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Story and how to remove dirt?
USAFRETWI
Posts: 464 ✭✭✭
Back in 1991 when I was stationed in southern Italy there were 3 of us in my shop that had detectors...had a Whites that I ordered from the Sears catalog. One of the guys I detected with got hooked up with his landlord that had an orchard outside of San Vito. This orchard had the typical waist-high stone walls around it, and busted pottery everywhere. The landlord had said we could keep everything we found and didn't seem too interested in the coins we dug up. We offered anyway and he refused. This place was one of those once in lifetime hunts. We found coins dated B.C. and after with the majority being around 900-1200 A.D. It was totally crazy, we spent months out there, every time the farmer would till up the dirt it was like starting all over. I would be picking up old Roman counter weights, flintlock hammers I know???? and just tossing them aside (duh) wish i would of kept them. Anyway, between the three of us we pulled over 250 coins, mostly bronze and a few silver.....no gold. I found 4-5 coins with no detector at all, just laying on top of freshly tilled dirt. Snuck them back to the states in my household goods, even then they were considered State property. We went to an official Government dig in a town nearby.....we left the detectors in the car or we would be busted. Kind of funny and sad at the same time, the Italians were using backhoe's looking for the Roman Elite burial sites ( I guess people with money back then were buried in a tomb with their valuables to have in the afterlife). We would walk in that field, bones and skulls everywhere.
Anyway here is a coin that came out of the field near San Vito in southern Italy (heal of the boot) Air Force had a small base called San Vito Air Station. Anyone have suggestions to get the dirt off? Italians seem to think Olive Oil but that never worked for me.
Ken
Anyway here is a coin that came out of the field near San Vito in southern Italy (heal of the boot) Air Force had a small base called San Vito Air Station. Anyone have suggestions to get the dirt off? Italians seem to think Olive Oil but that never worked for me.
Ken
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Comments
It must have been on the World Coin forum that I previously admired this find.
As I recall saying over there, I would advise leaving it alone. I find the patina it has quite appealing.
I would leave it alone.
-Z