[Jewelry making - Article 00490] - Re: [Orchid] Roman Coins

[frankblair]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

    I've been collecting ancient and medieval coins for several years. 
    Occasionally  I buy bulk uncleaned lots and work with them. 

    Your best bet for cleaning any *dug* ancient coins is this : 

          -- soak in olive oil (depends on encrustation level, but I've
          had them soak for as long as 2 weeks; the longer the better) 

          -- remove from olive oil and briefly dip in soap/water
          solution 

          -- gently wipe clean with soft towel 

          -- repeat soaking if heavily encrusted 

          -- if encrustation is particularly bad, you can *gently* use a
          *soft* brass brush 

    In general, coins that are ground dug will have collectable value
    based on rarity, not condition.  In general, anything dug will be of
    relatively low value and low condition anyway and anything that you
    do to them in the cleaning process will be negligible to what water,
    minerals, and fertilizer in fields did them over 2000 years.  The
    highest quality coins are not typically dug straight from the
    ground, they were buried in something that protected them from the
    elements (vase, jar, metal armpit coinpurse that was used by Roman
    soldiers, etc.) 

    Roman coinage was devalued several times between AD 100 and AD 450. 
    In the mid-3rd century you have a proliferation of the silver washed
    antoninianus.  In dug coins, most of the silvering will already be
    removed, but you should take care, just in case. 

    All that being said, I've been able to get XF quality coins from dug
    lots, but they are rare.  85% are G-VG (i.e. junk), 10 % might be
    F-VF (typical bronzes ranging in value from $10 - $35 depending on
    rarity and type), 5% or less might  be VF+.  It is not impossible to
    find silver and gold, but 99.99% of these are cherry picked before
    they're offered for sale. 

- Frank Blair

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________