Really bad condition. Around 2,1 centimeter in diameter. Found in Srem county , north Serbia.
I can see a head on this side, bust seems to include everything above chest.
By the design of the bust, it seems like late roman ( kinda looks like Theodosius or Honorius or some other ruler from that period. However, the metal seems a little different from other bronze roman coins that I found, so could it be a copper? If it is copper it's probably from Byzantium, which is possible as they also made coins with similar designs.
Try to rub off the dirt with a toothpick, dull needle, or dull knife (RUB, not scrape. Press with almost no force, or else you will scratch the coin.)
Gentle brush with toothbrush.
Repeat until clean.
DO NOT USE CHEMICALS.
This coin doesn't seem to be very good condition so very little use of electrolysis wouldn't harm it much. If you have better coins that are dirty though, DON'T USE IT.
Try to rub off the dirt with a toothpick, dull needle, or dull knife (RUB, not scrape. Press with almost no force, or else you will scratch the coin.)
Gentle brush with toothbrush.
Repeat until clean.
DO NOT USE CHEMICALS.
This coin doesn't seem to be very good condition so very little use of electrolysis wouldn't harm it much. If you have better coins that are dirty though, DON'T USE IT.
Edit: Parentheses in wrong place
Okay, I placed it into the distilled water. Thank you for your response.
Oh, and I probably should have said that it should be put into DW for one week, then repeat the toothpick/dull needle/dull knife. Put it into DW after you are done with dirt removal for the moment and pull it out anytime after that to repeat the dirt scraping process, and remove dirt whenever you feel like it. And not a week of soaking, 10 mins of rubbing the dirt off, another week of soaking, etc. My first reply was unclear about that.
I got most of the info from toldinstone on youtube. He has a great video on how to restore coins. Just look up “The art of cleaning roman coins” on youtube and it should pop up.
I tried cleaning it with a toothpick, and it seems to pick up some dirt.
Also, couple months ago I placed it in olive oil, and that is causing slight problems now, as the coin is a little hydrophobic. Should I try to degrease it somehow?
I got most of the info from toldinstone on youtube. He has a great video on how to restore coins. Just look up “The art of cleaning roman coins” on youtube and it should pop up.
I tried cleaning it with a toothpick, and it seems to pick up some dirt.
Also, couple months ago I placed it in olive oil, and that is causing slight problems now, as the coin is a little hydrophobic. Should I try to degrease it somehow?
What would the degreasing process be? I've never had problems with coins becoming hydrophobic.
I tried cleaning it with a toothpick, and it seems to pick up some dirt.
Also, couple months ago I placed it in olive oil, and that is causing slight problems now, as the coin is a little hydrophobic. Should I try to degrease it somehow?
What would the degreasing process be? I've never had problems with coins becoming hydrophobic.
I thought about WD-40 or some other chemical degreaser, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea.
I tried cleaning it with a toothpick, and it seems to pick up some dirt.
Also, couple months ago I placed it in olive oil, and that is causing slight problems now, as the coin is a little hydrophobic. Should I try to degrease it somehow?
What would the degreasing process be? I've never had problems with coins becoming hydrophobic.
I thought about WD-40 or some other chemical degreaser, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea.
Yeah, that probably wouldn't be a good idea. Just continue soaking and removing dirt. Maybe a tiny bit of dish soap, if the water doesn't do anything.
The cleaning did not help a lot. However, something is showing up on the reverse. I think that I can see a head facing to the right , and some remnants of the legend above it.
The cleaning did not help a lot. However, something is showing up on the reverse. I think that I can see a head facing to the right , and some remnants of the legend above it.
How does the obverse look? The reverse is definitely toasted, but maybe the obverse could have something.
On further examination I think that it is Mars on the reverse, carrying a spear and a trophy over the shoulder. If I'm correct, then it is narrowed to a few examples , minted in Arelate (France) and Thessalonica ( Greece). Given that the coin is found in Serbia, the Thessalonica one is most likely, which is a coin from Licinius II, however I can't find in Numista catalogue, Licinius II isn't even listed in ruling entities.
