46070

Restoring over-cleaned Roman billion/copper coin [Florida] 

August 7, 2007

My wife returned from the Middle East with two extremely rare (one unpublished) Roman coins. Unfortunately, she cleaned them using an ultrasonic ceaning machine with filtered water and a few drops of lemon juice. This not only removed the sandy concretions on the coins, but also some of the patina.

Is there a way that I can restore the dark patina?

Thanks in advance.

Duane Tway
N/A - Tampa, FL, USA

The dark patina can be recreated by chemical process similar to sculpture. Our company can provide this product with simple procedures to a quick result. Best

Barry Feinman Restore It Yourself, Inc Carlsbad, CA, USA

Speaking to a professional conservator produced a reaction of pure horror.
First, it could well be an illegal export but, putting that aside, you have reduced the value significantly by over cleaning.
You could have difficulty in convincing an expert that the coin is genuine.
Re-patinating it makes the situation worse. Now it really looks like a modern fake. The fact that it is 'unpublished' suggests that it already is one.

Geoff Smith Hampshire, England