Pharaoh Pin or Badge?

[cmthunder]

Copper or brass Pharoah pin very thin with flower design on each side. Seems to have post on back at top. And some iron back top of head.
Have only cleaned with toothpick.
Can anyone recognize this face and if it represents some organization or something?
Thanks Chuck

 

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[ARC]

Little soap and an old toothbrush will go a long way.

Not sure if "pharaoh" or not... if so then perhaps an Egyptian revival" piece.

Cleaning is needed and add f/b photos.

May help.

 

[Radon]

Interesting. Looks like the there was a matching piece on the bottom like the part on top that has the post. But it's broken off now.

 

[DCMatt]

Not sure if "pharaoh" or not... if so then perhaps an "Egyptian revival" piece.

Egyptian Revival sash buckle. 1890 - 1910.

 

[ARC]

Tis one "happy" Egyptian on them buckles. heh

I guess I would be smiling if I had been "revived" :P

 

[A2coins]

Good I'd and revival lol that would look nice cleaned ip

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

What an amazing looking sash buckle find Chuck!
Looks like there's a piece broken off the bottom.

I'd love to see a pic of this baby all cleaned up and displayed in a Riker box.
Dave

 

[tamrock]

I'm leaning more towards the Victorian Etruscan revival style rather than Egyptian.

 

[Machkin]

Maybe oriental representation, Chinese (around the Qing dynasty maybe). Can't find what I'm thinking of. Only thing that pops into my head is Fu Manchu (sorry).

 

[cmthunder]

I cleaned it gently with soapy water. Should I use navaljelly on it?

 

[Inspector Comet]

I cleaned it gently with soapy water. Should I use navaljelly on it? View attachment 1807941 View attachment 1807942

Looks pretty good to me as is!! I am very wary of cleaning the things I find, maybe a little overly cautious. You can't replace detail after it's gone, though, which is why I take it easy with my cleaning strategies. If you're familiar with Aquachigger on Youtube, he doesn't even recommend cleaning with water for some finds, opting for a toothpick and patience instead, followed by a light oil rubbed in gently with your fingers to add contrast to the details. Doesn't look like the soapy water did any harm here, but if it were me, I'd use a toothpick to pick gently at any large globs of dirt that are still on it, and when you think you have it mostly clean you can try rubbing a small drop of mineral oil or sewing machine oil between your fingers and then gently rubbing your piece. If you're going to do that, start with a small section on the back so you can see how it looks. If you like how that section turns out you can do the rest of the back, if that still looks good then go for the front. That would be my recommendation as things that have been in the ground awhile can be surprisingly delicate.

Very cool find!

 

[cmthunder]

Thanks for the advice Inspector C

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Looks pretty good to me as is!! I am very wary of cleaning the things I find, maybe a little overly cautious. You can't replace detail after it's gone, though, which is why I take it easy with my cleaning strategies. If you're familiar with Aquachigger on Youtube, he doesn't even recommend cleaning with water for some finds, opting for a toothpick and patience instead, followed by a light oil rubbed in gently with your fingers to add contrast to the details. Doesn't look like the soapy water did any harm here, but if it were me, I'd use a toothpick to pick gently at any large globs of dirt that are still on it, and when you think you have it mostly clean you can try rubbing a small drop of mineral oil or sewing machine oil between your fingers and then gently rubbing your piece. If you're going to do that, start with a small section on the back so you can see how it looks. If you like how that section turns out you can do the rest of the back, if that still looks good then go for the front. That would be my recommendation as things that have been in the ground awhile can be surprisingly delicate.

Very cool find!

Great advice IC.
I tend to be somewhat more aggressive when it comes to 'restoring' some of my finds, depending on their fragility.

This piece has suffered quite a bit of deterioration to the surface of the brass, likely due to where it was found and what went on with the soil.
Chuck, you didn't offered us any background information regarding where you found this or the type of soil this piece was found in.

Personally, I don't agree with 'adding' any type of 'product' to a relics surface until it has been thoroughly cleaned.
Only after this has been done will I brush on a light combination coat of beeswax and paraffin to protect the surface from the surrounding air.

Here are examples of a pocket watch back, a horse rosette, a sash buckle and car club badge that I found and preserved in 2018 & 19.
Dave

 

[Inspector Comet]

Great advice IC.
I tend to be somewhat more aggressive when it comes to 'restoring' some of my finds, depending on their fragility.

This piece has suffered quite a bit of deterioration to the surface of the brass, likely due to where it was found and what went on with the soil.
Chuck, you didn't offered us any background information regarding where you found this or the type of soil this piece was found in.

Personally, I don't agree with 'adding' any type of 'product' to a relics surface until it has been thoroughly cleaned.
Only after this has been done will I brush on a light combination coat of beeswax and paraffin to protect the surface from the surrounding air.

Here are examples of a pocket watch back, a horse rosette, a sash buckle and car club badge that I found and preserved in 2018 & 19.
Dave

Okay, so just do whatever this guy says ^^^. Antiquarian, those results are very impressive! What would a "thorough cleaning" usually include for you?

 

[cmthunder]

Found across from a farm that dates 1694. There were 3 homes on map of 1858 in Cecil county md. The soil is very good dirt.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Okay, so just do whatever this guy says ^^^. Antiquarian, those results are very impressive! What would a "thorough cleaning" usually include for you?

I start with a bath in warm water, a tooth brush and liquid dish soap.
This is the point where preservationists and numismatists cringe... I then use a variable speed bench polisher with a fine brass wire wheel to carefully clean the surface.

I now have a fair amount of trial & error experience using this method to clean/restore brass my relics and I don't 'restore' everything that I find.
Depending on how the surface looks, sometimes I prefer to leave the verdigris on the piece.

For example, on the badge that I use for my avatar, I only used soap and water. But on these other relics I used the bench polisher with a wax paste.

For the last step, I brush on a coat of a 'Museum Quality Preservationist Wax Paste' to seal the surface from the air. This is because, once you've exposed the metal to the air it will start to darken and the look will change.
I let the paste thoroughly dry for a few hours, I then use a buffing wheel on the same bench polisher to buff the finish.

Not everyone will agree with my method of preservation, but I think the results look pretty decent.

I can also see this Pharaoh sash buckle plate cleaning up nicely using my preservation methods.
If cmthunder wanted to send it to me I would be happy to 'preserve' it for them.

Dave

 

[Coinboy]

Thats an awesome piece of history!

 

[Inspector Comet]

I start with a bath in warm water, a tooth brush and liquid dish soap.
This is the point where preservationists and numismatists cringe... I then use a variable speed bench polisher with a fine brass wire wheel to carefully clean the surface.

I now have a fair amount of trial & error experience using this method to clean/restore brass my relics and I don't 'restore' everything that I find.
Depending on how the surface looks, sometimes I prefer to leave the verdigris on the piece.

For example, on the badge that I use for my avatar, I only used soap and water. But on these other relics I used the bench polisher with a wax paste.

For the last step, I brush on a coat of a 'Museum Quality Preservationist Wax Paste' to seal the surface from the air. This is because, once you've exposed the metal to the air it will start to darken and the look will change.
I let the paste thoroughly dry for a few hours, I then use a buffing wheel on the same bench polisher to buff the finish.

Not everyone will agree with my method of preservation, but I think the results look pretty decent.

I can also see this Pharaoh sash buckle plate cleaning up nicely using my preservation methods.
If cmthunder wanted to send it to me I would be happy to 'preserve' it for them.

Dave

Thanks for the sharing your wisdom! I have a bench grinder but will have to look into a variable speed polisher... I've been eyeing one of those anyway. Sincerely appreciate the tips.