Got some ugly dollars here. Background: I bought many silver coins in the early '90s, many/most were in mylar flips, and I've recently given all the in-mylar ones an acetone bath and transferred to inert containers. Some of the Peace dollars still have unsightly green discoloration. These two pictures were taken at lighting and angles that bring out the worst of them. Some look like a bad case of acne, almost like acid got splashed on them rather than mylar induced corrosion. I'm considering either cleaning the bad ones (I don't know how) for my own album viewing enjoyment or trying a test of carrying one around in my pocket for a while to see if that will give it a more natural appearance. I wouldn't try to sell them without disclosing their shortcomings so I'm pretty much stuck with them. The price of silver was low when I bought them but I still paid more than today's melt value. Any advice on how to get more enjoyment out of coins like this? Thanks, Jim
Acetone will be your friend. Many here can give excellent advice going forward. Do not attempt any other method until you try acetone.
When a problem comes along You must dip it Before the cream sits out too long You must dip it When something's going wrong You must dip it Now dip it Into shape Shape it up Get straight Go forward Move ahead Try to detect it It's not too late To dip it Dip it good
I've seen quite a handful of 1921 Morgans do that as well. Around the edge and rims go green (I assume pvc damaging?). The older plastic flips I heard were not friendly to long term storage especially in a warm/humid environment. The newer flips are ok though, I still have some coins I bought 8 years ago still in the same 2x2 flips, and so far no discoloration.
I tried another acetone bath but it didn't help much. So I used a cotton ball on it while it was in the bath. I like the results. Found a perspective from my smartphone that the coins really like, too. I can still see some green but I like the look so much better than before. Here it is with the USB microscope, I did not take a before with the USB microscope so I can't claim one way or another about the scratches. This 26-S, on the other hand, is still quite discolored after an acetone sponge bath bath and looks like it will need something more abrasive.