Methods for applying patina to copper coins. Patination of coins Applying patina to coins

Patination of coins (artificial aging) is used to give the coin an appearance corresponding to the age of the coin. Patination may be required after cleaning the coin, when the native patina is damaged or completely destroyed, as well as to give the coin a more aesthetic appearance.

Depending on the material of the coin, there are a fairly large number of methods for applying patina to the coin. Below are the most common.

Patination of copper coins with sulfuric ointment

To demonstrate the various methods of applying patina, modern coins will be used - 1 US cent. This coin is minted from copper, like many old coins. And most importantly, on several completely identical coins, you can try different patination methods and compare the result.

Sulfuric ointment is applied to the coin and literally within a few seconds it darkens. After treatment with sulfuric ointment, its residues must be washed off with soapy water. The patina obtained from the sulfuric ointment has a rather rich black color. The resulting patina is not strong enough and if the coin is rubbed with felt, it is erased, this should be used to give a more embossed and contrasting appearance to the coin.

Patination of copper coins with ammonia vapors

In order to apply a patina to a coin with ammonia, you need to place the coin for 10-30 minutes in a closed container with ammonia vapor, but do not allow the coin to come into contact with the liquid. From a technical point of view, everything is simple, but when it comes to implementation, some difficulties can arise.

When preparing materials for this article, 2 coins were hopelessly ruined. To prevent this from happening, you should follow simple recommendations:

Since ammonia has a strong odor, patination should be done in a closed jar or container.
The coin must either be hung up, fastened to a edge, or placed on any object inside the container, but not simply, but on a cotton pad, this will allow the coin to be covered with patina evenly on both sides.
At the bottom of the container, pour a little ammonia (5-10 grams), it is best to do this at the very end after the rest of the preparations and immediately close the lid.
In no case should you heat a closed container, this will lead to the formation of condensation on the coin and a very uneven patina.

Vapors of ammonia in just a few minutes cover the coin with an even layer of patina of a pleasant brown color. The coin stops shining and looks very attractive. If the coin is left for several hours, then the patina does not become more saturated, but centers of corrosion begin to appear.

Patination of copper coins with potassium permanganate and copper sulfate

Patination of coins in a solution of copper sulphate and potassium permanganate gives a quick result and a pleasant brown patina. A coin or other object must be immersed for 1-2 minutes in a boiling solution.

To prepare the solution, it is best to use distilled water, add 1 gram of potassium permanganate and 1 gram of copper sulphate to one glass of water (200 ml), mix the solution thoroughly and put it on the stove in a bowl that is not a pity - after patinating the coins, washing the container most likely will not work .

The longer the time the coin is in solution, the darker the patina can be obtained - after 10 minutes, the patina becomes almost black. The 1855 penny from the example spent about 1 minute in a boiling solution. The image of the coin before cleaning it with Trilon-B is also shown.

Patination of silver coins with sulfuric ointment

Silver coins do not need as much patina as copper coins, but often after cleaning silver coins are sparkling white and require a patina to give an older appearance.

To apply a patina on a silver coin with sulfuric ointment, almost the same operations are carried out as on a copper coin, but there are some differences. First, the coin should be cleaned in ammonia or citric acid so that the surface is clean and there are no uneven areas. Next, sulfuric ointment is applied to the coin, applied in a uniform thick layer. Since silver is much less chemically active than copper, patina is formed much more slowly. To speed up the application of the patina, the coin must be heated; at home, it is best to put the coin on a cotton pad or soft cotton cloth and heat it with a hair dryer. In 1-2 minutes, the silver coin completely darkens. After the coin should be washed with soap to remove the remnants of the ointment.

After applying the patina, the coin was rubbed with felt so that the patina on the protruding parts of the coin would be slightly erased and the relief could be more clearly visible. For this coin, such an operation gives a more advantageous appearance, but for heavily worn coins it allows you to raise the relief and sometimes distinguish details that were not noticeable before.

Patination of silver coins with egg

This is the easiest way to patina, no reagents are needed at all, in addition, the process is not fast and it is always possible to stop at the desired degree of patina.

For patination with an egg, you need to hard boil one chicken egg, when the egg cools to a temperature slightly above room temperature, it must be cleaned and put in a container (ordinary plastic with a lid), then put a silver coin or several in the container and close the lid. It is better not to use a hot egg, as it is not convenient to clean, and steam comes from the hot one and condensation may form on the coin, which will lead to an uneven patina. It is worth noting that it is advisable to pre-clean the coin with ammonia or citric acid so that the surface is completely clean and the patina lies evenly.

