I purchase uncleaned ancient coins from a variety of vendors and I clean them myself. It is a relaxing hobby for me and I greatly enjoy it. Below are a few of my favorites.
This is one of the first coins that I cleaned. It is of Elagabalus who ruled from 218 to 222 AD. This coin was minted in Marcianopolis in Moesia Inferior and is considered a Roman Provincial coin. He ruled from age 14 to age 18. I have a couple of pages devoted to Elagabalus at the previous link.
This was a coin that I won in a contest from commonbronze (now closed unfortunately). It started as an uncleaned coin and after a lot of time and work, this is the result, a very nice Caligula.
This was a coin that I cleaned for the MMV (2005) coin cleaning contest. It won first place in the Greek portion of the competition. This coin is from Ptolemais-Ake, Phoenicia- AE15. (2.4g). Obv: Jugate heads of Dioskuroi right. Rev: Cornucopia. Reference for this coin is Lindgren 2311; SG 6046. Ptolemais-Ake was a small ancient port city in Phoenicia to the south of Tyre. Minted 174-165 BC. My prize for winning this portion of the contest was a pair of Julius Caesar coins, one an authentic coin, another a modern fake of the same coin.
above coin prior to cleaning
Marcus Aurelius, Reigned 7 March 161 - 17 March 180, Adopted Son and Heir of Antonius Pius, Co-Emperor with Lucius Verus until Lucius Verus' death in 169. Died 17 March 180 AD, Natural causes Obverse: ΑV Κ Μ ΑVΡ ΑΝΤΩΝEΙΝΟC (av k m avp antVneinoc) (AV K M AVP ANTwNEINOC) Reverse: ΜΗΤ ΝƐΩ ΝƐΙΚοΜΗ (mhtneV neikomh) (MHTNEw NEINOC). Towered and veiled head of Tyche right with corn-ears before. This was another of my very first coins, From the same batch as my first Elagabalus. However this coin was badly corroded and took quite a while to clean up even to the state that it is currently in. It took even longer to figure out who was on the reverse. The diameter is 25mm and is 11.78g, die axis 180. Minted in Nikomedia (Nicomedia) 139-180, Bithynia. Reference: Lindgren A165a; Rec.Gen. 93, PL XCI, 15; Von Aulock 760
This is a coin of Tranquillina, wife of Gordian III from 241 - 244 AD. Obverse: C ΑΒΙ ΤΡΑΝΚVΛΛЄΙΝΑ CЄ (cABI TRANKvLL¥INA c¥) (CABI TpANKVlleINA Ce), diademed & draped bust right. Reverse: ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΠΟΛЄΙΤΩΝ (aDRIANOPOL¥ITVN) (AdPIANOpOleitwN), Three Graces. The diameter is 24mm and is 6.59g, die axis 0 deg. Minted in Hadrianopolis, Thrace 241-244. It is rarer coin with an interesting reverse.
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