Graying cleaned silver

may

I’ve already made a thread on this, but I want to start fresh. I got these coins from an old subscription service in the early 2000’s, most are cleaned, but is there any way to make them more “dirty”?

logger7

Wayte Raymond or Meghrig holders have more sulphur. Could take years.

TomB

Carry them around in your pockets and handle them regularly with grimy fingers. The hairlines won't go away simply from toning them down in a sulphur laden album, though the coins might get darker. Truly, they wore down originally from usage and if you handle them again with dirty, but non-gritty, fingers you may get them to an acceptable point. Other than that, I would suggest to just sell them and buy what you like.

DNADave

I have a similar problem with these beauties. I’m going to get them dirty with some grease or similar sticky substance. Get some dust/dirt in the details and repeat. Not to deceive but just to get the shine off.

BillJones

You can store them in envelopes made of paper that is not sulfur free. I used to do that years ago. It takes several years, but the results are often not bad. There is not much you can do about the hairline cleaning scratches and polishing.

may

@TomB said:
Carry them around in your pockets and handle them regularly with grimy fingers. The hairlines won't go away simply from toning them down in a sulphur laden album, though the coins might get darker. Truly, they wore down originally from usage and if you handle them again with dirty, but non-gritty, fingers you may get them to an acceptable point. Other than that, I would suggest to just sell them and buy what you like.

Do some gardening, then play with coins?
Awesome!

logger7

@DNADave said:
I have a similar problem with these beauties. I’m going to get them dirty with some grease or similar sticky substance. Get some dust/dirt in the details and repeat. Not to deceive but just to get the shine off.

Polished coins like that are hopeless, they are damaged. Slight overdipping can sometimes be reversed to be market acceptable, but once the silver metal is gone, it's gone for good.

anablep

This entire thread of cleaned coins is triggering me and I'm not even a snowflake.

may

Well, it worked. They look gray n’ good.

silviosi

Why to fake the reality? Just for pocket win?

dsessom

@Ownerofawheatiehorde said:
I’ve already made a thread on this, but I want to start fresh. I got these coins from an old subscription service in the early 2000’s, most are cleaned, but is there any way to make them more “dirty”?!

You want to turn your silver coins dark? (tarnish them?)

Wrap them in a thin cotton rag, and put them into a Ziplock bag with a couple freshly boiled (remove the shell) eggs.
They hydrogen sulfide gas emitted by the boiled eggs will turn the silver dark in a matter of days to weeks. I would not recommend doing this, but you asked a question, and I'm providing a valid answer.

lkenefic

When my son lost teeth as a child, the "Tooth Fairy" would bring him shiney WLHs and Franklin halves from the bulk bin at my local B&M shop... he wasn't much of a collector and I ended up picking them up off the floor on several occasions. They toned up nicely after a while...

steveben

put them in a box filled with war nickels. shake the box around every now and then. wait years.

ricko

The egg yolk trick is the fastest way to tarnish silver coins.... A few pieces of yolk in a ziploc bag with the coins will do the trick... Keep an eye on them, it can happen quickly. Cheers, RickO

ElKevvo

@DNADave said:
I have a similar problem with these beauties. I’m going to get them dirty with some grease or similar sticky substance. Get some dust/dirt in the details and repeat. Not to deceive but just to get the shine off.

Yeah I don't like polished halves either but since they are just 90% 'junk silver' I don't do anything with them. I would think that since most of the fine hairlines etc. have been polished off that any dirt etc. they would be exposed to would most likely slide off like an egg in a Teflon pan! Darken them with the egg-in-a-bag trick if the shine really bothers you or just give them time in an album and they will tone up.

K

logger7

Any good toning is going to be slow, why the album toning works and generally passes muster with the graders, but that could take decades. I've experimented a little with Meghig holders, soaking in water, to activate the sulphur, and then expose them to light or heat. You only get "acceptable" results with slow methods with unimpaired coins. A light old cleaning may get helped, or not.

CoinHoarder

I would not even buy polished/cleaned looking coins as "junk" silver. Even as "junk", I want good honest wear and natural toning.

I cleaned a 1916 Merc Dime back in the 1960s with baking soda. To this day, it looks like a shiny hubcap.

jesbroken

Old wooden matchstick box. Place them in it overnite and reinsert in your albums.
Jim