I have the opportunity to buy a batch of circulated morgan silver dollars at a very low price. The catch is that they have been cleaned, look cleaned, and the seller admits they were cleaned and priced them very low to compensate. I'd like to buy them just for the bullion value, but I also think they would look better if they could be retoned. A shiny VF just doesn't look right. So my question is, is there any known way to "help" the coins tone to a more natural grey color within a reasonable period of time, say 1-2 years? Are some brands of folders or storage methods known to produce a natural toning? I'm not planning to try to resell the coins as never having been cleaned or anything like that. I'd just like them to look better, meaning a more natural grey as circulated coins should look, and not shiny.
But, if you're serious: Get a box of old-style kitchen matches Trim off the light colored tips from a couple of hundred, and crush them into a fine powder. Add enough sulfuric acid to mix the resulting powder into a thick paste. Liberally apply the paste to both sides of your coins, tightly wrap them in Saran, and put them on a windowsill in the sun for a few hours to a couple of days. Rinse them off (being careful not to touch them with your bare fingers until they have been rinsed several times). Those suckers will be tarnished enough to satisfy any "toned" coin lover.
If you are going to do what Roy says You had better do it OUTSIDE with SAFTY GLASSES GLOVES LONG SLEAVE SHIRT AND A BREATHING RESPSORATOR that Sulfuric Acid will really mess you up IT WILL eat your skin If it gets into your eye you will never SEE a coin again and the fumes will eat at the inside of your nose I sat a Morgan on a windowsill(outside) that was cleaned and after about 14 months it toned up real good with a Honey golden hue with a hint of blue Window was facing south Paul
If you bought them for bullion why do you care how they look ? In any case - put two or three of the coins in your pocket and caryy them around with other change for a week or two. Then do the same with the others. That will change the appearance of the coins.
I would do it this way not the sulfur way. That sulfur way is unpredictable. Also I hope that you got them for below "melt". Look for better dates also.
