Collecting Ancient Greek and Roman Coins is a rewarding and educational hobby. The coins in this category are fun examples of the treasures you can come across. Some have already undergone various stages of cleaning while others may be in as-found state and will need to be cleaned. The objective to cleaning coins is not to reduce them to bare lumps of metal but to remove the dirt and encrustations while leaving the original toning and patina intact. The most simple way to clean ancient coins is with soap and water. Swirl in hot soapy water and brush with a soft toothbrush to remove dirt. Rinse thoroughly to remove any soap residue and dry completely. If dirt remains in the crevices, you can carefully pick the dirt out with a toothpick or dental pick. Take extreme care not to scratch or mar the original surface. If coins are heavily caked with dirt, you may need to soak them in plain distilled water for a period of time (hours to days) to loosen the caked-on dirt. If this doesn't give you the results you want or the coins are heavily corroded, you can move to next step and soak the coins in pure olive oil. Place in a GLASS container and cover with olive oil. Leave them to soak for a minimum of 3-4 days. Remove them and pat dry. Mix a batch of TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate, a cleaner available at Home repair stores) by adding 1 tsp to a cup of warm water. Allow the coins to sit for 5-10 minutes to disolve the olive oil (and perhaps some of the dirt also). Rinse in clean water. Use a toothbrush to finish cleaning. Rinse and dry completely. If you are not satisfied with the result, repeat the process. It is not uncommon to soak coins for weeks until they are satisfactorily clean. ALWAYS allow the coins to dry completely before storing. Using these techniques makes collecting un-cleaned Ancient coins a very affordable and rewarding hobby. Suitable for the whole family. Especially fun for children. Try it today! |
