Issue with a 1964 Presidential Coin Set

I received this set as a Christmas present in 1965. The Washington Quarter was Blackened as it shows today when opened in 1965. I cannot figure out why the half and dime did not blacken as well since all are in the same presentation box without removal since the day received .

 

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This is not an official US Mint set. It was put together by someone after the coins left the mint. The silver coins look like they are circulated.

 

I know it is not official! It came from a Montgomery Ward Catalog. I specifically asked for the set for Christmas. The coins are not circulated, as I got it in 65. The storage box is causing the obverse of the coins to tarnish. The quarter looked the way it does on Christmas Day 1965.

 

I can't say why the quarter tarnished faster. If you don't like it you can pretty safely dip these coins (except for the cent) and remove it. You can't really hurt them as they probably have more sentimental value than monetary value. As Robec said they appear to be circulated.

 

No telling what stuff that holding case was made of.

 

They had their shots.......

Being that the coins were pulled from circulation, (most probably) each coin was exposed to an different environment prior to insertion into the set. After insertion the individual exposures (and reactions to) to whatever environment they were in (prior) began to manifest.

 

Why does everybody feel these are circulated? The silver seems to be toning/degrading consistently. Green18, that was a good one!

 

Thanks everyone for the responses! I have never seen silver turn black as the back of the quarter in less than a year. Plus after 50 years it did not get worse, or did the 1/2 or dime coin's reverse turn black at all.

 

Sets like these were made with whatever coins they could find at the time. The quarter looks like it came from the end of a roll.

 

We can only go by the photos. The silver coins look circulated in the photo, sorry.

 

Those coins are definitely circulated. I would guess Montgomery Ward put its sets together with rolls.

 

Looks, looks, guess, photos...

I think we need to place a small wager.

 

They are saying circulated meaning "circulation quality" coins which can only be pulled from circulation. They are definitely NOT proof quality coins.

 

From my experience most 1964 proof coins are not much better quality than the business strike coins pulled from circulation right after being released by the mint. Until the San Francisco Mint produced Proof coins in 1969, the period of the SMS sets and a couple years before were low points in US coin history in my opinion for eye appeal and quality strikes.

 

Coming from the long-defunct Montgomery Wards, it's still a neat set.

 

The black reminds me of my Mothers & Grandmothers Rogers Silverware flatware set that would tarnish. Then they would clean it with Tarnex cleaner
at Thanksgiving & Christmas.

 

I definitely agree w/ you 19. They're certainly not proofs and are business strike coins. I feel they'd grade MS and that's all I'm saying. The OP should post some better photos.

 

I do not have the equipment or knowledge to take better pictures.
If the coins are Proof, MS, or Business strikes is neither here nor there.
I was hoping to find out why the quarter looked as black as it does today, but the 1/2 and dime have not tarnished any. They all are in the same non government original packaging. As stated, I received in 1965. The coins look the same on the reverse today as they did on Christmas 1965.

 

There is no way to know what caused the quarter to tone like it did. We can only guess. It was exposed to something before being put in the holder.

 

I thank you for the reply. I know I was reaching to get a reason. I thought maybe someone had heard of such a thing for a silver coin. Years ago I thought maybe the tarnish was on the planchet before being encountering the minting process.