Coinery

Will the seller be refunding the CGS submission cost (post, etc.) if it is returned unslabbed?

Squash tomato and stew! Happy Birthday, guys!

The purple dye used is called Methyl Violet and is a triple benzine ring molecule. As such it isn't going to evaporate quickly as its basically a solid at room temperature. However, pretty much all solids have some sort of natural vapour pressure, so it may well disappear over time. In the meantime, however invisible it may be, you will still have a slight purple layer on your coins. I'd avoid dyed meths if at all possible. I think I would too!

Thanks, Peck! I might just do that later this year! I really fancy a cheap ancient sideline, and I love the Roman period! Just unfortunate I barely know a denari from one of those copper things???

Interesting, thanks, Oz! Any idea what happens to the purple dye when the solvent evaporates?

It would be interesting to know what all these various solvents DON'T have in common? Meths Acetone Surgical Spirits ???

Ooosh. That's a difficult one. I would personally say that they're not much different really, but Roman fakes are less likely to occur due to the lower catalogue value? As always though, if you can find a good dealer that will go a long way towards putting your mind at rest. Cheers, Peck! I guess you know where I'm coming from however when we see major auctions AND TPGC's all offering fake coins!If it is a simple matter of ruling out the obvious inconsistencies of being hammered, plus appropriate devices/punches then maybe I'm in? I noticed Rob recently bought a nice bit of Roman, so I guess there's enough info on here to muddle 'safely' through it? (Screwed up face)

Peck, do you think identifying Roman fakes is any different to spotting hammered fakes of the medieval period? I only ask because I am really attracted to the Roman period, but can't afford ( or want to) go through another 20 years of unpicking what's genuine or not?

OK, phew, blimey!Right! So, yes, the ear-cleaning thingies! Re the mopping, it was a term I used to differentiate from the term 'scrub'! Essentially, I saturate a bud and swab the area as much as I dare, and this is determined by the coin (hammered, BU 20th C), and also from my personal experience. Now, the personal experience bit comes from the artificial light thing I spoke of and, essentially, a decision about what moves the coin between desirabilities? What I mean by this is, would you decontaminate a little more aggressively on a C1 farthing punctuation to better reveal it, for the overall historical value, and personal (maybe commercial) value of the coin, against the gentle acetone 'wash' of a BU e7 penny? I confess to 'wiping' my coins with a Q tip saturated (soggy) with acetone, and have arrived at how vigorously I can do this on account of my watching the effects on lesser coins! Please don't use daylight as your measure for hairlines! Use artificial light! Everyone, get a lamp, a cheap BU coin, and check out the effects of a Q tip on the surface! For myself, I have never noted an affect! Also, I consider, re acetone, that I've preserved the present state of a coin by preventing further 'undisclosed' deterioration! To further add, I'd happily give a man a Qtip, a hammered coin, 24hrs, and defy him to show me a difference! For every coin thereon in, it's a measure of gentle respect thereof! Love coins!

I've not experienced that, other than an occasional observation of a 'purple' bloom? Not always, mostly, in fact, and nothing I can now offensively view on my farthings of that period?

Try it on a couple of BU sixties pennies or farthings' first, just to reassure yourself! Do that daylight/lamp-light thing too! Look at your coins under artificial light first, pick a field, then careful wipe with a 'wet/acetone-soaked' bud and re-check for any abrasive/hairline (or hopefully not) affect on the surface! You have to be happy yourself! Don't rely on others!

Me too!

Something else to share, as I've been through a fair few bottles of the stuff now, is don't repeatedly dip the same cotton bud into the acetone! I used to do this, but found out, when knocking the last 1/8th of a bottle over one day, that all that horrible grease and gunk you've lovingly removed from your coins, has not ALL gone in the bin with your cotton buds! A fair amount of it is floating around on the top of your acetone from those multiple dips, waiting to stick to your cotton bud the next time you dip it in and make its way back onto a coin! The stuff really works, you wouldn't believe how much rubbish you can remove from 50 or so BU coins! So, dip your cotton bud in once only, then turn it around for your next dip!

OK, disclaimer...whilst this has never ruined one of my coins, I cannot guarantee it will never bite you on the arse. Basically, it's a solvent that evaporates very quickly, but is brilliant for dissolving invisible grease and gunk from the surface of a coin. I have used this on all my coins, BU copper, silver, hammered, and gold, just to remove any traces of fingerprint residue or other nasties! It's never yet affected any tone or lustre, so the coin doesn't actually LOOK any different afterwards, unless it's really grimey to start with, or had a previous wipe with some oil or other. With some copper (BU included) and CuNi, I always feel a sense of satisfaction when I look at the cotton bud and see a light green tinge, which was invisible on the coin. So, essentially, I don't clean the coins, I 'decontaminate' them, before sealing them up in flips! I very carefully 'mop' the coins using cotton buds, which have been saturated in acetone which, incidentally, is not the nail-cleaning type, as this has conditioners in it. You can get 'straight' acetone from most chemists, and some supermarket that have dispensaries. I've never mopped a proof, and I'm very aware of the hairline issue, which always shows up under artificial light (I don't know why, but tilt a coin which looks absolutely fine in daylight under a lamp, and a very different coin can often be seen), so I can reassure you that I have never added hairlines to my coins from this process, I have diligently checked. It is my hope that these efforts will help avoid any future appearances of prints and/or stains from appearing on my coins! Hopefully? Just to add, I always give the milling a really good mop too! Don't drop it...stand over a cushion or something!

This is the problem with these immaculate mirror finishes on modern coins. Even one FRESH fingerprint will be nigh impossible to remove without leaving something you will be able to see under artificial light. I like to at least be able to decontaminate my coins before sealing them up, so a precision field would not be for me (unless bought as new), as much as they have wow-factor. I like to be able to gently 'clean' the surfaces of my coins with acetone and a cotton bud, which you can do on everything bar proofs! I'd still sit a proof in a bath of acetone, but would'nt attempt anything else. Point being, if you are going to take it out, don't touch it whatever you do!

I wonder who that was slabbed for? If the seller's obverse image (the reverse isn't coming up on my phone) was put on here for CGS guesses, I think anyone suggesting CGS 75 would be laughed off the forum, if only for the rim and bust scratch!

It might be better to look around the net, and maybe put forward said dealers and proposed coins for comments? You'd probably to learn a little bit more, as would we? Edit: I'll not make the change, but rather highlight how much I detest auto spell, and even auto word changes on this bloody iPhone! Grrr

Is it possible to bookmark threads? I've found this one particularly interesting! Good stuff!

WhooHoooooo!

Possibly - but they normally say 'Cleaned' if that is the reason for rejection!Agreed! However, everything can tone...they're saying YOUR coin has toned for a second time (or more), which implies it's been cleaned, nothing more! I wonder if it went in sensitively dipped whether they would reject it, because not ever coin is toned in life, as we know?

? Not playing the CGS game, that man!

Isn't retoned the same as cleaned? They would, in a round about way, be saying it's cleaned?

This is my favourite Elizabeth I design. Not the very best one, but you get the gist! http://www.amrcoins.com/coins-for-sale/HG-0778/

It's great on here, ain't it?