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 Replies: 117 / Views: 15,142 |
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New Member
United States
46 Posts |
Hi. My Grandfather was a large coin dealer back in the 1960's and 70's. He passed away in 1976. The family inherited his coins. Since 1976 the coins were just packed away as he had left them with the prices and all other information on the holders. I recently decided to get nostalgic and look through them. What I found was unfortunate. MANY of the silver coins have areas of black discoloration on them. A large percentage of these are graded BU and look beautiful except for the discoloration. They were stored in my Moms attic for many years and I suspect humidity may have damaged them. My question is are these coins permanently ruined? I hear people say never to clean a coin but they look terrible in my opinion with these spots. I took one and cleaned it with Never Dull and it looks great to me but I suppose I ruined its value by doing that. I feel sick over this as these were his pride and joy and would have still been pristine I think with the proper storage. I guess we figured the holders would protect them but I guess that was not the case. The collection I am talking about here is very large so this damage is extra unfortunate. I have attached a picture of what the discoloration looks like. How much value do coins like this loose in cases like this, are they just now worth their weight in silver? These are the worst examples, many only show a tiny black mark at the edge but a lot look like this. Should I clean them, or are they a lost cause? Thank you for any input or advice in advance.  Edited by Gramps76
01/30/2018 11:58 am
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Moderator
 United States
187702 Posts |
 to the Community! Your post was moved to the appropriate forum for the proper attention.  |
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New Member
 United States
46 Posts |
Thank You. Where would I find the post now? Sorry if I put it in the wrong spot.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5822 Posts |
Sorry to hear about the contamination over time, constant fluctuation in weather and humidity certainly contribute causes to these type of problems, move it to a temperature control environment.
I would listen to what other said about never to clean your coins, it greatly diminish the value, so stop what you have already done to the first one, I would first carefully remove from the current holder without getting scratch, there most likely have PVC substance when they made them back then, and store them in new coin flaps.
I'm sure others will be in to advice other methods, NCS comes to mind in preservation, but I'd only send in the more valuable ones, as the service has higher expense.
Edited by macmercury
01/30/2018 12:13 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2843 Posts |
1st of all 2nd. Do not clean them. Looks to me like oxidization. Improper storage can cause silver to tarnish in an ugly way, but if those are the worst, doesn't seem too bad. Definitely, reduces the value, but I would not think it ruined. 3rd. Those prices marked are a clear indication of how long those have sat for. The silver content in each is worth $13.25. |
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New Member
United States
46 Posts |
Yes, they haven't been touched since 1976.
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New Member
United States
46 Posts |
So if some of these coins are marked BU I would assume that with this tarnish that is no longer the case? What would tarnish drop the grade down to? I'm sorry for what may seem like foolish questions but I really have no knowledge in this area. Thanks
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5029 Posts |
 and to CCF |
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Rest in Peace
United States
1559 Posts |
 No question is a foolish question here! That is how we learn so ask away  And be patient, there are many experts here that are very knowledgable in this area. I'm sure they will chime in soon. |
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New Member
United States
46 Posts |
When I was a young boy I used to accompany my Grandfather to the shows. I would keep him company and it was a great bonding experience. This is why I have kept them all these years as they hold great sentimental value to me. The other relatives sold them off many many years ago but I didn't have the heart to do it. I still have no plans to try and sell them but I obviously am upset if they have lost monetary value do to this unfortunate degradation, I'm only human lol. I don't think anyone prefers the value of their possessions, sentimental or not to be degraded. So it's been a rather unpleasant discovery to me.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Quite a story. You might try taking a sampling of your coins to a reputable local coin store for a professional opinion. to the CCF! |
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New Member
United States
46 Posts |
It's interesting that the better grade coins(BU) all seem to be the ones that are damaged. Coins that show wear and were just marked with a date and not a condition do not exhibit this condition. In looking through the nicer examples almost every one has at least one tiny spot of this black discoloring. The coins look otherwise beautiful but each has a tiny spot on it somewhere. What a shame.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8715 Posts |
with Coinfrog - take them to a reputable coin dealer for a professional opinion. Absolutely DO NOT CLEAN THEM. Even with the spots the coins are worth more untouched than if they were cleaned. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1374 Posts |
As everyone else has said, DO NOT CLEAN THEM.
Do put them in new holders, but NOT PVC flips. You can get new 2x2 cardboard holders (make sure the plastic part is mylar), 2x2 hard plastic holders or round air tite holders are all popular choices. All have different prices with the cardboard being the least expensive.
They're still worth more than silver value, even in this condition.
Unattractive toning affects the eye appeal of the coin, which does affect the price. Toning, whether attractive or not, does not affect the technical grade of a coin.
Like others have said as well, the coins can be conserved (fancy name for cleaned by someone who knows what they're doing) which would stop any further damage.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1409 Posts |
If those are the worst of the lot, then it may not be as bad as you fear. From what I can tell, those above aren't highly valuable key dates anyway, so you haven't lost much, other than eye appeal for some coins with a great deal of sentimental value. Good luck going through the collection, and as others have said, purchase updated flips to store each coin in, in order to protect them better moving forward and DO NOT CLEAN them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4468 Posts |
Do not use Never Dull polish as it will put hair lines on the coin and reduce the value. If you want to remove the spots, you need a acid dip. A product like eZest if used properly can remove the spots with a quick dip, rince, and pat dry. If you are goin to dip the coin, you need to study on how to do the process. Do not dip circulated coins. A lot of uncirculated Morgan's have been dipped with no issues. Coins can also be over dipped and destroy the luster. There is hope for your uncirculated Morgan's with spots as the 1883 O with the heavy spots would benefit from a dip. There is some controversy over dipping coins, but the fact is dipping has been going on for decades and there are many uncirulated dipped coins in problem free TPG holders. |
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Replies: 117 / Views: 15,142 |
Posted 01/30/2018 11:36 am
