Questions on Carbon Spots

Loki

1) What causes a carbon spot to occur?
2) Can an existing carbon spot increase in size if the coin is kept in an environment-friendly atmosphere? In other words, do carbon spots have the characteristics of "rust"?
3) If you see an extraordinarily-toned coin with a small carbon spot, would that spot be enough to convince you not to purchase the coin?

Thanks,
Loki

michael

carbon spots are caused by i think mostly breath of people over coins or something similar usually they are dead or not dead meaning they are not getting worse but for ythe most part are not inactive

if not kept in a stable dry enviroment yes they get worse yes kind of like rust

but if you see an extraoprdinary toned coin it all depends where the carbon spot is and how big and if it is dead or not but most of the time it is not a carbon spot but a toning dot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A HUGE DIFFERENCE MANY MISTAKE TONING DOTS THAT ARE DEAD AND WILL NOT HURT A COIN AND ARE PART OF THE NATURASL TONING PROCESS WITH CASRBON SPOTS
it just depends on the overall look of a coin!

i mean some 19 cedntury coins early 20 cent they just come with toning dots or fly sdpecks nothing to worry about unless it covers a huge part of the coin and is in the middle the size of miss liberty
it all depends on the overall look of the coin and whrere the toning dots carbon spots are and asre they still alive or dead?

sohw me a coin as such and then i can tell you if it is a vbother or not

sincerely michael

Wardhaines

I always thought that carbon spots are when the silver and the 10% copper alloy weren't mixed very well and the copper is reacting to air at a different rate than the rest of the coin. Depending on how close to the surface the copper is you have darker spots.

danreller

I have read in several places that carbon spots (black round spots) are the result of spit as a person talks holding the coin. Until a better explanation comes by, I can accept that explanation. Smaller sprayed fields of small small spots could be the result of sneezing on the coin.

I would be interested in responses.

Dan

its4real

In the case of copper corrosion - that would not be "carbon" spots but spots of cupric oxide or oxides of copper - formed when oxygen and copper unite.

my 2 cents worth

Lakesammman

Regarding question #3, there's a related thread in the registry forum titled "how long will red last" - I would rather have a spot on the coin than a coin with the spot removed!