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Bronze Disease? Or unknowledgeable noob?

I'm very new to ancient coins and ordered my first from APMEX. The pictures they used were of course immaculate, the coin being listed as "Sicily, Syracuse AE 19 Hieron II (275-215 BC) VF."

The art and price point were both appealing so I ordered away!

Now, I want to preface this with saying I'm stunned with the clarity on this coin considering it's over 2200 years old and I'm overall happy with my purchase.

What I'm uncertain of is if I need to worry about these green spots on the Trident-side. I googled and of course was immediately terrified it was bronze disease and soon my new purchase would be a pitted, green messs. But more reading has led me to believe that can simply be another type of patina.

There is so much information that I end up contradicting the new information I just received right after reading it, so here I am.

https://imgur.com/CNQG6dz

Here are a few pics! The grading system seems a bit, open, with these coins. Very Fine can be anywhere from a crusty, hard to make out piece to something that looks hardly circulated. Am I missing something? Is there anyway to ensure you get a higher end Very Fine?

Thanks for the help, and excited to learn more about this fun hobby!

Comments

  • Other promised pic! Bit easier to see the potential "problem" areas.

    https://imgur.com/a/cVgSxbY

  • John ConduittJohn Conduitt Posts: 350 ✭✭✭

    Bronze disease is bright or pale green and powdery. It’s soft enough to pick off. The photos don’t look like that.

  • John ConduittJohn Conduitt Posts: 350 ✭✭✭

    In terms of grading, VF shouldn’t really be either a crusty, hard to make out piece, nor something that looks hardly circulated.

    The former is possible since technically a grade is about circulation wear, and an ancient coin has a lot of other things going on - deposits, corrosion, strike, centring etc. that might make a coin straight out of the mint look terrible. But if you can’t make it out, a VF grade is a bit pointless.

  • Good to hear it doesn't fit the profile for bronze disease, would hate to have to quarantine 'the first.'

    The grading has definitely gotten me a bit perplexed the more I looked into it, and what you've said confirms what I was seeing: there are a lot of things going on with ancient coins.

  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,898 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Learn to grade and set your own standards. Do not rely on the standards of sellers.

    All glory is fleeting.
  • John ConduittJohn Conduitt Posts: 350 ✭✭✭

    @291fifth said:
    Learn to grade and set your own standards. Do not rely on the standards of sellers.

    I agree, although with an ancient coin the grade is one of many aspects and often far from the most important. A lot depends on the coin - centring is crucial on some, and hardly matters on others, as it depends what's missing (e.g. Athena's crest on an owl). A weak strike can mean a lot of the legend is missing, or an element of the design, which can negate a high grade. Environmental damage can be ugly or attractive. Every ancient has been cleaned, the extent of which may or may not impact eye appeal. Peck marks, counterstamps and bankers' marks can make a coin more desirable - or not. If the combination of all the above makes a coin look good, it will go for more money, but you should understand what everyone else is looking for in a particular issue.

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