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Source For Green Or Black "Carbon Spots"

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aristarchus123's Avatar
United States
1695 Posts
 Posted 05/07/2017  9:33 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add aristarchus123 to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
"These so-called 'carbon spots' are nothing more than tarnish spots caused by saliva [.]. If a droplet of saliva from an acid system is permitted to remain on a coin for an extended period of time, the spot will soon turn brown, then darken to black. While a droplet from an alkaline system will in time produce a greenish spot." (p. 11, Cleaning Coins, by Clyde D. Morris.)

Is this true? I had never heard this point before.
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scstrawn's Avatar
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536 Posts
 Posted 05/07/2017  10:53 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add scstrawn to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Possibly true, but unlikely that it is for every coin with such spots.
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BadThad's Avatar
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 Posted 05/08/2017  4:13 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add BadThad to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Speculation and rubbish with no scientific backing IMO.
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 Posted 05/08/2017  10:35 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
"Carbon spots" are caused by droplets of something landing on a coin. Very often, that "something" is indeed saliva, particularly from someone sneezing, coughing or talking over their coins. Saliva spots will tend to go black on silver and copper coins because saliva contains sulfur-based enzymes; these sulfur compounds react with the metal as they degrade. Saliva is pH neutral; the enzymes in your mouth that digest starches won't work under acidic conditions. Another common cause of "carbon spots" are droplets of oil.

Green spots are usually inorganic in origin; they may be caused by a drop of something acidic or alkaline landing on them, but if your saliva's pH is that abnormal, you'd better go see a doctor... or move to another planet, where the food is likely to be more edible for you. But salt (from, for example, ocean spray) or some other aerosolised pollutant is also likely to be a causal agent of copper coins breaking out in green spots.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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