Whats wrong with the Barber Dime?

Breezie · May 16, 2010

What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Today I found this Barber dime in the yard of an 1870's homestead. It has a dark area on the front. It won't scratch off, nor will it wash off with soap and water. Any ideas on what happened to it? How can I clean it and/or should I clean it?

Thanks,
Breezie

fyrffytr1 · May 16, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

I have found a few silvers like that. I wonder if they could have been scorched in a fire.

vayank54 · May 16, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

I've dug silver coins with black spots and I've dug them completely black. I've never been able to get it off. A couple I know where burned. Some I think it was just a reaction to the ground or something in the ground near the coin.

Monty · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Soda, vinegar, a piece of foil and a wire scrub brush. Use vinegar straight, add about just enough salt to disolve completely, drop in the piece of foil and lay the stained side on it. Let set for about 2 hours and then take it out and scrub it with the wire brush and it should disappear. But don't do this on a coin that is worth $$$ as it may make the surface dull. But you can polish it with a bit of silver polish or toothpaste and a toothbrush. I don't use a large industrial type wire brush but I have a small toothbrush size stainless steel brush. You can buy them at a gun shop, or a tool store. I find those stains when a coin has been on top of another in the ground. Monty

Breezie · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Thanks Monty; I'll give it a try, then post an updated pic. Breezie

jeff of pa · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Did you recheck the Hole for more Metal ?

Breezie · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

jeff of pa said:
Did you recheck the Hole for more Metal ?

Jeff, yes I did, and there was nothing else in the hole but the dime. Breezie

Felinepeachy · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

This works!

Select the dish, cooking pot or tub you intend to clean your silver in. It should be glass, enamelware, stainless steel, enamelware or heat-resistant plastic. Now line the bottom of the container with two layers of common household aluminium foil, and place the silver on top, making sure to spread it out as much as you can. Now heat some water, and add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or washing soda (sodium carbonate) per liter/quart of hot water. If possible bring the water to a simmer heat. Do not use caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) or cleaning products that contain baking/washing soda alongside other ingredients. If your silver is severely blackened perform the cleaning in a well ventilated place as a stench may be evolved of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic sewer gas.

Take your hot watery solution and pour it over your silver in the tin foil-lined container, covering all the silver. The reaction will start immediately, and will form some small bubbles of hydrogen gas and perhaps a smell reminiscent of rotten eggs with particularly blackened silver. What will happen is that the aluminium foil will be oxidized, and that the oxidized silver will be reduced back to metallic silver. Leave the silver in this solution for 2-15 minutes, depending on the results achieved.
After an appreciable result is achieved retrieve your silver from the solution (use rubber gloves preferably) and rinse it with plenty of clean water. Once thoroughly rinsed, dry the silver with a clean cotton cloth. If desired, polish the silver with a dry cotton cloth afterwards to a shine.
Instead of silver being lost, some silver actually is reclaimed from the oxides and sulfides that had formed before.

Roger Mn. · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Ajax or comet works. Get the coin wet and add the Ajax or comet and rub between you fingers.
You might have to do it a couple of times. Looks like there was a Liberty Nickel touching it.
roger

Woodland Detectors · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Nice dime Donna!

I have found dimes like this too and never thought of how to remove the inclusions.

Great thread!

TORRERO · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

A wire brush Man you guys are brutal on old coins !!!
I have found silver like that before, normally out of a swampy vegetative place and I figured it
was where the coin sat next to a root or some organic material and was stained...
BUT A WIRE BRUSH
I have never considered cleaning coins like that .... and I never will.... OUCH !!!!

thrillathahunt · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Felinepeachy's method works! I do a similar method. Line a small pan completely with aluminum foil. Fill the pan half full with water. Add one teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of liquid Dawn dishwashing soap. Put the blackened side of the coin face down in the bottom of the pan. Bring the solution to a boil, drop the coin in a boil it 4 minutes. No more black...The foil will be black where the coin was. Be careful the mixture dosen't boil over.

Breezie · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Thanks everyone for all the cleaning methods. I'll post a pic of it after its cleaned. Breezie

Tony in SC · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Breezie said:
Today I found this Barber dime in the yard of an 1870's homestead. It has a dark area on the front. It won't scratch off, nor will it wash off with soap and water. Any ideas on what happened to it? How can I clean it and/or should I clean it?

Thanks,
Breezie

Why clean it at all?? The black spots make it unique!! Clean it and it will look like just another Barber!! Not the one you found. In my other hobby I restore antique Hit&Miss engines and tractors. Some of them I leave just as I found them, some paint some rust. Except for some linseed oil, that's all I do. Some I sand blast and paint :'(

. I tell people that when you totally restore anything,,, you can never go back to original! Just my thoughts. Tony

Charlie P. (NY) · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

TORRERO said:
A wire brush Man you guys are brutal on old coins !!!
I have found silver like that before, normally out of a swampy vegetative place and I figured it
was where the coin sat next to a root or some organic material and was stained...
BUT A WIRE BRUSH
I have never considered cleaning coins like that .... and I never will.... OUCH !!!!

LOL. I also cringed at that one. I lost $$$ (three figures, that is) on a coin because I used a Kleenex to gently wipe off some PVC goo from an old coin flip case.

MEinWV · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

The two elements that I have found to be related to black spots on silver coins are pine pitch or salt. Coins that I have found under pine trees often have black spots on them. Silver from salt water beaches have a coating on them that ranges from gray/green to black to a blue/black. I have always soaked silver coins in "clear" ammonia to remove the black. It doesn't work on all of them, but it does help on some.

Good luck!

BerntOut · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

DON'T CLEAN IT!

Nothing wrong wth that coin in my world! :notworthy:

The dark area was exposed to the atmosphere somehow and I think they look very cool like that. I dug a quarter that was half tarnished this morning ...... http://forums.kinzlicoils.com/topic/7297822/1/#new
The quarter was sticking out of the ground at an angle just a tiny bit...a first for me!

Bigcypresshunter · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

Charlie P. (NY) said:
TORRERO said:

A wire brush Man you guys are brutal on old coins !!!
I have found silver like that before, normally out of a swampy vegetative place and I figured it
was where the coin sat next to a root or some organic material and was stained...
BUT A WIRE BRUSH
I have never considered cleaning coins like that .... and I never will.... OUCH !!!!

Click to expand...

LOL. I also cringed at that one. I lost $$$ (three figures, that is) on a coin because I used a Kleenex to gently wipe off some PVC goo from an old coin flip case.

I also cringed. Maybe sandpaper would help. :wink:

Monty's always joking so you never know. It sure sounds like one of his jokes.

It seems patina is in and shiny clean is out. Scratches are a severe no no. :nono:

I tested a coin with acid and it left a stain like that. I would imagine acidic vegetation or soil did it.

ADDED: after rereading Montys post, he is probably referring to a coin that has no value other than melt down..

Breezie · May 17, 2010

Re: What's wrong with the Barber Dime?

MEinWV said:
The two elements that I have found to be related to black spots on silver coins are pine pitch or salt. Coins that I have found under pine trees often have black spots on them. Silver from salt water beaches have a coating on them that ranges from gray/green to black to a blue/black. I have always soaked silver coins in "clear" ammonia to remove the black. It doesn't work on all of them, but it does help on some.

Good luck!

ME, the entire yard was filled with Pitch Pines & Oaks. The dime was within 4 feet of a huge pine, which explains it since there was no other metal in the hole. Thanks, Breezie