By virtue of their having been exposed to naturally occuring chemicals in the ground, air and water, virtually all ancient coins require a greater or lesser degree of conservation at some point in their collectable life, be it at the time of being found or indeed decades later.
Conservation may be required to remove active corrosion (as in the case of bronze disease) or unsightly chemical residues as a result of storage in pvc based plastic holders. Conservation may also be undertaken to remove naturally occuring encrustations that obscure important detail. Removal of copper based compounds or silver chloride are routine procedures on bronze and silver coins.
If you would like to discuss conservation of a coin in your collection, please contact us or call us on +44 (0)20 7846 7115.
