Duck and Cover

So long story short I've gotten my hands on some "ancient" coins (By American standards) and I spent 2 weeks removing the muck with electrolysis, some numismatics would probably burn me at the stake but I figured it's more interesting to know what I have in my hand than to remove any precious patina.

So anyways, here's my new hobby:

I'll drop them by how much interest this thread gathers, but I'll start with the following, whatcha think.



























Turns out the last coin is from 360 AD

Nice, I then assume you're buying the coins rather than looking with a metal detector. Amirite?

Well no, they are properly stolen straight from the grave actually.

My brother works as a carpenter and a guy he worked with sold some coins that I got to clean, the guy who sold them is from the middle east somewhere and was talking about grave robbing as a past time hobby lol.

It made cleaning them alittle more special since they havent been passed around so much, even though the worth of these coins is negliable looking up what they are and what they sell for.

But but... What about the CURSE??????

I've been considering getting a metal detector. Seems fun. Sadly, in communist Sweden, you need a permit to use one.

Similar laws here, find out a secluded place where an ancient battle was held and go early morning!

I fucking hate coins man but keep em coming

Alright so this was my method:








Pretty straight forward, battery + lye = transfer rust.



this one was pretty cool











Did some digging on the coins as well, the last one was


"Joint rule with Justin I (his uncle), 4 April - 1 August 527 A.D.
Justinian I served his uncle, Emperor Justin I, throughout his reign formulating most imperial policy. Recognizing his brilliance, he was rapidly promoted and in the final months of Justin's reign, he was made co-emperor. Justinian's sole rule began on 1 August 527 and lasted almost four decades during which he re-conquered much of the empire lost during the preceding century, including North Africa, Italy, and parts of Spain. He is well known for his codification of the legal system. His grand scale building program included St Sophia, which still stands as the centerpiece of modern Istanbul. Unfortunately, his ambitious efforts strained the empire's resources and depleted the treasure built by Anastasius. Most of the territory he gained was lost shortly after his death."


Basically you could buy some fish and bread for a week with it some 1500 year ago.

If you take inflation into account you should be able to buy fish and bread for a while man, five thousand tuna sandwiches Jesus style, he might have been a miracle maker but a gastronome he was not. I wonder if the food in Heaven will suck? Well not my problem probably

are you able to shrink the big photos? I love close-ups of shit stained old stuff as much as the next man but sidescrolling is making me nauseous

Hehe yea I didnt notice the sizes until they were posted, try zooming out.

Hey hyacinth you fucker, you're a swede as well. Same brand of bikarbonat I keep in my cupboard and I do spot the instant coffee in Swedish. Tho I suppose you might be from Österbotten in Finland. On the other hand the basic on the coffee implies ICA so you should be Swedish.

Heere in Latvia this coffee is premium brand from newly started hip coffe shop by harbor where Ociec the truck driver (National hero) delivers it on his route from rich scandinavian country in north. The ferry towards the west comes once per month so it is in high demand.

I have my cousin Belic deliver it to the forest where I live by horse and cart.

And the pill bottle, dat from Belic as well?
Muscle relaxant huh? Back issues?

Thatched roof says southern Sweden.
Smiley was from southern Sweden, not around much any more tho'

Yeah I'm very much not the dane asshat Smiley

But yeah, back pain sucks. I believe my potbelly is to blame for though.

Hyacinth wrote:But yeah, back pain sucks. I believe my potbelly is to blame for though.

Sorry to hear that. Here's a free tip brother: Turn that potbelly upside down & inside out, you will have a big lump on your back that will counterbalance your center of gravity when you're digging up coins with your poor posture. There's a reason Quasimodo was a hunchback and not a potbellied son of a gun; the old switcheroo is what kept the bells of Notre Dame ringing until Kashluk burnt the damn thing to the ground.

good idea!


Another good idea is to suck in the pot-belly where your lungs are, but if I had any determination I would work on my abs instead.

Well very recently I read this article in Cosmopolitan saying that lungs are the new abs, I think you should work on your lungs by holding your breath for a minute at least once an hour to develop six-pack lungs, if you stick to this regimen you should be the envy of the lung cancer ward by next summer.

Also thank you for making the pictures smaller, much appreciated!
Also also say hi to Belic from me, we go way back

Back to de-rusting.


Here you can see what happens when a nice metal turns to shit (it transfers from the coin)





Fascinating!



This one's arabic









"Balog, Coinage of the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt and Syria

�Mamluk, also spelled Mameluke, slave soldier, a member of one of the armies of slaves established during the Abbasid era that later won political control of several Muslim states. Under the Ayyubid sultanate, Mamluk generals used their power to establish a dynasty that ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250"



aka "Pre-ISIS"

Good stuff mang, keep it coming!

Hyacinth wrote:Here you can see what happens when a nice metal turns to shit

So instead of turning shit into nice metals, you... turn nice metals into shit? I applaud your mastery in the reversal of the ultimate alchemical process