uncleaned coins - before and after

Marcus Aurelius AE Dupondius. Rome mint, 140-4 AD. RIC 1240a[pius]
AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F COS, bare head right /
PIETAS AVG, priestly implements: knife, sprinkler, pitcher, lituus and ladle, SC in ex.

 

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Trajan AE Quadrans, AD 98-117, Rome. RIC 702
IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GERM, diademed bust of Hercules right with lionskin knotted around neck /
Boar walking right, SC in ex.

 

Vespasian Denarius. 70 AD. RIC 29
IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right /
COS ITER T-R POT, Pax seated left, holding branch and caduceus.

 

Valerian II, Antoninianus, RIC 50 Antioch
P LIC COR VALERIANVS CAES, radiate, draped bust right /
PRINCIPI IVBENTVTIS, Prince standing left, holding baton and spear.

 

Dang @singig you have done some very skillful work here!

 

Thank you !

 

How did you clean that silver Vespasian? I have a Commodus denarius that is pretty mottled all over, and barely even looks silver.

 

I'm going to start strong with quite possibly my best (aka most valuable) uncleaned find.
At first, there was absolutely nothing showing. A few letters on the reverse, but not enough to do anything at all with.



Amazingly, it turned out to be a rather rare provincial Geta from Pautalia!!

METHOD: Distilled water soak, and mechanical attacks with flathead screwdriver and a molybdenum pad prick, a tool used for musical instrument repair.

 

Next is a rather simple clean. Turned an Elagabalus with mystery reverse into a very clear Cista Mystica reverse. Such a cute little snake!




METHOD: Distilled water soak and mechanical attack with molybdenum pad prick.

 

Another rather simple clean. A Maximian with some distracting deposits.


METHOD:
Distilled water soak, then mechanical attack with molybdenum pad prick, dental pick, and a minor use of diamond-grit dental tool

 

Now for some of the craziest before and afters:

Barbaric Constans FTR Galley:



Constantius II FTR Hut



Constans FTR Galley



METHOD: Overnight (~10 hours) soak in lye solution.
Minor mechanical attacks with prick and dental pick.

 

This is an example of a semi-failed clean. They don't always turn out the way you would hope.
At first the obverse had a rather nice portrait, but the reverse was heavily encrusted.


After, although I managed to recover the reverse, the obverse was obliterated and pockmarked to death.


METHOD: overnight soak in lye solution, and minor attacks with prick and dental pick.

 

I kept the coin in vinegar for about 60 minutes, then I used a bamboo stick to remove the encrusted dirt , ..plastic brush and water.

Nice results , I like the reverse of your first two coins , I haven't seen that snake type anywhere else.

 

superb details on all three , nice job !

 

Thanks! Means a lot coming from the master

 

It's not very common!! The snake and the Geta are probably the best coins I got from spending $1000 on junk coins. They each cost about $0.85, but I did have to get a couple hundred coins along with them...

 

Before


After

 

Great results on the Maximian in the top row!

 

@hotwheelsearl, if it's not too late, you might want to correct the typo in your post above. I think you meant PICK, not what you wrote.

 

Thanks for reading my post! Hilariously enough, the tool is actually called a “pad prick,” as it’s used to “prick” woodwind instrument pads