Not that I care about it too much, just annoys me. I've also never seen silver do this. Almost seems like corrosion
Looks like insect debris, although going by the last photo. Was it in one of those fiberous containers?
Silver corrodes; we just call it "toning" and pay extra money for it. This first image almost looks like somebody swiped a Sharpie across it. I strongly suspect the packaging has been the culprit in this case, with all those other spots. Won't be the first time.
I bought some Canadian proofs in the late 60's & early 70's. Most of them turned in various ways. I think it was from the RCM packaging & them not being in Air-Tite like capsules.
I answer numismatic questions over at Quora sometimes. A few weeks ago, some poor soul had a fairly extensive grouping of similar coins which had been destroyed by sitting in the packaging for 30-40 years.
Acetone wouldn't remove the toning, and that's what it is, toning. When he says dip it he's referring to coin dip, that would remove it. Of course if you don't know what you're doing and have experience dipping coins you would best served to just leave it alone because doing it improperly is easy to do and it would ruin the coin.
Thanks Doug. I should have said more. Some bad stuff came up and I had to leave. I call water and acetone a bath. That's not going to help this coin. Dipping is risky, even if you understand the process. It's easy to mess up a coin.
I would dip in for two seconds in E-Z-est for two seconds and then rinse it under tepid flowing water for four or five minutes showing extra attention to the reeds. Couldn't hurt it even if it doesn't do the job.
It's just an extra step or two that cuts down on the chance of messing up the coin even worse than what it is now. I messed up a lot of coins at a young age. Today, I do it right or I just leave the coin the way it is, no matter the value.
I wish I could say for sure;but this is what I heard about conserving coins and it makes a lot of sense: Removing toning from a coin is MUCH MORE than a quick dip into various concentrations of EZ-est. The "key" to proper cleaning - leave no trace - is all in the preparation and the drying. For the best result, before a coin is dipped, its surface must be prepared. This is accomplished in various ways using various chemicals. The purpose of this preparation is to remove as much of the surface contamination/oxidation as possible before the end steps - the actual "dip/neutralize/dry." Whatever they do, it must be a closely guarded process. I've been told that the guys at NCS must sign a confidentiality agreement and cannot reveal what they do to conserve coins. I suspect the best chance of gaining a little "inside" information is to talk with former NCS employees. I have heard Brian Silliman speak on the subject of coin conservation and cleaning. The actual value of the coin makes no difference. A Silver Eagle gets the same attention as a Flowing Hair dollar. Only the method used and the pre-dip preparation changes depending on the coin's condition. When NCS started, I heard that on several Fridays a month. They stopped work on customer's coins and experimented with different methods and chemicals on "junk" coins to increase their knowledge and skills. Two former NCS employees are Brian (teaches classes) and Skip (teaches classes and does conservation at ICG).
I do a decontamination of each coin that I dip prior to dipping it. IT removes dirt, glue and other organics but doesn't touch the metal itself. It's very easy to ruin a coin and after 30 years of learning I still screw a few up. Now I am excluding copper and it's alloys here. That is a job way beyond my skills.
