Peace Dollar toning question

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by expat, Aug 8, 2021.

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  1. expat

    expat Remember you are unique, just like everyone else Supporter

    Which is the reason for this thread. The three coins were stored in identical 2x2's, in the same drawer with packets of silica. The 2 D's toned dramatically and quickly, and the P not. I guess it is a lottery
     
    expat, Aug 10, 2021
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  3. yakpoo

    yakpoo Member

    It's an interesting observation, for sure...but I don't have any similar experiences. This reminds me of Biology class when we studied "Spontaneous Generation"...

    "If a soiled shirt is placed in the opening of a vessel containing grains of wheat, the reaction of the leaven in the shirt with fumes from the wheat will, after approximately 21 days, transform the wheat into mice," wrote 17th-century Flemish chemist Jean Baptiste van Helmont.

    https://www.treehugger.com/how-to-make-a-mouse-the-bizarre-recipes-borne-of-spontaneous-4863304
     
    yakpoo, Aug 10, 2021
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  4. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Not really. Am I correct in assuming that this drawer was a wooden drawer ? Wood, all wood, particularly puts off gasses that cause coins to tone. Wood is notorious for that. As for why the D coins toned and the P did not, it's because of the differences in the luster the coins have - more luster = faster and more toning. So it's not a lottery at all, it's simply a matter things being different. And if you know these things then you know what to expect and what not to expect. But if you don't know ..... That is the nature of knowledge, and why it needs to be shared ;)
     
    GDJMSP, Aug 10, 2021
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  5. expat

    expat Remember you are unique, just like everyone else Supporter

    It is excellent knowledge which I thank you for. They are in these storage containers, which I inherited, which have 4 drawers each taking 16 2x2's or smaller. The units stack together. I gather from what you are saying that the plastic and the felt lining are what they are reacting to.
    20210810_173337 (2).jpg
     
    expat, Aug 10, 2021
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  6. yakpoo

    yakpoo Member

    I was raised to believe that all toning was PMD. Some toning is beautiful...no doubt, but it's just beautiful PMD.

    For long-term storage, I put raw coins in air-tights, vacuum seal them in food storage bags (w/inventory and desiccant), then wrap the packages in aluminum foil (as an intercept shield). I attach an inventory sheet on the outside, log it into a spreadsheet, then store the packages in sealable, stackable food-grade totes. I then mark the totes "Christmas Ornaments". :D
     
    yakpoo, Aug 10, 2021
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  7. Treashunt

    Treashunt The Other Frank


    I have witnesses!

    Nope, all, don't believe him, he was there remember: Caesar said: "Et tu, Doug?" It would be well known, except Shakespeare made a typo.
     
    Treashunt, Aug 10, 2021
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  8. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    The plastic may or may not be a problem, depending on what kind of plastic it is. But the felt, the glue that holds the felt in place, and the cardboard, those are all known problems which do contribute to toning.

    But that's just the beginning, there are without doubt hundreds if not a thousand other things in your home that also contribute to toning. And given what you've reported it's a combination of all of it that caused the coins to tone in the time you've had them.

    Toning is inevitable, all coins do and are going to tone to one degree or another. Put another way, toning cannot be stopped. But, with proper storage we can slow it down immensely. And in that proper storage is complicated simply because it involves so many things, it is also really very simple and easy to accomplish if one wishes to do so. And it has been discussed and spelled out in more threads than I care to count.
     
    GDJMSP, Aug 11, 2021
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  9. expat

    expat Remember you are unique, just like everyone else Supporter

    Thanks for all your explanations which I used as the basis for search questions. I spent a couple of hours researching metallurgy and exposure to elements, and now feel more comfortable with the subject.
     
    expat, Aug 11, 2021
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