Cleaning an Ancient Roman Coin: a Marcus Aurelius AE As from 145 A.D.

Born Marcus Annius Verus in Rome, 121 AD, the man history would come to know as Marcus Aurelius gained the early favor of Hadrian who supervised his education. In 138, he was adopted by Antoninus Pius, and in 145 he married his daughter, Faustina. On his adoption he took the name M. Aelius Aurelius Verus, but when the title Caesar was conferred on him in 139 (a title captured on the coin featured here) he dropped the name of Verus. On his marriage, he was given tribunician and proconsular power and enjoyed limited co-government with Antoninus. He was a great student and about 146 he gave up rhetoric for Stoic philosophy. He remained a Stoic all his life, but retained the humanity of his disposition. He ascended to the purple in March 161 and immediately admitted Lucius Verus as his partner in the administration, and he betrothed him to his daughter Lucilla. In the first year of his reign Faustina gave birth to twins, one was the infamous Commodus, who was to become emperor (and one of the worst ones at that).
His reign was disturbed by attacks from all sides, and frontier wars broke out in many places. The Parthians broke into Syria and the war there was not concluded till 165, when the returning army brought back a pestilence with them that spread throughout the empire, now known as the Antonine Plague. Early in 169, Verus died and in that same year war broke out again in Pannonia and for the next ten years Aurelius was continually campaigning in Central Europe or Syria. It was during these wars that he wrote his celebrated "Meditations". He died after a short illness in 180 while still on the frontier of the Danube.
His reign was chiefly notable for legal reform. One might say he was an improver rather than an innovator. He was a careful, generous and conscientious ruler, but unlike some of the better emperors before him, he failed to see just what a terrible successor his eldest son would make, and therefore enabled both his ascension and the vices for which he would come to be known.
(The above was adapted from Roman Silver Coins, Vol 2, 3rd edition, by David Sear)
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Full Coin Attribution:
Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) Vol. III 1236
Emperor: Marcus Aurelius
Mint: Rome
Struck: 145 AD as Caesar under Antoninus Pius
Obv Legend: AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F COS II, bare head right
Rev Legend: S-C across fields, Minerva walking right, wielding spear and holding shield on left arm
Mintmark: none
Denomination: AE As
Size: 25 mm
Weight: 10.95 g
Rarity: C
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TIMECODES
0:00 Intro
0:07 Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher Emperor
0:15 Inspecting the coin, a Marcus Aurelius AE As
0:58 Cleaning the Obverse
3:22 Cleaning the Reverse
4:11 The meaning of S-C on Roman Coins
6:14 The Reveal
7:00 Coin Attribution and Rarity
7:33 Outro
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For more on Marcus Aurelius' reign and his evolution towards Stoicism, check out Mike Duncan's excellent Podcast, The History of Rome, episodes:
091 - Marcus and Lucius and the Parthians: apple.co/2RpAW9T
092 - The Parthian War: apple.co/2POyp92
093 - The Marcomannic Wars: apple.co/3vFL6SI
094 - Revolt and Meditations: apple.co/3uj3a4P
095 - The Beginning of the End: apple.co/3uiTZBB
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Music Credits
Track 1: The Valley - tubebackr [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: • The Valley - tubebackr... Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/valley
Track 2: Salon Helga - Broke In Summer [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: • Salon Helga - Broke In... Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/salon-helga
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#thisancientcoin #numismatics #coincollecting

[@johncechini9985]

Absolutely amazing restoration on that Rev. Great job!

[@quickumentaries]

I sure wish you would make more videos! I have been collecting ancients 40 years and yours are some of the best videos I have seen! Thanks!

[@thisancientcoin]

I appreciate the feedback. My real life job is getting in the way of doing the really fun things :)

[@atromitos7094]

*Constantine THE Great was a Proud Hellene and shall ALWAYS REMAIN as SUCH regardless how hard the World at Large and PARTICULARLY The AngloSaxons are trying to CHANGE HIS ORIGIN!!!*

[@bretnielsen5502]

I just did a Julia Mamamae dupondius in yellow brass I am so proud of I mounted it in a frame for my office wall.

