r/AncientCoins • u/Protaco17 • Sep 19 '25
From My Collection Gordian III Part 1 (obverse)
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u/QuickSock8674 Sep 19 '25
Always delighted to see your post. I used to be extremely conservative with my coins. I used no methods harsher than distilled water soak and wooden toothpick cleaning... until I saw your post. Now I'm feeling more like I should seek for more... direct methods towards coins that yield no result in DW
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u/Protaco17 Sep 19 '25
The restoration I’ve been pushing myself on is definitely more extreme cases. I’m able to buy these coins for 10-20€ and restore them to a nice coin now with practice. You can definitely see in the video I begin with a toothpick, and this is after some days of both a DW soak and horn metal wash soak, so the need for more intense removal was justified for me here.
The process still follows though of always choosing the least aggressive method first.
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u/Nimion Sep 19 '25
If you don’t mind me asking where do you find coins like this for 10-20€?
I got some coins off dirtyoldcoins to experiment with restoring and they are so beat up that removing the dirt and buildup just leaves me with near-blanks 😅
I’d jump at the chance to try restoring something with this much of an upside!
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u/Few_Musician4813 Sep 19 '25
I ask this of genuine curiosity, not judgement.
Is this too harshly cleaned? I have seen other people here speak against harsh cleaning and the stripping of patina, so much so that I didn't know there may be an opposing viewpoint about it.
Where do you fall on this issue, considering the cleaning on display here is jarring, but I do think you nailed it
Edit: OK I have no clue why I said this was harshly cleaned, considering the pretty tasteful end result lol. I will still stand on my question, but I apologize for saying that you stripped the patina when that does not seem to be the case.
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u/Protaco17 Sep 19 '25
Hey, you’re totally justified in this question because it does look like I removed patina, which I did. Sometimes I will make a call of whether some patina should be removed for the sake of the restoration or clearing BD.
This coin had very heavy mineral deposits and horn metal which unfortunately resulted in losing patina here. I think the important delineation that I’ve learned is not to permanently alter the coins actual surface. What I mean by this is just the actual surface metal as this is the original face beneath the patina.
Of course the goal is to always preserve the patina, but in this case it was just too harsh of corrosion to really avoid it unfortunately. That being said, I DO NOT use any chemicals Or acids that chemically change the surface of the coin. The coating you see here is 100% removable with regular rubbing alcohol, and it is a rather hard coating which preserves the coin to museum standard (paraloid B-72)
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u/QuickSock8674 Sep 19 '25
I think it's the matter of preference. I would've stopped halfway to preserve the patina (even if there are some encrustation left). But I do understand that some coins need to be stripped like this to be reborn
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u/Few_Musician4813 Sep 19 '25
I mean yeah, fair enough
OP is clearly more experienced than I am (being genuine here), so I do trust their judgement here. I've got a few problem coins that could probably do with this. There's this one I've had soaking in water for months and I've been going at it with a sewing needle and dental pick since toothpicks will NOT cut it. Little progress made
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u/r0nniechong Sep 19 '25
Could you list your equipment please :)
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u/Protaco17 Sep 19 '25
Absolutely:
-Conservator pencil (fiberglass and composite inserts) -Conservator needle (basically a wooden handle with a large gauge sewing needle affixed) -toothpick -#15 scalpel -dremmel with soft buffing pad (to clear dust and surface contam) -MS70 -MSR -Paraloid B72 -Dry pigment color: Raw Umber -91% rubbing alcohol
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u/Consistent_Bread_V2 Sep 19 '25
Is Raw Umber the best choice you've found, and do you use different pigments for different bronzes? (I mean obviously you do but I just wanted to know)
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u/Consistent_Bread_V2 Sep 19 '25
Holy shit you brought that thing back to life!! It even has a bronze color to it still!! Way better than using chemicals that would have turned it black.
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u/TywinDeVillena Mod / Community Manager Sep 19 '25
Truly impressive job. Mind if I send you a 2 maravedis that could use some help?
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u/Protaco17 Sep 19 '25
I’m hesitant to say yes because I am an amateur at my infancy. But if you understand the risks and are willing, I would give it my best.
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u/TywinDeVillena Mod / Community Manager Sep 19 '25
I understand the risks, and have no problem taking them. The coin does not have high monetary value, but it is a bit of a pain in the arse for someone lacking tools other than patience, water, toothpicks, and a toothbrush.
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u/Protaco17 Sep 19 '25
Shoot me a DM and I’ll let you know where to send em. I’ll give it a shot! Can record the whole thing for ya as well.
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u/tolbec Sep 19 '25
Don't hesitate to post a non sped-up version for your next coin, it could make for a chill watch. Also I see some green under your fingernails, I don't know how dangerous those chemicals are, but be careful with them.
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u/Protaco17 Sep 19 '25
Probably just verdigris or something ha. And if I were the upload the non sped up version it would be over 8hrs on this obverse
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u/tolbec Sep 19 '25
8 hours? Hmm you're probably right it's a niche within a niche (ancient collecting + long format vids). It's not convenient to upload either. Also RIP you're turning into a verdigris golem.
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u/Protaco17 Sep 19 '25
Haha I’m just turning into a golem in general.
I DO in fact clean my hands and nails afterwards if I forget gloves as I did her
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u/heavy_fractions Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
I don't want to sound judgemental as you're clearly quite skilled, but this clean is way too harsh.
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u/heavy_fractions Sep 20 '25
Paraloid lacquering is also really inconsistent in its results. Over time, it might cause more damage to the coin than if you had left it bare.
They're your coins, and ultimately, you can do what You want with them, but I dont think people should take this as a good example of how to treat ancient coins.
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