These 5 stamps were egg-patinated for five hours in a closed container, while the coin was turned over several times during the patination. A coin patinated with an egg produces a very specific patina, the so-called rainbow, it is very durable and shimmers in different colors depending on the viewing angle.

Patination of bronze / brass coins by electrolysis

In most cases, bronze or brass coins do not need additional patina, this is due to the fact that they naturally quickly become covered with a strong protective film of oxides and are perfectly preserved in this form.

But sometimes, during the cleaning process or during long-term storage in the ground or inappropriate conditions, the coins become covered with uneven spots with a patina of different colors. In other words, when a brass coin with good relief does not look beautiful, you can try to cover it with a patina using electrolysis.

These five kopecks are a dug coin; oxides of uneven color have formed on it in the ground over decades. Electrolysis was used to give it a uniform patina. A soda solution was used as an electrolyte, the current source was a charger for a car battery (current 2 A), a coin was attached to "-", a sacrificial coin was attached to "+" (about the same nickel, it is important that the metal is the same , as for the processed coin). Patina application time - 2 minutes. After electrolysis, the coin was ground in a soda slurry.

Often, after cleaning, the coin looks really bad, I would even say not really bad. This is mainly due to the fact that the so-called patina was destroyed and the coin remained in the negligee. Selling such a coin is very problematic. It is necessary to prepare it a little for sale (like a car), i.e. apply patina.

Patination of copper coins, in principle, is not very difficult. The main difficulty is that the acquired color resembles natural as much as possible. There are many ways to patinate copper coins, each has its pros and cons. I only use three methods. I'll tell you a little about them.

Patination of copper coins with manganese and copper sulfate. Many numismatists consider this method to be the most “ideal”, since the color of the coin can be made from red to dark brown, and this induced patina will be very similar to natural. Patination occurs as follows - in water heated to 90 degrees (0.5 liters), add 3-4 grams of manganese and about 10 grams of copper sulfate. Mix everything and place coins in this solution. Warm the solution slightly as it cools. Turn the coins every 5 minutes and check their color. Achieve the color to become bright brown. A big plus of this patination is that the color is beautiful and relatively resistant to washing off.

Patination of copper coins with sulfuric ointment. "Real" numismatists despise this method, which is quite simple. Take a coin and smear it lightly with your fingers with sulfuric ointment. All this should be done in barely warm water. Water is needed so that the staining process is slower. At the output, the color of the coin will be from dark brown to matte black. The advantage is that the most dead coin can be revived a little, and the disadvantage is that the color is unnatural and the patina is very easily washed off. In order to make the patina natural, after patination with sulfuric ointment, the coin must be rubbed with a soft cloth dipped in oil. Sometimes you can achieve a very good color.

I really like to patinate copper coins in a natural way, i.e. sun and air. He conducted such an experiment - he put the coins, cleaned to the very "nudity", on the roof of the house. I turned over the coins every two weeks. For four months the coins were burned by the sun and washed by the rain. The result was normal - the color from bright red to dull brown. If the coins had lain in the open air for at least 7-8 months, then they would have become ideal. I highly recommend this method for those who are not in a hurry. The result will be amazing.

Everyone knows that collecting is a rather scrupulous occupation. Absolutely every numismatist can spend weeks looking for the coin he needs in a suitable condition, but unfortunately a small number of old coins are in a satisfactory condition.

And so you often have to buy coins that do not meet your expectations. Because of this problem, the numismatist community has found several methods for giving copper coins the desired appearance.

When and why is patination of copper coins necessary?

There are several reasons why numismatists patinate coins:

The coin was bought or found in a bad condition. For example, now there are quite a lot of copper kopecks on the market, which were dug up with a metal detector. In this case, centers of corrosion are formed on the “copper”, which must be eliminated. There are cases where the find already has a beautiful patina, but this is rather an exception. It strongly depends on the soil and the place where it was found.
The second reason for the manipulations is the ignorance of the previous owners of the value of the preserved patina. Most often, it is erased in an attempt to give shine. Or it is thrown into acid, after which its color turns yellow-orange.
Increase in cost. Undoubtedly, a copper coin in a brown patina will interest the buyer more than an identical copy covered with green spots. At first glance, their safety is the same, but people are willing to overpay a little for the appearance.

Patination is the artificial aging of objects. It is carried out by a chemical reaction, during which a film or plaque is formed.

Today we will tell you in detail about the best methods and instructions for applying patina. Do not think that this is a simple task, in the process you need to observe the proportions of substances, otherwise you can lose a rare coin forever.

Recipes for patinating copper coins at home

We will give you the best recipes for self-patination of coins. If you want to achieve a decent result, then do not be lazy to pre-prepare the material.

