uncleaned coins - before and after

Carus
AE Antoninianus. Rome mint, struck under Carinus and/or Numerian, 283-285 AD. RIC 48
DIVO CARO PERS(icvs), radiate head right / CONSECRATIO, eagle standing left, head right. Mintmark KA crescent A.
21 mm / 2.8 g

 

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I think I'm going to leave it as it is now and hope it would tone in time:

 

A couple weeks ago I picked up a couple of Alexandrian tets that had seen better days (environmentally speaking, for the past two millennia), yet felt promising to be cleaned (can you guess the seller from the before pics?).

The first is a Philip, an emperor I didn't have in this provincial denomination...

BEFORE:


AFTER:

Philip I, Ruled 244-249 AD
BL Tetradrachm, Egypt, Alexandria
Dated RY 2, Struck 244-245 AD
Obverse: A K M IOV ΦIΛIΠΠOC ЄV CЄB, laureate and cuirassed bust right.
Reverse: Tyche standing left, holding cornucopia and rudder, LB (date) in upper left field.
References: Emmett 3513
Size: 21.5mm, 11.9g

Number two is also a tet with a little bit more historical interest attached—Aurelian with Vaballathus...

BEFORE:


AFTER:

Aurelian, with Vaballathus, AD 270-275
AE Tetradrachm, Egypt, Alexandria
Dated RY 1 of Aurelian and RY 4 of Vaballathus, Struck 270/271 AD
Obverse: AVT K Λ Δ AVPHΛIANOC CEB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Aurelian right, date L-A in fields, RY 1.
Reverse: IACO VABAΛΛAΘOC AΘHNO VA C P, laureate, diademed, and draped bust of Vaballathus right, wearing paludamentum and cuirass; L-Δ across field, RY 4.
References: Emmett 3914
Size: 20mm, 8.1g

Another coin that I did a little "touching up" on from a different seller was listed very incorrectly—a Maiorina of Gratian—but I could easily tell that it was a sestertius of Trebonianus Gallus...

BEFORE:


AFTER:

Trebonianus Gallus, Ruled 251-253 AD
AE Sestertius, Struck 251-253 AD, Rome
Obverse: IMP CAES C VIBIVS TREBONIANVS GALLVS AVG, laureate bust draped, cuirassed, right.
Reverse: PIETAS AVGG, Pietas, veiled, draped, standing left, raising both hands; to left, altar; S-C in fields.
References: RIC IV 117
Size: 32mm, 20.0g

 

three nice coins !

zurqieh_dubai ?

 

That's the one! Lol

 

any idea of what coin this is has female bust on rear

 

rear of the coin

 

That's actually Palmyran boy ruler (under is mother, Zenobia's, guidance as regent), Vaballathus. Aurelius is on obverse. Your's (LB/LE) is the year after mine (LA/LΔ) I posted just a couple posts above. Your's is very nice.

 

Thanks for the info

 

I love the pageboy hair cut.

 

..where you get extra patina at no extra charge:O ><

 

???

 

Some sellers, including that one, are well-known for applying artificial "desert patina" to the coins they offer.

 

Ah I see is mine genuine and not been messed about with, it was my dads he got when he was a boy and I’m rather new to coin collecting, I like the history behind the coin.

 

Also what is desert patina and what should I look for if I decide to buy coins in future, sorry me being new to all this and don’t want to buy something that’s not correct.

 

It's that orange-yellow color that supposedly comes from being buried in a desert for a couple of thousand years. Apparently very easy to fake, and easy to remove if it is fake. The reason some dealers fake it is that there are some collectors who like the way it looks, including the way it highlights the high points of the coin, where no desert patina is applied.

 

My examples were original find sandy patina and green/teal adhesions and not "cheeto" patina.

Here's a thread about this phenomenon. I do have to say that zurqieh is a pretty trustworthy seller as genuine coins go, but a discerning eye helps to keep you from an authentic coin with "makeup" added.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/from-a-to-z-and-orange-to-yellow.290945/

 

..we joke about it around here ...he's been known to put a lil exta on, not that coins aren't legit, but sometimes he gets carried away with patina add on...