My hunting buddy found a very nice Silver dollar today, It's posted on eye popping mind blowing. Beautiful silver dollar but it is blackened around the edges. What cause this. Different soil conditions, Wet ground, Chemicals. Any ideas. It just made me wonder so thought i'd throw it out there for discussion. I had found one last week and no discoloration at all. But have seen two this week that were. Both were found in places that no way could they have been counterfeit.
Blacken silver coins. What causes it?
- Thread starter towzilla
- Start date
Isaac43
Banned
Oxidation of silver. They tarnish black/grey after being exposed to oxygen for a long time.
Wouldn't coins be exposed to oxygen all the time everywhere?
Silver does not oxidize under normal circumstances - the black tarnish is caused by sulfide. In wet or swampy areas (saturated soil), bacteria in the soil will generate hydrogen sulfide which will react with silver. That's my understanding, though I'm not a chemist.
Shipwreck silver is often oxidized to the point that a Riale looks like one half of an oreo cookie. Crack that open along the horixontal axis and inside is a shiny silver coin. Imwonder how many folks wandering along beaches in the Gulf found one of thes "flat round black rocks" and sent it skipping over thewater, counting the splashes? LOL
NoelGZ
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
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- 296
Haha that made me laugh
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