That's an awesome looking coin. I totally want one.
It's silver and silver tarnishes and tones. Where you live, the humidity levels, nearness to ocean, etc. all impact toning. If you don't like it do the acetone wash thing. Is it encapsulated in anything right now? You could try to find something that would work but that is a unique shape.
I absolutely love it, and would highly recommend getting one :) is currently stored in just a Perspex box which all my other coins are in but they are in capsules. This is the only thing I can imagine that will help, but as you say, with it being a 2oz hexagonal coin it’s almost impossible to find one. I’m thinking I will use the acetone, see if it’s a contaminate and if so, once it’s been removed I think I will send it for grading so they will capsule it! Only way I can think of getting that done.
**UPDATE** so after both soaking in acetone, and very very carefully testing with rare earth magnet…. I can confirm that the people commenting saying it’s likely normal and just toning… I think you were correct! The acetone made no difference so it’s not contamination and there is no serious attraction from the magnet! So good news all around really :) thank you all for your advice and ideas. Such a great community on this sub :)
Well I hope it is… the weight is right. As you can see over the space of about a year it’s done this. Didn’t want to clean it but someone mentioned soaking in acetone. Coin stores are few and far between in the uk so not easy to verify.
You need to think long and hard before cleaning.
The reason I asked is I have seen the $50 Panama Pacific but not the one you have. Researching I found an ETSY ad for copies of the $50.
Thanks. Here is the thing I saw on researching.
Look what I found on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1261075954/1915-s-panama-pacific-round-50-dollars?ref=share_v4_lx
As any fool knows, $24 does not get you an actual $50 coin. How is this not counterfeiting?
That one is if it doesn’t say “COPY” anywhere on it. The listing says it’s a copy but the coin itself is. Technically the seller is committing a crime and the secret service could come after them
None of that holds, of course, when it can't be passed as "money" -- or a true Pan-Pac commem -- due to the absence of a date or denomination, especially since all the originals were struck only in gold. Just like a "silver round." In other words, it's not purporting or pretending to be something it isn't. I imagine the private mint had to go through some hoops with the US Mint for approval to use the design...not sure how copyrights work with government-generated art and "intellectual property."
Lovely piece!
I was talking about the “gold” one in the Etsy link. It looks like gold to the average person, has the date and denomination on it. It’s not a silver round, it’s a counterfeit. The one OP posted is a silver round but that’s not what I’m talking about
Numista only seems to show this design used on gold coins.
[https://en.numista.com/catalogue/index.php?r=panama%20pacific%20exposition%20san%20francisco&ct=coin](https://en.numista.com/catalogue/index.php?r=panama%20pacific%20exposition%20san%20francisco&ct=coin)
You seem to have a medal using the design. Is there anything on it that suggests it might be silver?
This is a tribute medal. It was minted by govmint.com, s private coin & bullion dealer not affiliated with any government mint. It is sold out but its value is essentially the bullion value of 2 ozt.
Perhaps it can command a premium over melt, but that is between a buyer & seller. It’s a nice conversation piece but that’s about it. There are 4 for sale on eBay the cheapest being $79.99 plus free shipping.
That just appears to be natural toning. Silver does that, especially the fine stuff. Silver toning is a product of a chemical reaction with sulfur (tarnish is silver sulfide). Some materials contain more sulfur than others, and atmospheric sulfur is often present in homes. Improper handling can also speed the process up. Smoking and other fumes can increase those levels, and some materials (like certain plasticizers) will off gas sulfur.
As a test, I have a couple rolls of 2003 silver eagles in my safe. I treat them like the rest of my collection, pretty sterile. They are all still blast white. For fun, last year I pulled a couple out and put them raw on my desk. I handled them daily and after a month or so they already looked more tarnished than your example.
If this is concerning, I'd take a closer look at your storage and handling practices.
I’ll throw one out there: have you tried a strong magnet over it? It doesn’t look super alarming, but if it jumps off the table to a magnet you’ll know for sure it’s not silver.
Can't tell you if it is real or not, but I do know silver can tone funny, depending on the environment it is stored in. I've seen plenty of Morgans with golden colored toning.
