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Remarkable transformation of Himera Didrachm, but is it real?
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<p>[QUOTE="Plumbata, post: 3567270, member: 96864"]Thanks for the comments everyone, this is certainly an ambiguous head-scratcher.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Yep I'm a straight, red-blooded man too. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> I don't have enough experience to know what does or doesn't look right with Himera didrachms, but if you check the BFA auction link and blow-up their coin you'll see that the ethnic is of the same font with same spacing, and there are the same number of feathers in the same orientation on the chicken too. It looks weird to me also but the loss of the surface layer of original silver and patina likely contributes to the uncanny appearance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Who said it was easy? It took hours under 20x magnification even after dissolving the sulfide "glue" helping to hold the deposits together. I've been building experience cleaning crusty bronzes and dirty silver so have gotten better and faster at it but the task generally isn't ever an easy wham-bam-done sort of process unless the problem is only splotchy sulfide.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have less experience with tarnished, dirty or horn silver encrusted AR coins as most of them are cleaned before reaching market but have picked away at the re-deposited silver encrustations on several coins which is softer and more brittle than the host silver and flakes or mushes off in generally predictable ways. I can upload comparison pics too but the difference isn't as dramatic since they were already mostly cleaned and silvery when obtained.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Yeah, the rooster side makes me a bit uneasy when coupled with the low weight, *if* genuine it must have been quite high-grade when lost/buried. Most of the Himera crab/cock didrachms I looked at are stylistically different but the BFA example I linked to seems to be a die match, just with more wear and mushing-down of the feathers. That said, a transfer-die of a better example could have been made and the die refined in areas (like the fatter cockscomb on the head).</p><p><br /></p><p>Has anyone seen known fakes before with such measurably thick crud and deposits of re-crystallized/deposited "horn silver" (or whatever it technically is)? If so it's an alarming development![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Plumbata, post: 3567270, member: 96864"]Thanks for the comments everyone, this is certainly an ambiguous head-scratcher. Yep I'm a straight, red-blooded man too. :D I don't have enough experience to know what does or doesn't look right with Himera didrachms, but if you check the BFA auction link and blow-up their coin you'll see that the ethnic is of the same font with same spacing, and there are the same number of feathers in the same orientation on the chicken too. It looks weird to me also but the loss of the surface layer of original silver and patina likely contributes to the uncanny appearance. Who said it was easy? It took hours under 20x magnification even after dissolving the sulfide "glue" helping to hold the deposits together. I've been building experience cleaning crusty bronzes and dirty silver so have gotten better and faster at it but the task generally isn't ever an easy wham-bam-done sort of process unless the problem is only splotchy sulfide. I have less experience with tarnished, dirty or horn silver encrusted AR coins as most of them are cleaned before reaching market but have picked away at the re-deposited silver encrustations on several coins which is softer and more brittle than the host silver and flakes or mushes off in generally predictable ways. I can upload comparison pics too but the difference isn't as dramatic since they were already mostly cleaned and silvery when obtained. Yeah, the rooster side makes me a bit uneasy when coupled with the low weight, *if* genuine it must have been quite high-grade when lost/buried. Most of the Himera crab/cock didrachms I looked at are stylistically different but the BFA example I linked to seems to be a die match, just with more wear and mushing-down of the feathers. That said, a transfer-die of a better example could have been made and the die refined in areas (like the fatter cockscomb on the head). Has anyone seen known fakes before with such measurably thick crud and deposits of re-crystallized/deposited "horn silver" (or whatever it technically is)? If so it's an alarming development![/QUOTE]
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Remarkable transformation of Himera Didrachm, but is it real?
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