Does your silver tarnish in minutes after it comes out of the ground?

[Ant]

My eyes are old. But I notice that when I find silver that have been in the ground for a substantial amount of time, say 20 years or more. That it almost immediately turns darker than it did when it first appeared. I notice this change after being exposed to the air and sunlight for as little as 5 minutes. I’m going to try and capture this anomaly on camera.

Does this happen to the old silver that you find?

 

[Sandman]

It has happened to me in the past but not always at the same speed either. I haven't had any turn black, but they definitely dimmed in brightness. I thought it was my eyes too.

 

[wallyblackburn]

Hmmm, can't say I've ever seen that happen. Maybe it depends on what the ground it came out of was like.

Wally

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Silver turns black quicker when there is a high amount of sulpher in the air.
Store silver with bits of activated charcoal to combat this problem.

 

[mastereagle22]

I store my silver with the little packets of silica that come with some items you buy and the little round capsules out of medicine bottles and swap them out every few months. Helps keep them shiny, or maybe I am just imagining this? But I think it works.

 

[Ant]

Our soil is highly mineralized and has lots of sulfur. I know that from the natural gold that is found around here. I have dug a few silver coins that look just new when they come out of the ground but they where found in impacted sands, not native soils.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll try to catch this phenomena on a digital exposure the next time I dig an old silver coin, then post the results.


HH

 

[goldencoin]

yep, thats happened to me twice.....several months for a roosie and a few days for a merc. i would keep it sealed as soon as you find it, either in a ziplock or something

HH
-GC