Was this coin artificially toned? Do you have such coins in your collection?

[Ten-Speed]

Here is a coin I recently posted. When I was putting it back in its Saf-Flap (r), a couple of green pieces broke off and fell into my hand.  The area where they fell off was just a basic bronze metal that had a dark color. I am not an expert on patina, but wouldn't  a patina be a bit more difficult to chip off? And it does look like a paint chip, say, from a bicycle. 

What do you think. I of course like the coin and will keep it. Do any of you keep coins like this (assuming it's artificially colored?) 

This particular shade of green doesn't look like many other shades. Now I hope I have a true unicorn here, but I'm not at all sure.

I have heard that a fair number of ancient coins are "colored," and that many still collect them.

 

[ela126]

i's take that as a real patina, which was very fragile, stablized with Ren Wax or Paraliod (sp), but its so delicate, it can still flake apart.

There are sever coins with tremendous green shades. i find the green patinas are usually the most fragile.

 

I do repatina some of my bad condition coins, fake patina applications wear off at the dust level, you'd never have chips or flakes, just dust on your fingers. at least in my experiences.

[Ten-Speed]

Thank you for responding--this knowledge will keep me more in the ballgame for such beautiful green coins!

[ela126]

completely flawless, even green coins are questionable. but if you see variations in colors, dirt, etc. usually an ok sign of a real patina.

[expat]

Absolutely agree that the green patina seems to be the most unstable. This one was purchased as is, no more patina has flaked off, but there obviously was in the past, you can clearly see patches of the orichalcum base.

[ominus1]

..it lQQks legit to me...:)

[John Conduitt]

I think verdigris is brittle, so can break off. It is also more voluminous than bronze, so will lift from the unreacted metal, which then corrodes further if subjected to the elements.

Edited August 29, 2024 by John Conduitt

[-monolith-]

I can't zoom in close on the photos you provided but the coin does look "painted". There have been a lot of coins showing up from specific auction houses on biddr.com that have been painted or have had an artificial patina applied. Some of the coins are noted as such while others are not. @expat yours looks perfectly natural and genuine. 

 

Here are a few similar to yours that have artificially painted patinas:

 

These coins have natural green patinas in various shades:

[Ten-Speed]

3 hours ago, -monolith- said:

I can't zoom in close on the photos you provided but the coin does look "painted". There have been a lot of coins showing up from specific auction houses on biddr.com that have been painted or have had an artificial patina applied. Some of the coins are noted as such while others are not. @expat yours looks perfectly natural and genuine. 

 

Here are a few similar to yours that have artificially painted patinas:

 

These coins have natural green patinas in various shades:

Thanks so much for taking the time to post all of the painted vs. natural coins. I can definitely use your posting as a reference should I buy a coin with green patina in the future (which I probably will!) It really helps to have coins for comparison. 

[-monolith-]

3 hours ago, Ten-Speed said:

Thanks so much for taking the time to post all of the painted vs. natural coins. I can definitely use your posting as a reference should I buy a coin with green patina in the future (which I probably will!) It really helps to have coins for comparison. 

You can try using acetone to remove the paint, however you may not like the coin underneath. 

[Greekcoin21]

My example is repatined on a scarce RPC coin. Septimius Severus, Pontus, Neocaesarea. 30mm, 14.9g. No mention of patina from auction house.