A copper penny of the Russian Empire in need of cleaning

These words mean cleaning from oxides and various metal growths.

We advise you to start this procedure on inexpensive specimens in order to practice a little. Don't be upset if something doesn't work out for you. The first time it is difficult to achieve the desired result. All comes with experience.

Sulfuric ointment

Sulfur patination is not the best option for a collector because it will easily rub off even with a sponge.

The color, too, cannot be called natural, it will give off a gray tint.

The technology is quite simple and is carried out in three stages:

Apply sulfuric ointment to a coin immersed in warm water,
Wait until she gets the right color.
Wash off any remaining ointment with soapy water.

Warm water is needed for the reaction to proceed slowly. This will help you to more accurately match the color tone.

The use of sulfur ointment on the example of a copper cent in 2009

The only advantage of using sulfuric ointment is the simplicity and speed of the appearance of patina.

Manganese and copper sulfate

If you want the coin to be covered with a strong uniform patina, then the method using manganese and copper sulphate is best suited. It will give the most natural color to the product. Instructions for preparing the solution are not difficult.

A good example of the use of a solution of manganese and vitriol

In total, 3-4 grams of manganese, 10 grams of copper sulfate and half a liter of water heated to 90 degrees Celsius will be required. When patinating, do not forget to turn the coin over, otherwise the sides will differ in color.

Try to keep the proportions, otherwise you may not only not improve, but also lose the relief forever.

Also keep an eye on maintaining the temperature, so do not forget to heat the solution from time to time. There is no exact time frame for the stay of the coin in solution, you just need to wait until the patina evenly lies.

Conclusion

After reading our article, you can give a beautiful old look to copper coins yourself.

The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment and try each of the methods described above.

So you can compare the results yourself. Remember that the methods described are only suitable for copper coins, other alloys require different solutions accordingly.

Video: Patination or aging of copper coins

The protective film on metal is called patina. The patination of the coins gives them the look of antiquity. We can say that this is artificial aging. Often, patination is applied after cleaning the coins, since the native protective film can be damaged or completely destroyed. How to apply a patina to a copper coin at home, and what is needed for this?

Patination methods

In order to give an aesthetic appearance to coins, to increase the sale price, several methods of applying patina are used.

Coin before and after patina

Patination of copper coins can be done at home using:

ammonia;
sulfuric ointment;
manganese and copper sulfate;
sodium hyposulfite;
gas stove;
ammonia.

1) If you want to give a copper coin a nice brown color, ammonia can be used for patination. To do this, place the coin in a closed container with a vapor of alcohol, while the coin should not touch the liquid. To do this, hang the coin or place it so that all its sides can be covered with an even film. A closed container must not be heated, as condensation may form, resulting in uneven patination. Leave the coin for a couple of minutes only, do not overdo it.

2) In order to give the coins a dark brown color, apply sulfuric ointment to them, rubbing them in thoroughly. But do it underwater. When the coin begins to darken a little, take it out of the water. Dry well with a napkin, because if you do not remove all the sulfuric ointment, then the coin may turn black. After all the procedures, leave it alone for two days, then polish it with vaseline oil.

3) Patinating copper coins with manganese or copper sulfate is a good way to get a light or dark brown. To do this, make a solution of half a liter of water, three grams of manganese, 30 grams of vitriol. Heat it up to 90 degrees, put the coins in the solution for five minutes, but every minute turn them over to the other side. Take it out, look at the color, if it is pale, put more. After you have achieved the desired shade, rub the coin thoroughly with your fingers.

4) Use sodium hyposulfite for a bronze color. Dip a coin into it for a few seconds and wipe well with a napkin.

5) A copper coin can be heated on gas. Hold the coin with the clip and heat it up until golden, then brush it with baby cream with your fingers. The coin will be covered with a light brown film.

6) Another way to get a light brown patina is more complicated. To do this, you need a rust neutralizer and pieces of copper. We wait until the color of copper turns bluish-green, after which we take it out of the neutralizer and put coins in it. Rinse the coin with water and apply sulfuric ointment.

7) You can patinate the coin with ammonia. To do this, take a container, pour ammonia on the bottom. Put a glass or a glass, put a cotton pad on top, a coin on it. The coin must not touch the ammonia, it is patinated in pairs. Be sure to close the container. Fifteen minutes later, flip the coin to the other side.

It takes a lot of skill to apply patina correctly. After several attempts, you will already know how to achieve the desired effect. Patinated coins are cheaper than items with a "native" protective film, so only patinate coins after the film has been destroyed or damaged.

How to recognize a patinated coin?

