DOI Heft:
Artykuł i prace konserwatorskie
DOI Artikel:Röhrs, Stefan: Krakow's Laboratory of Analysis and Non-Destructive Investigation of Heritage Objects (LANBOZ) and Berlin's Rathgen-Forschungslabor (RF): an exemplary European collaboration DOI: an exemplary European collaboration
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49248#0091
KRAKOW’S LABORATORY OF ANALYSIS...
The uncertainty Limits of the MFT results were discussed within the group of the international MFT
users at the Microfading Workshop and User Meeting organized by RF in Berlin on 7-8 November 2016
(Rathgen-Forschungslabor 2016). The contribution of Julio M. del Hoyo-Melendez and Joanna Sobczyk
about the determination of the limitations and concerns of the Microfading test procedure, as well as
other contributions, have shown that further investigations are needed to fully understand the parame-
ters that influence the reproducibility of the MFT results. LANBOZ and RF are looking for new opportuni-
ties to work on the improvement of the MFT procedure.
COLLABORATION ON SILVER COINAGE
LANBOZ and RF have also collaborated on the scientific investigation of the denarii of Bolesław I the
Brave and Mieszko II Lambert, which are the oldest Polish silver coins. A nationally funded Polish project
named MONETY ('coins') was launched to study these objects in detail. The National Museum in Kra-
kow holds 72 coins of this type, followed by the Munzkabinett of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin with
39 examples, the second largest collection.
The RF's experience in the analysis of silver coinage includes a study of Greek silver drachmae do-
nated by a private collector. This study aimed to compare non-destructive p-X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF)
analysis with other analytical methods including methods that require taking samples from the object.
As these coins are several millimetres thick, samplingfrom the side of the coin was possible. AAS and ion
beam methods, such as Proton Induced Gamma and X-ray Emission (PIXE and PIXE), have been compared
with various XRF methods. Two different instruments were used for XRF; one was XRF to analyze the en-
tire surface of the coin, and the other - the p-XRF device that only measured a small spot. Several p-XRF
measurements’were taken to acquire representative results. The PIXE and PIGE were carried out at the
high energy ion beam facility of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fur Materialien und Energie GmbH (Denker
etal. 2004).
Depending on the method, thus depending on the precise point where the coin had been sampled,
the content of silver varied considerably. It can be seen in Fig. 3 that the measured copper content de-
pends on the analytical method used. This can be explained by the difference of the coin's silver content
on the surface and in the core. In some cases, the coin surface was richer in silver as a result of several
mechanisms either in the course of production or cleaning methods, or other alterations over time. The
differing analytical results were obtained because the silver content was measured in various volumes
and depths of the coin. When applying AAS, material sampled by a drill from the inside of the coin was
measured. The results were comparable to the results obtained through p-XRF at cross section that also
sampled the core material. The non-invasive XRF, p-XRF and PIXE probed the material near to the surface
of the coin. These methods also show analogous results, and much lower copper contents than the in-
vasive techniques. The results of the non-invasive PIGE technique could be situated between the results
of the invasive and non-invasive XRF and PIXE. This study shows how difficult it is to obtain conclusive
results with this type of objects. RF presented the results of its comparison study at the 2nd Meeting of
Medieval Polish Coins Project and the ArtMet Focus Action Meeting in Krakow on 12 June 2015.
The results of the analysis of the coins from the Polish collection were published in 2015 (del
Hoyo-Melendez et al. 2015). The coins in the Munzkabinett were analysed at RF in Berlin by del Hoyo-
-Melendez with a hand-held XRF and p-XRF in 2014. In order to obtain the best analytical data possible
in a non-invasive way, the coins from the Munzkabinett in Berlin were also analysed through PIGE and
PIXE in 2016. The preservation state and corrosion of the silver coins were studied the following year.
The publication of the results of the examination of the Polish medieval coins from the collection of the
Munzkabinett is scheduled for 2018.
89
The uncertainty Limits of the MFT results were discussed within the group of the international MFT
users at the Microfading Workshop and User Meeting organized by RF in Berlin on 7-8 November 2016
(Rathgen-Forschungslabor 2016). The contribution of Julio M. del Hoyo-Melendez and Joanna Sobczyk
about the determination of the limitations and concerns of the Microfading test procedure, as well as
other contributions, have shown that further investigations are needed to fully understand the parame-
ters that influence the reproducibility of the MFT results. LANBOZ and RF are looking for new opportuni-
ties to work on the improvement of the MFT procedure.
COLLABORATION ON SILVER COINAGE
LANBOZ and RF have also collaborated on the scientific investigation of the denarii of Bolesław I the
Brave and Mieszko II Lambert, which are the oldest Polish silver coins. A nationally funded Polish project
named MONETY ('coins') was launched to study these objects in detail. The National Museum in Kra-
kow holds 72 coins of this type, followed by the Munzkabinett of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin with
39 examples, the second largest collection.
The RF's experience in the analysis of silver coinage includes a study of Greek silver drachmae do-
nated by a private collector. This study aimed to compare non-destructive p-X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF)
analysis with other analytical methods including methods that require taking samples from the object.
As these coins are several millimetres thick, samplingfrom the side of the coin was possible. AAS and ion
beam methods, such as Proton Induced Gamma and X-ray Emission (PIXE and PIXE), have been compared
with various XRF methods. Two different instruments were used for XRF; one was XRF to analyze the en-
tire surface of the coin, and the other - the p-XRF device that only measured a small spot. Several p-XRF
measurements’were taken to acquire representative results. The PIXE and PIGE were carried out at the
high energy ion beam facility of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fur Materialien und Energie GmbH (Denker
etal. 2004).
Depending on the method, thus depending on the precise point where the coin had been sampled,
the content of silver varied considerably. It can be seen in Fig. 3 that the measured copper content de-
pends on the analytical method used. This can be explained by the difference of the coin's silver content
on the surface and in the core. In some cases, the coin surface was richer in silver as a result of several
mechanisms either in the course of production or cleaning methods, or other alterations over time. The
differing analytical results were obtained because the silver content was measured in various volumes
and depths of the coin. When applying AAS, material sampled by a drill from the inside of the coin was
measured. The results were comparable to the results obtained through p-XRF at cross section that also
sampled the core material. The non-invasive XRF, p-XRF and PIXE probed the material near to the surface
of the coin. These methods also show analogous results, and much lower copper contents than the in-
vasive techniques. The results of the non-invasive PIGE technique could be situated between the results
of the invasive and non-invasive XRF and PIXE. This study shows how difficult it is to obtain conclusive
results with this type of objects. RF presented the results of its comparison study at the 2nd Meeting of
Medieval Polish Coins Project and the ArtMet Focus Action Meeting in Krakow on 12 June 2015.
The results of the analysis of the coins from the Polish collection were published in 2015 (del
Hoyo-Melendez et al. 2015). The coins in the Munzkabinett were analysed at RF in Berlin by del Hoyo-
-Melendez with a hand-held XRF and p-XRF in 2014. In order to obtain the best analytical data possible
in a non-invasive way, the coins from the Munzkabinett in Berlin were also analysed through PIGE and
PIXE in 2016. The preservation state and corrosion of the silver coins were studied the following year.
The publication of the results of the examination of the Polish medieval coins from the collection of the
Munzkabinett is scheduled for 2018.
89