What Happened To My Large Cents?
mtnman
Posts: 574 ✭✭✭
About 12 years ago I bought a raw 1798 large cent graded VG7 and a 1818 large cent graded XF45 from H. Craig Hamling. Both beautiful coins. I left them in the little brown envelopes and stored them away. I pulled them out to look at earlier this week and to my horror they were both black. What happened? And is there any way to restore them?
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Photo's?
Where did you store them?
What climate do you live in?
Any chemicals near where you stored them?
There could be several other environmental factors contributing to your coin changing color.
Yup, take pics please....That would not make me happy either.
bob
I can't take photos anymore. I have Parkinson's and gave all my camera equipment away. It takes me forever to type a message. They were stored in my daughters basement. Dry basement. No chemicals. Live in Southern WV so we have four seasons. I have several slabbed large cents stored in same box.. They are fine..
probably the sulfur in the envelopes.
This is probably a copper sulphide condition. There was something in the storage environment that caused the copper to darken. Or, as kaz says, it may be from old envelopes that used to be manufactured with a sulfur component.
When copper turns black it is the terminal toning state and there isn't much that can be done without destroying its original surface. Thinners that remove organic material (acetone, xylene, etc.) won't help. Coin conditioners like Blue Ribbon or CoinCare will simply add a little oily shine. The problem is the metal itself, not something on it.
Only abrasive cleaning or a serious acid dip will change the appearance significantly. But of course the harm will be evident and the coins will be greatly reduced in value.
Sorry this happened to you.
Lance.
Lance is probably right, but I'd need to see the coins in hand to pass judgment.
My only remotely similar experience is with an AU 1830 large cent that was dipped in the early '60's, stored in a National coin album until a few years ago, where it had started to retone.
I kept it in the old yellow envelope it was sold to me, as I noticed every few months the 'natural' color slowly returning. After ~5 years in that envelope, the coin looks acceptable.
Thanks for your help. I don't have five years so I think I'll try some steel wool just so I can see the dates.
before you do that try olive oil. soak for a few hr to a few days and then rub gently with a paper towel to remove grime and excess oil. may help with appearance
It won't help your situation but might help others.....
Unless you live in the desert, I doubt any basement is truly dry. The moisture in the enclosed area likely got absorbed by the paper envelopes to help create the condition you found.
POST NUBILA PHOEBUS / AFTER CLOUDS, SUN
Love for Music / Collector of Dreck
Sorry to hear this... Lance is correct... nothing short of an acidic dip or abrasive cleaning will help in this condition. Cheers, RickO
You could always carry them around in your pocket for a while and wear them down a grade to remove some of the surface issues.
What color were they when you bought them?
They were both a pleasing brown. Now they are black.
Steel wool will kill the coins for sure. No being able to see the storage conditions makes hard to determine what happened. Usually I'd be more concerned about white envelopes that brown ones.
At this point I don't think that there is much you can do. I'm sorry this happended.
The coins may have been doomed before you acquired them. If those two coins turned and none of the others did, I would lean towards them having been cleaned and hit with some type of darkener before you purchased them.
If this is the case, doing something is the least bad option. Personally, I would consider placing them in a pants pocket, one at a time, free of anything else. Occasionally thumb them or put them in your hands for a bit. Don't be afraid to get them a bit sweaty and grimy. After a bit they may take on a lighter and more natural color.