beachdude
Elite Member
I have never hunted salt water beaches before, and I am wondering... What happens to silver coins and jewelry? Does the silver decay and dissolve and eventually disappear, or does it last a long time like gold does?
over time, it turns black, then develops a thick black encrusted layer...those old silver finds will dissolve/break if you aren't careful.
Yep, what he said. Most of the silver I find in the saltwater is either black or green.
ya cookie coins....some times the cookies crumble!! the thicker the coin the better chance to salvage some silver out of it...i have had many dimes turn to dust once out of the water!
Can you clean the black off? Or does that remove too much of the coin?
And how do you clean silver that has been exposed to salt water?
Found some real green ones a while back most of them can be cleaned up almost as good as new with a bit of work. After initial cleaning may need some sanding with 1000-1500 grit wet and dry paper then polished with a silver polishing cloth.Yep, what he said. Most of the silver I find in the saltwater is either black or green.