Black ugly silver coins...help!

This is my first post on this site. I am not completely new to coins, just rediscovered this passion after MANY years lying dormant. My Grandfather buried a whole bunch of silver coins in the late 30's. They stayed there for about 40 years. I have recently alloted the time to go through them which has been an extremely exciting and rewarding experience! 90 percent are great with only a nominal clean up. But I have some that are AU-BU on one side and BLACK on the other! VERY UGLY!!!! What can I do?????

 

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How long were the coins buried for? Did you dig them up?

 

Umm - pictures? And what are you calling a nominal clean-up? I would not touch them till you posted some pictures and received some advice from experts here (that is not me).

 

What Mark said.

 

Greetings and Welcome to the forum. Just leave them the way they are, aside from blowing the dirt off...

take Care
Ben

 

Welcome.
Then: STOP!
Even a nominal clean up will reduce the value of the coins.
Second: Why are they black? Buried? Salt water recoveries? Battery acid?
Huh?

 

not a even nice gentle distilled water bath?

 

then pat dry!
Do not rub dry.

 

Well, don't tell anyone if you do...

 

I know about the general admonition against cleaning coins, but after a coin has been burried in the ground for 75 years, it's difficult to see how a little cleaning is going to subtract from the value. After all, these things didn't just arrive in velvet mint packaging. One has to temper rules with reason.

 

some pictures if you can would be nice.

 

lying dormant does not = under the earth.

 

Wow! Thanks for all the responses! I have been trying and trying to get back on this site and it apparently has been down...at least for me.

OK. The coins were buried in the late 30's early 40's in a garage my Grandfather once owned. I helped him unearth them back in the 70's so they wern't actually in the ground for 75 years, just 40 or so!! The coins had been all wrapped in paper rolls, and placed in earthen jars. Of course over all that time moisture crept in and made the wrappers cruddy. Now many of the coins have the remnant of the paper wrappers on the edges.

I have used ammonia to remove the green crud with a vinegar bath afterwards. That has worked wonders on most of them, but there are those that I suppose were on the ends of the rolls where they are black on one side and pristine on the other. I know that cleaning coins is a BIG NO NO, but I had no choice with many of the coins. They simply wern't worth looking at...much less handling at all. Covered in c)(*^& and green stuff!

Someone mentioned salt. Since they lived near the coast, I suspect that might be a possibility. They used a lot of oyster shell on driveways etc. Maybe that is what did it. I will try my hand at a couple of pictures...not promising anything since I am so new at this.

 

with out pictures at least. I dont have anything to say besides this. You may have already done damage useing ammonia.

 

here are the photos...I think

Here are the coins that I referenced in the original post. They aren't the best picures, but I think you can get the idea.



These two sets of pictures at left show the black and yellowish color. The picture at the right is the opposite side of the coins. How can I make the black go away with hurting them?

 

unsorted coins

Here are a pile of the unsorted coins. Please notice the green ones.

 

OMG, I'd love to be able ot help you figure out what you've got there. :thumb::thumb::thumb:

Ben

 

I have to say that this project has been one of the most enjoyable ones of my lifetime. My family was in the theatre business. My Dad always brought home bags of coins while I was in High School...in the 60's. That is when I learned the love of coin collecting. Now that I am retired I have the time to devote to this hobby. All these coins have been kept in a safe place after they were dug up until about 3 months ago. Once I got started sorting I couldn't stop. Found some 16 D Mercury heads, 32 D Wash. Quarters and many other that has made the search really fun! Sometimes I wish I did have a really experienced coin person looking over my shoulder.

 

well you do just post the pics here and we will all help you out. you might have hit the jackpot with some key dates

 

I wouldnt do anything more to those coins. And I think you have some real nice ones there. (From what i can see.). some of those Walkers and SLQs look real nice. Good for you. Have fun.