info needed on this cob

[PI PRO]

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AT THIS, LET'S SEE WHAT YOU SEE.

[Trez]

Well 1st, I see two not so good quality photos, can you re-take?
I see enough, but can you take a few better photos?

Trez

[PI PRO]

trez, try these, this the best my camera can do. thanks for looking

[Mackaydon]

What is the weight in grams?
Yours has similarity to 8Rs that we found on the 'Capitana' (1654) in the late 90s; like here--sans the countermark, of course:
http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotvie...ade018fe49867c
Don.........

[PI PRO]

it weighs 27.5 grams, its has been clipped on 7 sides, and is very thick

[PI PRO]

i was told it was minted in seville, and the assayer is r on the left side of the coin,
i was also told the shield is that of phillip lV . this is what i was told from the seller.
thanks for everyones help. any other info is useful.

[Mackaydon]

That's possible; Seville did have an assayer with the initial "R" during that reign.
Looks like this coin: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotvie...ed86c6b6060a29

[Trez]

It is that coin Mack...looks like it was cleaned after purchase but it sure looks like the one from that auction.
or...is it?


Trez

[Mackaydon]

Trez:
To me, the shield side looks like the coin I referenced.
Don....

[Mackaydon]

PS: Actually, it looks like the exact same coin !!

[realeswatcher]

Yes, it's the same coin from Sedwick auct. 10... As Sedwick pointed out, it's Seville, Philip IIII. Note that assayer R was working at Seville for quite a while - actually for most of Philip IIII's reign.

Not sure if you bought it directly from the Sedwick auction, or if it you got it on the flip. However, unless the lighting is very deceptive, the attempt at further conservation did not turn out all that well. Some detail and contrast was lost in the process, and it's now too bright.

[PI PRO]

i just looked, that is it. by brother got this for my birthday, then he said he cleaned it
with a silver polishing rag to make it shine. i almost choked him out, he did not know
better, and it was a present. the question now is what can i do about it .
please help, my bro is kicking his own ass about this.

[Mackaydon]

Thank him again for the gift; forgive him, teach him, forget the coin and get on with whatever..........
Beating him or yourself up wont do any good. Lesson learned; move on.
Don.....

[stevemc]

Nice cob, nicer brother!!!! I wish my brother would do that.

[Trez]

i just looked, that is it. by brother got this for my birthday, then he said he cleaned it
with a silver polishing rag to make it shine. i almost choked him out, he did not know
better, and it was a present. the question now is what can i do about it .
please help, my bro is kicking his own ass about this.

Silver polishing rag? yikes.
OK, here is one of my ways to make a cob look old again.
Take elemental sulfur, mix with water to make a liquidy paste and apply to the piece (let sit for several hours and check, it may take a day depends) it will re-darken the silver.
If he polished it severely it will never again have that origional aged look and patina.
But try the sulfur, it works
I should note, try on a very small area at first or practice on a junker cob first...it took me a while at first to get it down.

PS. It is a great present and your brother bought a fine piece for you, but keep all rags out of his reach.

[realeswatcher]

Exactly, lesson learned. Don't worry too much about it, though... clearly, the piece had some accretions on it anyway, so it's not like perfect surfaces were ruined. As those splotches were somewhat unsightly, the IDEA to remove them was actually correct... it just wasn't done in the proper way. Practically speaking, not much value was lost...

As Trez brought up, coins can obviously be artificially retoned... People will (should) still be able to detect the polished surfaces, but at least the screaming bright silvery color can be muted. Trez mentioned sulfur, which is one method (remember, tarnish is silver sulfide)... Another technique is "aluminum black". I'm sure the TNet forums have lots of info on various patination methods.

[PI PRO]

i knew i came to the right site, i want to thank each one of you for your help. i told
my brother not to worry about it, it still a awesome coin, and in the right bezel
it will look great. i will try the sulfur trick. thanks again

[Silver Searcher]

Just drop it in bleach, it will go as black as you want, then work from there

SS