Coin Identification

[Bello-migration]

Hello all,

I have a coin that was given to me over twenty years ago by a relative that has since passed away. This relative worked in Egypt and if I remember correctly he claimed to be a historian. The true story of the origin of this coin was never questioned or how it came to be obtained, so I have absolutely nothing to go on.

I have never attempted to clean the coin or have had anyone try to identify it. It is approx. 3/4" in diameter and 1/8" thick (re: attachments)

Any tips of where to start with identifying this coin's origin would be greatly appreciated.

 

[the_Thing ®]

Yep, it certainly is a coin, most likely a 12 nummi coin of Heraclius, struck at Alexandria. Buried underneath the crud, the coin would look like this....

 

 

 

It is a coin from the Byzantine Empire, dating from 610 - 640 AD, and the story you have makes since because the coin was most likely struck in Alexandria Egypt. Value? Well, the history of the coin is most likely more valueable than the money. We are talking $10.00 or less, most likely.

[the_Thing ®]

Also, if you want to clean it to show much more detail (without ruining it), soak the coin in olive oil. This will take some time, months infact. The olive oil will slowly remove the deposits w/o damaging the coins original surface. Just get a jar, put some olive oil in it, and place the coin in it. Every month and a half, change out the olive oil, and when you do change out the olive oil, LIGHTLY brush away the loosened sediments before placing the coin back in the fresh oil.

[PovertyRow]

Also, if you want to clean it to show much more detail (without ruining it), soak the coin in olive oil. This will take some time, months infact. The olive oil will slowly remove the deposits w/o damaging the coins original surface. Just get a jar, put some olive oil in it, and place the coin in it. Every month and a half, change out the olive oil, and when you do change out the olive oil, LIGHTLY brush away the loosened sediments before placing the coin back in the fresh oil.

 

And don;t use any fancy Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You want the junk olive oil - aka "Pure". The Extra Virgin (first pressing) and even Virgin (2nd pressing) olive oils are less acidic. It is the acidity of the olive oil that makes it a good albeit slow cleaner. The "Pure" (lowest grade) olive oil has the most acid and should be used for this cleaning!

[TJ]

Also, if you want to clean it to show much more detail (without ruining it), soak the coin in olive oil. This will take some time, months infact. The olive oil will slowly remove the deposits w/o damaging the coins original surface. Just get a jar, put some olive oil in it, and place the coin in it. Every month and a half, change out the olive oil, and when you do change out the olive oil, LIGHTLY brush away the loosened sediments before placing the coin back in the fresh oil.

 

And don;t use any fancy Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You want the junk olive oil - aka "Pure". The Extra Virgin (first pressing) and even Virgin (2nd pressing) olive oils are less acidic. It is the acidity of the olive oil that makes it a good albeit slow cleaner. The "Pure" (lowest grade) olive oil has the most acid and should be used for this cleaning!

I did not know that! Thanks Pov! No wonder when I soak my metal detecting coins in the best olive oil money can buy, nothing happens!

[PovertyRow]

Also, if you want to clean it to show much more detail (without ruining it), soak the coin in olive oil. This will take some time, months infact. The olive oil will slowly remove the deposits w/o damaging the coins original surface. Just get a jar, put some olive oil in it, and place the coin in it. Every month and a half, change out the olive oil, and when you do change out the olive oil, LIGHTLY brush away the loosened sediments before placing the coin back in the fresh oil.

 

And don;t use any fancy Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You want the junk olive oil - aka "Pure". The Extra Virgin (first pressing) and even Virgin (2nd pressing) olive oils are less acidic. It is the acidity of the olive oil that makes it a good albeit slow cleaner. The "Pure" (lowest grade) olive oil has the most acid and should be used for this cleaning!

I did not know that! Thanks Pov! No wonder when I soak my metal detecting coins in the best olive oil money can buy, nothing happens!

 

The olive oil I have used to soak my ancient coins in is literally so awful it would ruin the taste of any food cooked in it.

 

The best olive oils do not exceed 1% acidity, while the worst are at 3.3% or more. That a big diff!

[Bello-migration]

Thank you for identifing the coin and for the cleaning tips. Very much appreciated! I will report back (with pictures of the olive oil cleaning process in a couple of months). I was wondering if anyone has tried to use an ultrasonic cleaner, such as the one available through sharper image?