[@courtneyoaida3359]

This is SO COOL! Great Video! Learned a lot :)

[@Numischannel]

Great job

[@DieLuftwaffel]

How can you tell sometimes what is mineralization from part of the coin? I have some coins that I have only cleaned with a toothpic and very little detail is visible. I cant tell if the layer I hit is the actual bronze of the coin and it is in poor condition, or if it is just a coating of mineral armor needing to be picked away by heavier tools to reveal something nice. Any tips? Thanks

[@chizzlemo3094]

I think on the homemade knife you should find a metal softer than bronze? Great video thanks so much for the tips

[@virgilhuston8328]

This is a great video, but in many cases I can't tell what tool you are using, especially in the fast forwarded segments. I would love to see a list of the tools you use. I personally use bamboo sticks, a wire brush, and wet towels, but I cannot get anywhere near your results. Really nice work, I would love to see something with audio explaining your process and the tools rather than a still life so to speak.

[@thisancientcoin]

A few others have made similar comments so I will endeavor to make a video focusing on the tools in the near future.

[@davidbaca8681]

Excellent work!!!!!

[@thisancientcoin]

Thank you! I just posted a new video if you'd like to check it out!

[@davidbaca8681]

@@thisancientcoin Of course, sorry, in which stores do you recommend me to buy old coins?

[@thisancientcoin]

Vcoins.com and ForumAncientCoins.com are both well known and trusted. CNGcoins.com is one of the most reputable auction sites and all of their coins come cleaned and attributed. Happy hunting!

[@davidbaca8681]

@@thisancientcoin excellent! thank you very much!

[@koleksiapasaja]

Koleksi yang indah

[@nathanielscreativecollecti6392]

Another question from me! Can you list the materials you used for final touch ups, repatenization, waxing, etc?

[@thisancientcoin]

All coins get a bit of Renaissance Wax when I’m done with them and a polish with an old, soft toothbrush after about 5 minutes. I try to avoid repatination unless it’s a last resort measure. When I do have to use it I stick with Jax’s Repatination solutions but in general I’d recommend avoiding it if you can.

[@nathanielscreativecollecti6392]

@@thisancientcoin I did notice that there were some scratches to the coin on the back, some red showing through. How did you deal with that? Also, did you get the coin from Noble roman coins or another dealer? I love your work!

[@thatoneguy7191]

Nice work! Where do you find untreated Roman coins though?

[@thisancientcoin]

Thank you! There are a number of reputable online places that guarantee authenticity. Vcoins.com is a place I’ve bought from many times and a good place to start. There are plenty to be found on eBay as well but one must be much more mindful of fakes there. I would not recommend eBay if you’re just getting started.

[@suatbasar5885]

hello, wouldn't clearing valuable coins reduce its value? Wouldn't leaving it as is retain its value?

[@stevehtut1366]

1) How many hours did it take you to clean this coin? 2) What tool were you using with a metal brush at the tip? Is that a sucker pipe? Or a blower pipe?? Congratulations 👏 for such a very patient work!! :)

[@thisancientcoin]

Thank you! 1) I don’t recall but a coin like that will take 2-3 hours of work all in all and in reality I probably should have taken another hour with it. 2) none of the tools I use have suction or air pressure. The tool you’re referring to is a simple brass brush with adjustable length bristles.

[@rubbercheck72]

Could you use a sonic cleaner? Or perhaps a water pick?

[@thisancientcoin]

Sonic cleaners do get used for cleaning coins but they’re mostly useful in getting the bulk of the dirt off. I’m most cases they’re not a complete substitute for doing the “detail” cleaning.

[@NickMeisher]

Will NGC mark this coin as 'cleaned' on the slab, lowering its value?

[@thisancientcoin]

I am not sufficiently familiar with how NGC grades coins to be able to answer that question. My apologies.

[@maxlmlllan2604]

Are these coins copper or bronze? do you typically notice bronze having a more soft green verdigris than copper? thank you! :)

[@thisancientcoin]

They are all bronze, which of course is about 88% copper. What determines the color of the patina is primarily the climate in which the coin was buried. Coins found in dry, desert climates tend to have a dark, black patina, whereas ones with a high soil moisture are more likely to have a greenish patina.

