Getting Rid Of The Black Blob

This is why i hate cardboard flips, a few decent silver coins developed a pinhole and after sitting in a box for a decade, i notice the black mold or whatever it is, is now growing into the black blob, destroying any numismatic value it had.

Any tips & tricks from the experts i can use as i also have a couple boulion coins with same thing... Thank you!

 

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I think it's on the coin for eternity,most likely trying to get it off would make the coin much worse anyway.

 

That's not mold, that's toning -- a layer of silver sulfide formed as the silver reacts with sulfur from the packaging (indirectly through the air).

The only hope of removing it without further damaging the coin is by using a chemical dip, and that's tricky with proof coins. It's likely that the coin in your picture will never look quite right again. Fortunately, 1963 proofs don't carry much of a premium anyhow.

 

Possibly MS70 could get it off, but its doubtful.

 

is it possible to get clearer pictures of the area, and whole coin, straight on and in focus. It's hard to see what's exactly going on with the blur. clicking it bigger on the thread doesn't help.


Also, if you can, try to take a picture of it at about a 5 degree angle with a flash, attempting to highlight the toning color as brightly as possible. I'm wondering if this is a shade of brown or red, or a dark shade of blue or it's actually black, like flat black.. the only way to get the color to pop is by getting light on it at the right angle to catch the rainbow. if it's opaque black, and light's not passing through it, it's terminal toning, and likely it will have affected the surface, but it's possible it's not that far yet also. Ideally we'd need clear pictures, see what is or isn't the toning, and how far the toning goes. it might be as simple as a dip to remove the toning, But it may be too far gone in which case the contaminant that caused it to go black and flat has etched the surface under the toning and removing it won't fix that.

I'm hopeful by the magenta/russet brown color around the edges of it, that it's a lighting issue and it being out of focus and it's not quite as bad as it appears. thick, yes, but not quite to the point that it's impaired the luster underneath.
realistically, you'd want to turn it like checking for cartwheel luster and angle it under a lamp and look into the toning, see how it reflects light. If it's not reflecting light at all, it's a problem, if it reflects some light it might be a problem, and if it "colors up", then likely it's salvageable.

it doesn't look good from this picture, but the out of focus and lighting angle might be hindering the appearance and making it look worse than it is.

Lehigh96 has a great article on photographing toning.https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diffused-lighting-coin-photography-capture-the-color.56246/

 

that was the best shot my iphone would give with my desk lamp, i'll have to pull out the 35 mm and try again.

Though I can always try whizzing it!!!

 

Understood, thanks, and BTW, what do you use for your dipping? Its a MS that i bought rolls of when Silver was $50/oz by some fast talking, city slickers and i was doing well at the time, and have sat on them since. The rest graded MS62-64 & I'll wait to sell them graded when we get over $40 as i can't get more than $20 for them now.

 

And that blob started from a pin prick by a staple in the cellophane of a cardboard flap, as did 1/2 dozen others. Sigh......

 

Is MS70 a product or a grade? I did some Reinigungsbad cleaning bath from Leuchtturm, anyone have any experience with that product?

 

Both.

 

It needs a quick dip and a through rinsing. Looks too dark to remove it all but it will look better.

 

MS70 is a dip or coin care product based on potassium hydroxide. The other choice is eZest which is a dip based on sulfuric acid and thiourea.

 

The coin is worth $10 in silver. A dip will lighten the dark area but it won't remove it all the way and at that point the coins luster will be dead. I can't see even trying to fix it.

 

If you feel you must try, gently swab with eZest on the black area, rinse thoroughly and then do a 1-second dip to try and even it out...

 

Based on a Three Stooges episode, I would use Brighto. makes old bodies new. And it takes paint off cars!

 

That was hilarious when they used it.

 

Use what's known as a Kimwipe. They're made by the same people that make Kleenex tissues. It won't leave any fibers behind to make hairlines. Electronic supply stores would have them. Kimtech Science Kimwipes Delicate Task Wipers at HealthyKin.com

 

I prefer Ezest with the thiourea. No matter which you use,the instructions tend to indicate to use at full strength. They are just chemicals , and strong chemicals at that. I dilute it with distilled water depending on the severity of the coin. If you haven't used it before try a 2:water to 1: dip. This will give you more time to watch and evaluate when to to stop. Don't dilute the whole bottle at one time, just measure out parts. Good luck. Jim

 

Leaving fibers behind wouldn't make hairlines, wiping with anything on a gritty surface will move the grit around and scratch. I love Kimwipes, they are pretty much 100% cellulose with no lignin. Perfect for making flash paper!