Artificial patina can be recognized if:

the color lay unevenly;
the film is applied over scratches and damage;
the shades turned out unnatural;
the patina did not color the product in the recesses;
surface coloring.

With the help of patination, copper coins will again take on the look of old coins in various shades.

Hello dear readers. In the next article, we will tell you what coin patination is and how to do it. Cleaning and patination of coins are almost always connected with each other. Often, after the cleaning process, we get an unnatural shine of the coin or an unpleasant shade of color. “Now cut off half of the initial price,” forum experts grumble, examining your freshly cleaned copy. To return the coin to its usual form, a means for patinating coins or pointing the patina manually will help. Coin patination methods depend on the metal with which we have to work.

patination theory

The word "patina" seems to us primordially Russian, like "old" or "homeland", but it came to us from the Italian language. It appears due to a chemical reaction that transforms the surface of the coin. On silver or copper, the patina looks beautiful, while the patina on an aluminum coin is a cloudy film, which is why such specimens lose value. Spotted or partial patina also does not add to the charm of the coin. Therefore, the patina that disfigures the appearance of the coin is removed. It should be remembered that patina is part of the coin. If the oxidation processes have affected the deep layers, then after cleaning, instead of a coin, we will get a thin plate with shapeless ruts instead of a pattern. But even well-preserved coins can look unsightly after cleaning. This is especially true of copper coins, which take on a reddish color. However, it is possible to restore the appearance of undisturbed antiquity to the coin. For this, patination is used - the process of inducing an artificial patina.

Availability of patina guidance

It seems to an unprepared collector that in order to restore a patina, one must be almost a medieval alchemist or work in a large chemical laboratory. This is wrong! Most types of patina are applied in simple ways using readily available ingredients. Despite the fact that the patination of coins is the application of an additional layer that gives the surface of the specimen a beautiful color, the defects of the coin induced patina won't hide. Dark spots, ruts, nicks, smudges, etc. will remain in place, they will only change color. According to experienced collectors, artificial patina will not add anything to the price of a coin. But the patina, induced by experienced hands, is no different from the natural one, and the coin acquires a very attractive appearance in the eyes of potential buyers. The processes of inducing patina for different metals are fundamentally different. Simply put, there is no universal method. Let's look at some.

Patination of copper coins

There are many ways to put a patina on copper. The method using manganese and copper sulfate is very popular. If there is only a standard package (3 grams) of manganese, then take 10 grams of copper sulfate per half liter of water. If manganese is taken in the amount of five grams, copper sulfate will need 20 grams per liter. The solution is heated to 90 degrees. When the desired temperature is reached, we place the coins in the solution. The temperature should be controlled by heating the solution and periodically turning the coins over. The result: a wash-resistant bright brown patina. Pay attention to the toxicity of vitriol and take the measures required when working with toxic substances.

Fixer (sodium hyposulfite) puts a patina on clean and fat-free coins. We keep the coins in the solution from 10 seconds to half a minute. Removed coins are wiped with a cloth. When the coin dries, patination will give it a bronze color. The easiest way is to heat the coin in the flame of a gas stove burner when the test specimen turns light brown. Copper plating is also a simple option, although less popular. Patination of coins with sulfuric ointment is also not a difficult way. Work must be carried out in water. Rubbed with ointment, the coin gets a patina of dark brown or grayish color. For clarification, after a forty-minute pause, the coin is first polished with a napkin, and then washed with a soapy brush. Experts do not recommend sulfuric ointment, but for experiments with simple methods, it is quite suitable.

Patination of silver coins

Silver is advised to be patinated with ammonia (an ordinary vial of ammonia). For half an hour, the coin is placed in the freezer. Fixing the experimental specimen with tweezers by the edge, hold it from a minute to three over an open bubble. As soon as the coin acquires the desired gray color. Then we wash the coin in water and dry it. For those who don't want to mess around with ammonia, a simple hard-boiled chicken egg will do. It is cut into pieces and covered with a glass jar along with a coin placed on edge. Patination of coins in this way is fast: the change in color is visible to the eye. However, if the color does not suit you, it will not be easy to wash off the induced patina.

When everything happens by itself

If you put a patina on bronze coins, then you can use methods suitable for silver. But there is a way to patinate bronze coins in a natural way. To do this, bronze coins must be constantly exposed to sunlight. The sun helps to get a beautiful and even patina on bronze in one and a half to two years. Of course, this method cannot be called an express method, but there is no need to wait half a century either. Returning to copper, remember the advice to keep the cleaned coins in a jar of matches. The results are mixed, but you can experiment on inexpensive copies. At home, they try patination with wood. Certain types of wood release tannins, which contribute to the production of "cabinet" patina.