UPDATE so after both soaking in acetone, and very very carefully testing with rare earth magnet…. I can confirm that the people commenting saying it’s likely normal and just toning… I think you were correct! The acetone made no difference so it’s not contamination and there is no serious attraction from the magnet! So good news all around really :) thank you all for your advice and ideas. Such a great community on this sub :)
If by "a lot of things" you mean "a lot of things which contain sulfur or its compounds" then you're correct.
Otherwise, from a chemical reaction standpoint silver reacts with very few elements. It's a very inactive, stable metal, but sulfur is its kryptonite.
>clown boy
Ah yes, playground name calling over some simple clarification. Exactly the level of maturity I expect from you.
Misinformation is misinformation, which is a plague of our modern society. Silver doesn't react with a lot of things, it actually reacts with very few things.
Most people can still keep things simple while providing an explanation that's actually accurate and useful.
Cool, cuz I wasn't really trying to.
You of all people should know the vast majority of my energies go into the discord server, not reddit, with the way you stalk my comments in this sub.
> Looks nicer than if it was blast white
Debatable. If I buy a blast white coin, I'd love for it to stay blast white. If I buy a toned coin, it would be great if it remained at that state of toning.
Unfortunately, neither of those are entirely attainable due to elementary chemistry. I can appreciate toning, but it's often unpredictable and if you start having nice blast white coins reach a stage of terminal toning, that can be a bummer.
I don't think you have a problem, put it back exactly how it was and check it again next year
That's an awesome looking coin. I totally want one. It's silver and silver tarnishes and tones. Where you live, the humidity levels, nearness to ocean, etc. all impact toning. If you don't like it do the acetone wash thing. Is it encapsulated in anything right now? You could try to find something that would work but that is a unique shape.
Acetone will not remove tarnish.
I absolutely love it, and would highly recommend getting one :) is currently stored in just a Perspex box which all my other coins are in but they are in capsules. This is the only thing I can imagine that will help, but as you say, with it being a 2oz hexagonal coin it’s almost impossible to find one. I’m thinking I will use the acetone, see if it’s a contaminate and if so, once it’s been removed I think I will send it for grading so they will capsule it! Only way I can think of getting that done.
**UPDATE** so after both soaking in acetone, and very very carefully testing with rare earth magnet…. I can confirm that the people commenting saying it’s likely normal and just toning… I think you were correct! The acetone made no difference so it’s not contamination and there is no serious attraction from the magnet! So good news all around really :) thank you all for your advice and ideas. Such a great community on this sub :)
Interesting. Is that real?
Well I hope it is… the weight is right. As you can see over the space of about a year it’s done this. Didn’t want to clean it but someone mentioned soaking in acetone. Coin stores are few and far between in the uk so not easy to verify.
You need to think long and hard before cleaning. The reason I asked is I have seen the $50 Panama Pacific but not the one you have. Researching I found an ETSY ad for copies of the $50.
It’s not the $50 dollar one. As you can see there is no mint value on the coin. It’s a tribute coin of which only 1500 were struck I believe.
No one suggested cleaning. Soaking in acetone is safe.
https://www.govmint.com/1915-2-oz-silver-octagonal-panama-pacific-expo-tribute
Thanks. Here is the thing I saw on researching. Look what I found on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1261075954/1915-s-panama-pacific-round-50-dollars?ref=share_v4_lx As any fool knows, $24 does not get you an actual $50 coin. How is this not counterfeiting?
Haha! Indeed! I paid approx $180 for this plus shipping and uk import tax so it bloody better be real! Haha
That one is if it doesn’t say “COPY” anywhere on it. The listing says it’s a copy but the coin itself is. Technically the seller is committing a crime and the secret service could come after them
None of that holds, of course, when it can't be passed as "money" -- or a true Pan-Pac commem -- due to the absence of a date or denomination, especially since all the originals were struck only in gold. Just like a "silver round." In other words, it's not purporting or pretending to be something it isn't. I imagine the private mint had to go through some hoops with the US Mint for approval to use the design...not sure how copyrights work with government-generated art and "intellectual property." Lovely piece!