[@0529mpb]

The main large Imperial coins are the As and the Dupondius. The As is bronze. The Dupondius is brass.

[@ernieengineer3462]

Had to turn off the sound.

[@nathanielscreativecollecti6392]

Where do you find data on the rarity of a coin?

[@thisancientcoin]

Hi Nathaniel, for imperial coins the most oft used reference, and the one I use here is The Roman Imperial Coinage series of books, abbreviated as RIC. It is also the source of the attribution. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Imperial_Coinage?wprov=sfti1

[@heanvisalseyhak9487]

I have a beat up old bronze coin of Cambodia 1860, my coin is probably dug up is beat up , the letter disappeared and the coins have a green color literally stuck on it , not just the dirt idk how to clean it or let alone restore it

[@thisancientcoin]

The green color is the patina and you will want to take care not remove that as it acts as a protective coating. To remove the dirt soak the coin in deionized water for about a week and then try to pick it off with a bamboo skewer. Good luck!

[@sajidamin309]

I have 1x Vima Kadphises Copper Ancient Coin... Plz share this market value...

[@trilhadosadventure]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@simonech8312]

Как вы патину перекрасили в ярко- зелёный?

[@AncientNumis]

Cool video! And really good cleaning :)) I'm an ancient coin collector and I also make KZbin videos, so it's really cool to see others doing it too!

[@thisancientcoin]

I really appreciate the feedback and support!

[@AncientNumis]

@@thisancientcoin :D

[@user-bw4fp7ky9w]

I have one like that🎉

[@thai-duytran6997]

Should have use a sharp wooden toothpick or wooden skewer to probe and remove dirt, as sharp pointy metal utensils will scratch the patina. Still a good video.

[@thisancientcoin]

I agree. I was a bit too aggressive with this one. Thanks for the comment

[@javiermagdaleno8345]

Nice work brother. but as far as coin collecting, I think that's the worst thing you can do. nevertheless, how can I get you to clean one of my, 330 ad coin,? Constantine the Great.✌️💙🏇🏇

[@kingston163]

Too much hard work, why not do by electrolysis, quicker and far better result without tooling marks?

[@thisancientcoin]

Because with electrolysis you strip the original patina along with the crud. I know many people do it but for me it’s a last resort tool since I think it devalues the coin.

[@kingston163]

@@thisancientcoin For 30+ years I've no problem and trade. Electrolysis is not the issue (caution: all units used are NOT equal in control or quality) but the practitioner implementing. Examine why? Adjust accordingly until you get it (the variables) right.

[@thisancientcoin]

I would love to learn more about how to do it properly. Any chance you’d consider posting a video on it?

[@marksmith-bi1xr]

I wouldn't have touched the obverse.

[@riddlegunnermanuel6503]

If I clean my coins the way u telling me it'll take me years..i own 200 roman..greek..babylon..turkish coins

[@thisancientcoin]

Different coins will take different levels of cleaning and take different duration. For example, I cleaned about 150 Roman and Greek coins in about 2 years and occasionally I go weeks without touching a coin. It ultimately depends what your purpose is in collecting them. Preserving the initial state as much as possible is important to me, and I would argue it should to everyone collecting them but I understand if you disagree.

[@riddlegunnermanuel6503]

@@thisancientcoin whats the value of these coins?

[@thisancientcoin]

It can vary wildly depending on the type of coin, its condition, rarity, historical significance, etc. Some go for as little as $3. Others can go for thousands to tens of thousands. The one in this video goes between $80 and $160, depending on the level of detail on the coin.

[@Trtlman]

Congrats, you ruined and devalued a great coin

[@ev6558]

Congrats, you don't understand the difference between dirt and patina but you're here to vomit your ignorance into a comment section with the confidence of someone who does.

[@terrahistria]

Yes ❤

[@terrahistria]

Yes ❤

[@thisancientcoin]

Any constructive feedback you might have would be appreciated.

[@tparty22]

Well he is right. Scratching metal, destroying patina and probably puting a fake one on.

[@atromitos7094]

*Constantine THE Great was a Proud Hellene and shall ALWAYS REMAIN as SUCH regardless how hard the World at Large and PARTICULARLY The AngloSaxons are trying to CHANGE HIS ORIGIN!!!*