Am I in trouble with you all?? 😬

[Emily]

Some of you may recall, but most likely not that I found a beautiful Roman phallic symbol a couple of years ago at my parents house in Somerset. It was perfect.

I gave it to my husband and he put it on his keychain. I had no problem with that. He loved it and liked the history of it.

2 years later it looks some what different....I think that it actually looks great with some of the patina missing. It gives it real depth, but do sometimes think it may have been better to lock it away, but then it wouldn’t have been so well appreciated.

Have any of you also experienced this??

[Dave The Slave]

You never know what you will find.
Always better on display and a great talking point.
Best of luck,
Dave.

[Roughwood]

My word! I do recall when you first displayed this...
I reckon it looks good now.

[figgis]

There are the purists who will be wailing and gnashing their gnashers, throwing a right royal wobbler about the destruction of the patina, blah, blah, etc etc, ad nauseam. Let em.

It is a special find, but to see it being used again so long after it was made... how can that be wrong?

[Steve_JT]

Being careful with how I write a response and be politically correct and not smutty.........

That's gained quite a nice appearance from some natural wear and tear that's all I can say without getting into trouble

A Roman could never have dreamt it would be used as an adornment for a modern day chariot

Regards Steve

[Count de Washers]

Better to be out and about than lying forgotten in a drawer.

[DaveP]

Emily, did it really require 3 pictures of a phallus in your hand

On a serious note there are probably three types of patina. The first applied when the object is made - think of bronze sculptures which don't come out of the mould with that lovely deep colour. Second, a patina of age through use and wear and tear, think old leather or furniture, and third, the patina of oxidation and decay which we dig up.

I suspect your Roman did not want to give his sweetheart a green phallus I think bright, clean and very well polished would have been the order of the day

[shaggybfc]

Once recorded, to bring it back into everyday use is one thing to do.
I have a few of those bronze harness rings dangling off my jacket zip that have polished up nicely over the years

[joemole]

me and the missus think it looks great . Unique.

[bob79]

Interesting Em, can't be many people who have a Roman phallic symbol lucky charm on their keyring

[Emily]

There are the purists who will be wailing and gnashing their gnashers, throwing a right royal wobbler about the destruction of the patina, blah, blah, etc etc, ad nauseam. Let em.

It is a special find, but to see it being used again so long after it was made... how can that be wrong?

I was worried that people would say that I’m destroying its history. That if you took it to an FLO in its current condition, they might now say it was a forgery as it had lost chunks of its patina.

[Emily]

me and the missus think it looks great . Unique.

Thank you. That means a lot.

[Emily]

Once recorded, to bring it back into everyday use is one thing to do.
I have a few of those bronze harness rings dangling off my jacket zip that have polished up nicely over the years

That’s a great use for them. My husband liked it, and although initially I was like ‘ahh, the patina’ Im used to it now, and think the upper layers being polished gives it depth that a full green covering didn’t quite manage.

[Emily]

Emily, did it really require 3 pictures of a phallus in your hand

There are so many jokes here that on another forum I'd be banned .... oh hang on a minute .. I am

On a serious note there are probably three types of patina. The first applied when the object is made - think of bronze sculptures which don't come out of the mould with that lovely deep colour. Second, a patina of age through use and wear and tear, think old leather or furniture, and third, the patina of oxidation and decay which we dig up.

I suspect your Roman did not want to give his sweetheart a green phallus I think bright, clean and very well polished would have been the order of the day

Yes it did require it!! Any excuse to hold a phallis in my hand.

I was worried that people would say that I had ruined it. That it should be preserved as found, and I was tempted, but my husband really took a liking to it, and I figured, some things aren’t supposed to be stuck in a drawer forever. He really cherishes it, knowing that he’s adding to its history.

I do worry every now and again that if I took it to an FLO now , in its current condition, that they would dismiss it as a forgery as it’s lost some of its patina. That they would claim that I’d completely ruined it.

[Emily]

Better to be out and about than lying forgotten in a drawer.

Agreed!!!