Silver tarnish... just leave it be?

[johann02]

I made my first purchase of silver coins the other day. Most of them are like shiny new, but a few have some tarnish. Is it okay to just leave it as is? I think they are in their original sealed bags... Is tarnish similar to iron/steel corrosion where it can 'eat up' the metal over time?

Otherwise I was thinking of doing that tarnish removing process involving aluminum, baking soda, salt.. as posted here in the fourms..

[Joejeweler]

Hi,.....i would just leave it,.......as the silver is bound to contine toning over time anyway. It gives it "character",......and the dealers won't give you a premium for untarnished nor a discount for toned coins. (bullion items we're talking here).

I made my first purchase of silver coins the other day. Most of them are like shiny new, but a few have some tarnish. Is it okay to just leave it as is? I think they are in their original sealed bags... Is tarnish similar to iron/steel corrosion where it can 'eat up' the metal over time?

Otherwise I was thinking of doing that tarnish removing process involving aluminum, baking soda, salt.. as posted here in the fourms..

[SilverFern]

How easily can a jeweller (or chemist) confirm that bullion (both gold and silver) is the indicated purity(eg 99.9%)? And what would the approximate cost of such a service be for a 100 oz bar of silver?

[Anthony]

The tarnish will actually help preserve the silver, as it acts as a barrier to O2. In boilers, there is a layer of black film, and boiler chemistry is balanced to keep it there. Without it boiler tubes would get eaten up. This film does the same thing. The only way to remove it is to polish, by rubbing or chemicals, and it removes material (silver) from the surface.

Keep it. I kind of like the patina too. Kind of like my gray hair!

[koyaanisqatsi]

I made my first purchase of silver coins the other day. Most of them are like shiny new, but a few have some tarnish. Is it okay to just leave it as is? I think they are in their original sealed bags... Is tarnish similar to iron/steel corrosion where it can 'eat up' the metal over time?

Otherwise I was thinking of doing that tarnish removing process involving aluminum, baking soda, salt.. as posted here in the fourms..

I've gotten several rolls of older generic silver rounds from Ebay that turned out to be quite blackish especially along the edges, due to years of air exposure. I tried soaking in baking soda (no salt) and hot water inside aluminum foil, and a gentle toothbrush to take off much but not all of that blackness, in a gentle way I feel. Then I soak to clean in distilled H20, dried and quickly sealed them up very well. This effort was only to make them more easily marketable to 'newbie buyers', and to increase my own satisfaction with the bargain priced tarnished rounds. But agreed, there's no need to do such a process until retail sales time, if even then. It's a sort of protective 'anodized' finish, I presume. Bare aluminum seems to do the same sort of thing on a boat, tarnish and then stop.

New Canadian Mapleleafs are hermetically sealed and .9999 pure, so I consider them a primo selection among silver rounds myself, and keep some in my little mix. (For the record, I have collected only 7 silver coins thus far, and sold them all. REALLY, really ;-)

I considered buying a food sealer unit to duplicate this airtight process, but as yet I have not. Standard baggies are slightly permeable to O2, but not vacuum sealer bags. I now also use wide scotch tape to carefully seal the standard 20-round plastic holder tubes -- they seem to slowly leak air at the cap.

But my favorite silver purchase these days is old 90% silver US circulated coins anyway, (dimes, quarters, Franklin halves, no matter) in virtually any condition always the best value for me. Tarnish is already done, as they're finished off with a protective coating that is in itself anti-ozidizing, as posters mention. But I'll add that the old US coins never tarnish so black as the .999 uncirculated rounds and bars.

But I am learning here too, Johann02. Just my input here...

And Silverfern: I don't feel assaying is needed with modern mint bars or rounds from known mint sources. The much older, crudely made ingots, they may pose a problem. I'll buy none of them. Same with gold nuggets and gold dust, jewelry, etc. I stick to name industry brands and rely on the mint to guarantee quality. (JMO)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BTW: Anthony, you say, "1922 Silver dollar - a little 'peace' in your pocket."

What a beautiful year of Dollar coins that you signature to mention! I seem to recall it was made only 3-4 years in that "peace" design. My Dad was born in that year, so I got him one for a gift. You should have seen his eyes as he held the coin minted new in the year of his birth -- a time capsule, I could tell his mind raced back to when things were so different. Priceless, is all I can say. Amazing you picked that coin to highlight here. I guess it's always my favorite silver round -- the "Peace Dollar" -- and it is really beautiful, maybe worth a variable premium as a collectible numismatic year.

And 22 is the number of destiny, delicate power, ambition for high ideals, one of the ultimate numbers in numerology, if one is so inclined to understand such occult things... not me. :bandit:

[Texan]

Has anyone ever just used Tarn-X, and does any know if it's harmful to bars and rounds? I tried it on a single one ounce round that I used to carry in my pocket, and it eliminated all toning instantly. Just dip it in the solution, remove, and rinse. No scrubbing or scratching. As others are saying though, don't worry about the toning. It goes with the territory and is just another fun aspect of owning precious metals.

Jonathan

[PONCE]

Hot water and plain soap,,,,,,, no pro.

[Anthony]

Koy,

The peace dollar was struct from 1921 to 1928 and again 1934 to 1935. If anyone knows why it was not struck in the middle years please let me know.

There is a lot of symbolism on the 1922 peace dollar that relates to me. It is stuck in silver, and shows hope for the world. An eagle at rest, claws retracted looking outward to the future. The 22 is not lost on me either. There are other elements, but get you own and look at it.

My grandfather gave it to me when I joined the Navy. Said something like 'might as well have some real money to take you through life.' He was of few words but I think I understand him now.