of seeing ancient coins, whether they're AJ-esque and minty, or whether they're merely sweet ol' reminders of days gone by) ... oh, and don't forget to have fun!! (one man's fun, is another man's drag)
Nice load of Ancients Gil, if you get good coins to start with it can be a lot of fun!! Can't wait to see some progress.
Thanks a lot guys for the comments. This isn't a bad lot and there are a lot of them that ain't keepers but it is a decent lot for sure and I can continue to practice cleaning on them.
Valens AE3, 367-375 AD, 2.6g, 18mm OBV: DN VALEN-S PF AVG, Diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right. REV: SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE, Victory advancing left, holding wreath & palm, star over F to left. S right. Mintmark delta SISC in ex. REF: RIC IX Siscia 15b This coin is done as far as I'm concerned and it came out fairly well, I think. It had a hard layer of mud coating the coin.
1684-1691 AD, 2 Soldi, Anonymous Coinage, Dalmatia and Albania under Venice, Italy, 5.7g, 29mm OBV: *SAN·MARC·VEN*, Facing winged lion of Saint Mark. OIIO in exergue. REV: *DALMA ET ALBAN*, Dalmatia and Albania. REF: Paolucchi 796 The only late medieval/early modern coin in the lot.
i didn't know what that one was in the original pic, but it kind of jumped out at me. interesting thing to find in there. i had a early 19th century coin in a lot one time.
You never know what you'll find in some lots. I spotted that 2 Soldi coin in the dealer photo and he asked me if I wanted it out and I said leave it in there and he did. Glad I did. Although, I don't collect those coins normally.
Gallienus BI Antoninianus, 253-268 AD, Rome mint, 2.0g, 20mm OBV: GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate head right. REV: MARTI PACIFERO, Mars standing left, holding olive-branch, spear & shield, H in left field. REF: RIC 236, Cohen 617 This coin is close to being done, just a little more surface dirt on both sides. It's not going to improve detail wise. I just wanted to attribute this coin and I'm keeping it since I don't have this reverse type.
It could be a Byzantine weight. If that is so, what would it be used to weigh. It is pretty small and maybe only is about a couple grams.
Probably a paperweight - all you need is a few grams to keep your letter from floating away in the breeze. Man Gil, I wish other people that cleaned ancients exercised the care and patience that you clearly exhibit. How many coins do we see that are damaged by cleaning?
I have had a couple problems and I can certainly post those later. One coin, the patina flaked off from just using cotton swabs. The core of the coin is very unstable. Another was in bad shape when I got it, the patina was half gone with bare metal showing. The patina is infected with BD so I'm just going to completely remove it as that's the best thing to do for the coin. The rightmost coin is the second coin I'm talking about as you can see some of the patina is gone and infected with BD. No other coin has been damaged from cleaning so far. That's all ya gotta do is be patient and do things a certain way. I ain't a expert or anything but I really don't want to destroy these coins. Just what it boils down to for me.
how are you going to remove the patina GG? or is it all just flaking away easily. i've done it before with mixed results, so curious. i think if the patina is brittle, sometimes the best thing to do may be to wax it heavily and leave it be, of course if it has BD that wont work. do you have any verdicare? if not, you really should get some.
A lot of the patina flaked away. I brushed some of it off with a toothbrush. Used cotton swabs and a lot came off. A little bit more comes off after each soaking. I'm just going to let it come off on it's own with minimal scrubbing. After that I'm going to use a BD Gringotts mix or Sodium sesquicarbonate to remove the rest of it. Then I will bake it under low temperatures in a counter top oven. I won't wax it until months later, maybe.