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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,976 |
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Valued Member
United States
403 Posts |
I have the 3 Library of Coins Albums for Morgan silver dollars. The morgans have started getting brown around the edge. I think this is called album toning but I am not sure. My question is, would acetone remove this without harming the morgans, quite a few of the morgans are low grade uncirculated, MS60 to MS63. Will acetone help, hurt, not help at all. Is there an alternative |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Acetone will certainly will NOT harm the coins
If those Morgans are starting to go brown, you have to ask yourself an important question double barreled question:
'Am I storing them properly, or is the environment in which the albums are kept too aggressive for the coins?'
I suspect that the toning is inorganic
It may well be that acetone will fix your problem, but if it doesn't, the way you store and protect your coins will have to change.
It seems that the causative problem is not going to go away, unless something is done to change the storage conditions.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
If the toning is the usual chemical process - and it certainly sounds so - acetone is incapable of having any effect on it. The culprit is likely a combination of the album page formulation and the atmosphere in which they're stored.
The only easy solution for removing the toning is a dip in thiourea solution, which is not only playing Russian Roulette with the coins, but a method which the average numismatist would consider unacceptable and intrusive. You're physically removing metal from the coin, forever, with it.
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Pillar of the Community
1751 Posts |
Toning is sometimes desirable, especially album toning, so I'd leave them for a bit and see where it goes. Acetone only removes surface organics, toning is the actual attachment of sulphur and/or other compounds to the silver, so it requires that the silver particles affected be chemically removed. If they're worth anything over melt, I wouldn't start dipping them unless you know what you're doing.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5829 Posts |
Move them out of the album ASAP, put them in a dry area without constant temperature change, store them in 2x2 or better holders, at least it may help to stop the process of undesirable toning. Show some pictures of the toned coins you are talking about...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5825 Posts |
Acetone will NOT remove toning.
Acetone is only a solvent like water except it will dissolve more materials than water.
Toning is a chemical process.
For silver that process generally involves sulfur resulting in Silver Sulfide.
Since it was caused by a chemical reaction it requires a chemical reaction to remove it.
Unfortunately when removing the sulfur the silver it has combined with also goes along.
NOW the coin has been changed by the loss of that silver.
Do NOT attempt to remove toning.
You will irreparably damage the coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
613 Posts |
Based on above discussion, either you live with the toning, which will be a progressive, ongoing process, or you arrest the process right where it is with a different album, airtities, or 2x2s.
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Pillar of the Community
1751 Posts |
Kanga, a proper dip isn't irreparably damaging a coin. Dips can actually save a coin. I will reiterate that you shouldn't dip anything of value unless you know what you're doing.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
IF your Album is a true Album, not a Folder of some sost, might be your invironment. Also, my well depend on how old your Album is. If I were you I'd simply change to a Whitman Classic or Dansco Album. Then just to make sure, place the Album in a Zip Lock Plastic bag.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4591 Posts |
Quote:
Then just to make sure, place the Album in a Zip Lock Plastic bag. With a couple sacrificial bright shinny Lincoln Cents in the bag! -----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
A possible cause of the problem may be connected with the chemistry of the albums.
Mylar or polypropylene pages may be required.
I now use archive quality album pages, made from both materials.
Got rid of my soft PVC album pages some time ago. 100 year old red unc copper and bronze coins were developing a patina MUCH to rapidly, despite the use of Mylar / cardboard 2x2's and Saflips.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,976 |
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Posted 10/21/2013 6:35 pm
