Silver Eagle toning experiment

robertpr

Someone told me the silver American Eagles tone quite quickly because they're so pure in silver. So, out of curiosity, I took one that I had in an airtite and removed the lid. I put the coin in a cabinet and forgot about it for two weeks. (sitting inside the airtite, with the lid removed). The reverse is still blast and new, but here's the obverse:

ElectricEye

Robert, you need to buy a respirator, quickly.

robertpr

Bwahaha a respirator...NAH! There were some papers and stuff inside the cabinet as well, and some small cardboard boxes for shipping. In fact, the coin was sitting on top of one of the cardboard boxes and that's likely what reacted with the coin.

One thing I find interesting is that the toning has developed in a ring around the outside edge. It's sitting inside an airtite with the lid off. I doubt it reacted to anything inside the airtite. So why would it tone around the edge and not evenly throughout the coin?

ER

<< <i>One thing I find interesting is that the toning has developed in a ring around the outside edge. It's sitting inside an airtite with the lid off. I doubt it reacted to anything inside the airtite. So why would it tone around the edge and not evenly throughout the coin? >>


Must be chemical reactions among the coin's periphery, the surrounding foam, and the air.
Nice experiment.

hughesm1

Give it another month and you might get better colorisation.

Conder101

I would say that the coin has a VERY thin layer of oil on it from the mint on it and the toning thickness is dependant on the thickness of the oil layer in different areas. For example look at the circular area by the L of LIBERTY that did not tone, the near circular area on the sun ray just left of Liberty's leg that is toned in the middle of an untoned area. The similar toned spot just to the left of her right breast and the light area above N G of the motto.