I got a whole roll of these ugly black dimes. Can anyone tell me what and why they are like this? Thanks
One word........SILVER. You ever see what happens to silver jewelry, same thing. I would call it tarnish.
I would advise against cleaning any cent, other then a little soap and water...... and that's not a very good thing to do either.
Circulation silver will occasionally get this dark color. The dark bands on white coins is definitely toning, as you can see which part was unprotected. On the overall coin, though, I am not sure how much is toning and how much is just circulation dirt, since you see the same color on nickels and cents as well.
my only morgan dollar, which belonged to my grandfather and now belongs to me, is completely black and is hard to see the details.. that is why i am trying to get another one..
If i recall my elemental silver facts correctly then sulfur is what tarnished silver. Since the industrial revolutions (and more recently globalization), sulfur's been constantly added to our atmosphere. I think people in the olden days were used to silver-colored silver because it wouldn't get nearly as tarnished over time (and use). EDIT: oh and if you just want clean looking coins, you could try gubni's dip suggestion or try cleaning them in a small amount of lemon juice (i've heard boiling baking soda, or salt, water works too) with some aluminum foil. I don't clean coins... but either way I think they look great!