Visible traces of copper, is this normal?

Hello friends,

Visible traces of copper, is this normal?

 

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Yes if you file into the coin's edge and remove any patina.

 

Thanks Insider, I just never saw copper being so bright on ancients. Does this look fake to you, or it is completely normal?

 

I have a few that way, it's fine. Nice coin that is.

 

Awesome, thank you Mat, cause I started to suspect... i just never saw it so brigh

 

It's ok, but not exactly the best thing to be seeing. You really want some kind of intact patina evenly over the whole coin.

 

This completely depends. If the patina seems to be flaking off it is likely false. If the patina is abraded off, perhaps genuine (it can still be false). This would need to be seen in person to tell.

 

Hi Ken, i dont think this patina is flaking from what i can see

 

Hi Paul, I just noticed this on the side, I don't see it anywhere else

 

On the obverse and reverse I see some silvering underneath patina, but don't understand why copper is visible on the sides.

 

It should not be shiny like that at all under normal circumstances. If the patina or edge is abraded, scraped, filed, etc, that would be a reason for the bright metal. Overall I am bothered by the lettering.

 

Indeed Ken, this was my main question: why is this so shiny?

 

What looks wrong to you about the lettering?

 

The overall formation is much cruder than is normal for the issues. Those of the period are generally very well formed and proportional. These are crude and mis-formed and not consistent. Also the dots between the lettering is something I would have to look up in RIC, but that volume is in the bedroom and the wife is asleep, so I cant check at the moment.

 

Ok, I can see that now that you pointed it out as unusual. Any chance it could be barbarous? The style of the devices seems too good for that, though.

 

relatively recent damage I assume, like this coin...



recent damage above Caracalla's head.

 

I cannot enter into the discussion on the authenticity of this coin but I will about the bright color.

The coin started out new at one time. Over the years it darkened to brown. Then the green patina formed as it is today. Generally, a bump on the rim would remain green. A very light file mark would remove the green. A little more would reveal the brown. Finally, a brutal filling would break thru the dark brown crust and the layers that were also affected by oxidation (still not bright) until the native alloy was abraded to a bright original color. Sometimes you need to go deep into the coin to reach that color.

I have not destroyed a coin with BD yet to see if there is any bright metal in the coin's interior. Perhaps a member can take a $2 ancient Roman coin and try it.

Additionally, if a bright, fresh color is evident on the metal when a flake of patina drops off...Beware.

 

Hi Insider, thank you
But i
Was just surprised by a bright color underneath

 

OK, so I checked RIC. It would appear to be RIC178, Ticinum mint. However, the odd dots in the legend are not recorded in RIC or anywhere else I could find. This and the reservations I mentioned above lead me to say it is not genuine.

 

If one were too grab a base metal ancient and with high pressure grind it on a table, what you would see would look like a freshly minted penny. It's happened by accident with some of mine. I'm not saying the OP coin is authentic because of this, it's probably not in my opinion.