Any idea if this will clean up?

[Amarmur]

I bought this Nero Dupondius. It looks pretty nice as it is but I think that's dirt on the surface so idk if it's cleanable. Maybe it's just rough surfaces. Any ideas? 

 

[Postvmvs]

It looks to me like there is nothing to clean, the coin has already been stripped to bare metal.

[ela126]

The dealer is a pretty decent cleaner himself so it’s likely it’s rough surfaces and not a dirty coin, as I assume he’d spend the time to make it nicer and sell for more if he could have

[CPK]

38 minutes ago, Postvmvs said:

It looks to me like there is nothing to clean, the coin has already been stripped to bare metal.

That's what it looked like to me, it's been stripped. That's just surface roughness from microscopic corrosion over the centuries.

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Don't think it can be improved through cleaning. It's already been cleaned in fact.

[robinjojo]

I agree.  The surfaces appear to be rough (corroded), and the only way to deal with that is through mechanical (scraping) of the surfaces, which would damage the coin greatly, so I think it should be left as-is.  Over time the coin will tone darker.

Edited December 22, 2024 by robinjojo

[Amarmur]

2 hours ago, robinjojo said:

I agree.  The surfaces appear to be rough (corroded), and the only way to deal with that is through mechanical (scraping) of the surfaces, which would damage the coin greatly, so I think it should be left as-is.  Over time the coin will tone darker.

I think it's fairly attractive despite the corrosion. Idk I wanted a Lugdunum mint portrait of Nero with nice details. It could become more attractive if it tones. I typically don't like corroded coins but I think it was a good purchase. Nero bronzes are very hard to find in nice shape. I have a lot of Rome mint issues and Nero looks a lot less evil and menacing. 

Edited December 23, 2024 by Amarmur
Add more info

[Glebe]

Cleaned already? Perhaps, but it doesn't look like bare metal to me.

I'd try soaking it in thiosulphate solution (for horn silver) and vinegar (for desert clay patina).

Then work it over with damp salt - always worth a try.

Edited December 23, 2024 by Glebe

[Roman Collector]

Nothing to clean. That's a corroded surface. The coin was probably stripped down to bare metal with electrolysis in the past. 

[Glebe]

I'd like to see another coin "cleaned to the metal" that looks like this one.

Ross G.

[Glebe]

On 12/23/2024 at 7:09 PM, Glebe said:

Cleaned already? Perhaps, but it doesn't look like bare metal to me.

I'd try soaking it in thiosulphate solution (for horn silver) and vinegar (for desert clay patina).

Then work it over with damp salt - always worth a try.

Of course thiosulphate is only good for silver, but vinegar is still worth a go.

Ross G.

Edited December 25, 2024 by Glebe

[hotwheelsearl]

My tried and true method for heavy stone-like encrustation is sodium hydroxide. Of course you'll lose any patina there is, but at least you can get the stuff off. Then rub it real good with some Ren Wax, and although it will obviously be cleaned you should be able to tease some more details out.

Whether or not that is worth it is entirely up to you though.

[Amarmur]

1 hour ago, hotwheelsearl said:

My tried and true method for heavy stone-like encrustation is sodium hydroxide. Of course you'll lose any patina there is, but at least you can get the stuff off. Then rub it real good with some Ren Wax, and although it will obviously be cleaned you should be able to tease some more details out.

Whether or not that is worth it is entirely up to you though.

Probably not worth loosing the patina. Thank you for the idea.

[hotwheelsearl]

12 hours ago, Amarmur said:

Probably not worth loosing the patina. Thank you for the idea.

Here's an example of a Trajan sestertius I treated with sequential treatments of thiosulfate (for iron oxide), hydroxide (for minerals) and vinegar (just because).

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/extreme-coin-makeover-trajanus-terriblanus.369513/