Steppenfool Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Share Posted May 2, 2023 (edited) I bought a budget Commodus lionskin head-dress from eBay and took a gamble on some unclear pictures. My low budget phone hasn't captured the detail much better to be fair, but there's a sort of dark blue/grey substance under Commodus' ear and to the right of his forehead. And also amongst the HER/ROM and club of the reverse. Maybe it is toning of some sort? There's some horn silver on the coin as well but I think this might be something different? Weight is 2.1g which I figure is normal for this often poor quality issue accompanied with some degradation. Edited May 2, 2023 by Steppenfool 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenfool Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 (edited) So I took another set of pictures which really highlights what I'm talking about (and makes the coin look horrific too) 😂 The stuff looks sort of like blue-tac in texture and I reckon it might be able to be picked off? Edited May 2, 2023 by Steppenfool 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenfool Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 (edited) And finally some pictures that reflect its appearance in hand: I really like it, it has a lot of character and the headdress is very clear for a budget example 😀 Edited May 2, 2023 by Steppenfool 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DimitriosL Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Share Posted May 2, 2023 30 minutes ago, Steppenfool said: And finally some pictures that reflect its appearance in hand: I really like it, it has a lot of character and the headdress is very clear for a budget example 😀 Not bad at all! However, i would be very cautious dealing with e bay sellers. Then again a cheap experiment never hurt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenfool Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kali Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Share Posted May 2, 2023 That coin looks much better. The majority of this type is rough and usually has issues. Yours is a bit better than most. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenfool Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 (edited) A gentle wooden toothpick to the hard black central deposits and some more cotton buds later. Photos in the same conditions as reply 2 and then the same conditions as the opening post. I think this as far as I will take the cleaning. The rest of the deposits/toning are quite nice and don't detract much from the coin in my opinion. I don't plan on using any chemical treatments as the tone has a nice depth to it in hand. I notice that some of the dirt actually made it look more striking in previous pictures, but it is much nicer in hand now. Edited May 2, 2023 by Steppenfool 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenfool Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 (edited) One final shot of how it now appears iliterally in (an edited out) hand! Very pleased! I do think the dirt was nicely masking some of the crummy silver undeneath though, especially in the obverse fields. Maybe should have strategically left some in place to give the portrait more pop? Maybe some true toning will occur over time and improve the look of the poor silver. Edited May 2, 2023 by Steppenfool 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kali Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Share Posted May 2, 2023 Tried to make it a bit better, for you. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotwheelsearl Posted May 2, 2023 · Member Share Posted May 2, 2023 Please just soak it in sodium thiosulfate. It will look much better 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeandAcre Posted May 3, 2023 · Member Share Posted May 3, 2023 I'm clueless about all things cleaning-related. (As in, even though I really wish I wasn't.) But it needs saying, never having seen an example of this, it's the kind of crazily iconic issue of Commodus that someone like me, who likes to leave Roman to collectors who know what they're doing --present company emphatically included-- would want one just for the visual rhetoric. I'm still pinching myself that it isn't a provincial issue. And yes, your example is steadily improving, between both the cleaning and the photography. I have to admire your astuteness --and, sure, your eye to the calculated risk-- in snapping this one up. Thank you, the lion skin is brilliant. ...Did Alexander III issue AE minors that featured both the Hercules (/lion skin), and the club on the reverse? If not, he Should have! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted May 3, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted May 3, 2023 13 hours ago, JeandAcre said: I'm clueless about all things cleaning-related. (As in, even though I really wish I wasn't.) But it needs saying, never having seen an example of this, it's the kind of crazily iconic issue of Commodus that someone like me, who likes to leave Roman to collectors who know what they're doing --present company emphatically included-- would want one just for the visual rhetoric. I'm still pinching myself that it isn't a provincial issue. And yes, your example is steadily improving, between both the cleaning and the photography. I have to admire your astuteness --and, sure, your eye to the calculated risk-- in snapping this one up. Thank you, the lion skin is brilliant. ...Did Alexander III issue AE minors that featured both the Hercules (/lion skin), and the club on the reverse? If not, he Should have! Yes, Alex III did. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenfool Posted May 3, 2023 · Member Author Share Posted May 3, 2023 This was the pics I was working with when purchasing... Not easy. Had to knock a significant amount off the sellers asking price via the offer function due to how uncertain I was. The seller was nice enough to take other pics when I asked they were still in the plastic holder so can only be so good. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotwheelsearl Posted May 5, 2023 · Member Share Posted May 5, 2023 Here's my Commodus from start to finish. Some sodium hydroxide got us to picture 2. Lots of sodium thiosulfate got us to picture 3. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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