Ancient Coins: Taking care of your Bronze Coins

Taking care of bronze coins is not hard! They have some unique quirks when compared to their precious metal counterparts, but you should not shy away from owning these gorgeous pieces of ancient art! Today, lets explore the things you need to have in consideration when amassing a bronze coin collection, and how to make sure your coins will look great in the future.

Here are some reference material for the treatment of Bronze Disease, if it happens to appear on your coin:

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[goblinempress]

Most of my coins are bronze since I don't have much money right now. They are still beautiful and I would recommend to anyone who likes ancient coins! I keep mine in a box for 2x2s in flips with a pack of silica.

[wollin]

Always a thrill when a new video of you appears ! Thank you so much !

[compatriot]

Black is probably the most beautiful patina in my opinion. My first ever ancient was a stunning black Constantine. It really makes the details pop out

[Orionstar]

Excellent video as always! As someone who really tends to the precious metal coins, you convinced me to check more carefully the bronze coins, you have some truly beautiful bronze specimens! :)

[isabelcrb]

Thank you for your videos. Your channel is my favorite. I have watched all your videos and waiting for more! keep doing please!

[siisjwj]

Bronze is so under appreciated in general from US coins to Greek. I love the wide variety of patinas, the only thing thats something to desire is that copper in general is too dependent on lighting.

[flaccidvs]

Well said! Amazing video! It would be interesting to see a similar video regarding silver coins as well!

[BopWalk]

This is why its a good idea to use rennesaince wax on bronze coins. This will protect them from oxidation and even moisture.

[maxtravers]

That black coin is absolutely breathtaking… I think it’s almost more beautiful

[bvds]

I started collecting Roman coins as a kid, with pretty much zero purchasing power. So, problematic coins were the only ones I could hope to afford, if I was lucky. I got much satisfaction from them, just as well.

[bretnielsen]

I just finished a yellow bronze dupondus of Julia Mamaea I am so proud of the way it turned out I mounted and famed it for my office wall. The detail truly a work of art from easily done with the first few strikes of the dies.

[jackdaniels]

lovely video! great info on bronze disease! do remember that bronze disease is that the powder is what spreads the disease, so it is always best to keep the coin isolated from your coins + other places you store/put coin, like trays like how you did in the video!

when examining a coin with bronze disease, if you're holding it over your tray, that powder falls on that tray, and whenever you put another coin on that spot, it is infected. bronze disease is even more contagious than pvc, so it could theoretically spread from coin to coin if not careful. but i appreciate that you pointed out the importance of storing coins in seperate flips...really important info.

cheers!

[leonardolatini]

My Roman collection is a mix of denominations and I have many bronze: quadrants, Ae, Dupondius, Sestertii and Follis. All my coins are kept in capsules and storage on storages display with near a silica bag. I never touched or removed the patina on it for bronze or silver because I want to conserve and protect them in the status I purchased.

[aka]

Okay, i can show a photo of a seterz? i think my coins got a coin i am not sure. After looking throough the links you posted, i am now sure my bronze coin has disease. Damn. Anyway, thanks for explaning!

[alvarofranco]

Hi Leo, in case of a coin having bronze disease, is cleaning it with mechanical methods and covering it with renaissance wax effective (not having the problem advance) or not really useful? Thanks!

[bobtimster]

As a newbie to this hobby, I have learned a great deal about collecting ancient coins just from watching your videos. Let me ask a question regarding bronze disease that you mentioned in this video. I have a bronze coin (Alexander lifetime issue, which is why I bought it), which looks like it has a nice patina, but there is a tiny green spot on the obverse of the coin. Does that mean I'm headed for big trouble down the line with this coin?

[varlamdadiani]

Great video! Can I store silver and bronze coins together in box like yours? Or should I keep them separate

[aurel]

Excellent video! Thank you. Do you know what causes silver coins to develop a dark or "cabinet" tone. I possess coins with presumably high silver content (Domitian/Antoninus denarii) with this toning.

[Haveafoodtime]

Question if you're still reviewing comments. Are you against using a pH neutral/acid free microcrystalline wax?

[briank]

How can you tell what green on a bronze coin is bronze disease and what is not? I am looking at a bronze coin of Caligula and it has a lot of green on it. I am not sure if it is inert or needs to be dealt with. The coin is in a NGC holder, so I dont know if that makes a difference or not.