Eastern Sistan brockage

[Pellinore]

What do you think of this? It is obviously a brockage. A very thin coin, struck at one side only, the other side is a negative only. Also, the coin has been clipped to 25+mm dirham size (though it is much lighter).

AR dirham Arab-Sasanian, Eastern Sistan. Arabic governor in Zabulistan. Brockage. Obv. Khusro head t.r., but curiously angular and coarse. Rev. inverse. 26 mm, 1.75 gr.

A rare type, that I can't directly pin on a governor. Is there a way to identify him?

The hollows of this coin are still filled with earth - one can see that. Would it be sensible to try to remove it - maybe by washing?

-- Paul

[krishna]

May be some low pressure air may do the trick, water may spoil the patina and damage the coin

[Seeker55]

I think gentle picking with a wooden toothpick, gentle scrubbing with a toothbrush and water, or using an ultrasonic cleaner with a little detergent in water would be OK. I've used these techniques before and don't think these would harm the coin or its patina.

[Figleaf]

A spectacular error, Pellinore. TFS.

Since the coin is yours, it is for you to decide if you want to wash it. According to my standards, I would. Water may or may not do the trick, depending on the nature of the mud. Sand would be easy, so Murphy's law applies. Soaking it for some time will the water a chance to penetrate more deeply.

Soapy lukewarm water would solve fatty substances and increase chances of success. If it doesn't try ultrasound to shake the stuff loose and try again.

If you are still unhappy, your last chance is a wooden toothpick. Wood is softer than metal, so it can't damage the coin.

Peter

[Pellinore]

Well, I washed it carefully with a little palmolive soap. But nothing much happened.
-- Paul

[Figleaf]

Next step: ultrasound. If you don't have an ultrasound cleaner, they are cheap and useful to clean spectacles, jewellery and other stuff that gets dirty in places you can't reach. Read the manual.

Peter