Toning

[ozjohn]

I'm forever polishing of the tarnish from the two silver spoons. The last time was about a month ago. If only they were coins.

[1949threepence]

Silver seems very prone to toning.

[Rob]

Toning seems to be accelerated post cleaning. Every time I have our club quiz cup I find it needs cleaning before returning it the following year. I have coins in my collection that haven't changed in tone over many years. There must be a residue in the cleaning agent that causes it to retone more rapidly.

[ozjohn]

Perhaps there is something in Silvo & Goddard's silver cloths that makes you use more of the product ?. As for coins I keep my surplus coins in an old 18th C oak

flight of draws and they seem to tone more quickly in there rather than elsewhere. Perhaps there is something in the oak that tones coins.

[Rob]

Yes there is, but I don't know what it is. That's why mahogany is better.

[Taikonaut]

I find toning more pervasive in Royal Mint proof coins from the last 20yrs. Either the capsule is the cause or the minting process is leaving contaminant.

[1949threepence]

10 hours ago, Rob said:

Yes there is, but I don't know what it is. That's why mahogany is better.

A useful extract from the 2017 Coin Yearbook, in this regard:-

Quote

 

The ideal, but admittedly the most expensive,
method is the coin cabinet, constructed of airdried
mahogany, walnut or rosewood (never oak,
cedar or any highly resinous timber likely to cause
chemical tarnish). These cabinets have banks of
shallow drawers containing trays made of the same
wood, with half-drilled holes of various sizes to
accommodate the different denominations of coins.
Such cabinets are handsome pieces of furniture
but, being largely handmade, tend to be rather
expensive. Occasionally good specimens can be
picked up in secondhand furniture shops, or at the
dispersal of house contents by auction, but the best
bet is still to purchase a new cabinet, tailored to
your own requirements. These collectors cabinets
are hand-made using certifi ed solid mahogany, as
specifi ed by leading museums, as mahogany does
not contain any chemicals or resins that could
result in the discolouration of the collection inside
the cabinet.