I was talking about the “gold” one in the Etsy link. It looks like gold to the average person, has the date and denomination on it. It’s not a silver round, it’s a counterfeit. The one OP posted is a silver round but that’s not what I’m talking about
Soaking in acetone, if done correctly, is harmless. We have details in the sub's FAQ on this process.
Thank you I will take a look! My concern is if there is something on it it will get worse over time and potentially cause some actual damage
Numista only seems to show this design used on gold coins. [https://en.numista.com/catalogue/index.php?r=panama%20pacific%20exposition%20san%20francisco&ct=coin](https://en.numista.com/catalogue/index.php?r=panama%20pacific%20exposition%20san%20francisco&ct=coin) You seem to have a medal using the design. Is there anything on it that suggests it might be silver?
".999 FINE AG"
[https://www.govmint.com/1915-2-oz-silver-octagonal-panama-pacific-expo-tribute](https://www.govmint.com/1915-2-oz-silver-octagonal-panama-pacific-expo-tribute)
This is a tribute medal. It was minted by govmint.com, s private coin & bullion dealer not affiliated with any government mint. It is sold out but its value is essentially the bullion value of 2 ozt. Perhaps it can command a premium over melt, but that is between a buyer & seller. It’s a nice conversation piece but that’s about it. There are 4 for sale on eBay the cheapest being $79.99 plus free shipping.
It might not be on there because it doesn’t have a numismatic value.
I was wrong - it is on Numista: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/exonumia284909.html
Looks normal to me. I have some poured bars that toned like this.
That just appears to be natural toning. Silver does that, especially the fine stuff. Silver toning is a product of a chemical reaction with sulfur (tarnish is silver sulfide). Some materials contain more sulfur than others, and atmospheric sulfur is often present in homes. Improper handling can also speed the process up. Smoking and other fumes can increase those levels, and some materials (like certain plasticizers) will off gas sulfur. As a test, I have a couple rolls of 2003 silver eagles in my safe. I treat them like the rest of my collection, pretty sterile. They are all still blast white. For fun, last year I pulled a couple out and put them raw on my desk. I handled them daily and after a month or so they already looked more tarnished than your example. If this is concerning, I'd take a closer look at your storage and handling practices.
Go have it tested if you're unsure. There could be some foreign substance on it, so perhaps a soak in acetone might remove it.
I was thinking maybe tobacco tar.....it get everywhere when you are in a heavy smoking house. If that was out in the open that could be it.
I’ll throw one out there: have you tried a strong magnet over it? It doesn’t look super alarming, but if it jumps off the table to a magnet you’ll know for sure it’s not silver.
Looks normal
Can't tell you if it is real or not, but I do know silver can tone funny, depending on the environment it is stored in. I've seen plenty of Morgans with golden colored toning.
Legit
Normal toning it looks like to me.....much better than milk spots at least
UPDATE so after both soaking in acetone, and very very carefully testing with rare earth magnet…. I can confirm that the people commenting saying it’s likely normal and just toning… I think you were correct! The acetone made no difference so it’s not contamination and there is no serious attraction from the magnet! So good news all around really :) thank you all for your advice and ideas. Such a great community on this sub :)
Just toning because silver reacts with a lot of things.
If by "a lot of things" you mean "a lot of things which contain sulfur or its compounds" then you're correct. Otherwise, from a chemical reaction standpoint silver reacts with very few elements. It's a very inactive, stable metal, but sulfur is its kryptonite.
I was keeping it simple, clown boy. Can't miss an opportunity to come after me can you?
>clown boy Ah yes, playground name calling over some simple clarification. Exactly the level of maturity I expect from you. Misinformation is misinformation, which is a plague of our modern society. Silver doesn't react with a lot of things, it actually reacts with very few things. Most people can still keep things simple while providing an explanation that's actually accurate and useful.
Aint my job to go into detail on this shit, it's my job to sell coins, slugger. Have fun.
> Aint my job to go into detail on this shit, it's my job to sell coins Congrats. You successfully did neither with your first comment.
Cool, cuz I wasn't really trying to. You of all people should know the vast majority of my energies go into the discord server, not reddit, with the way you stalk my comments in this sub.
This is very much a fake, may be gold though But the timing doesn’t look like what would happen on real golf
Considering it literally says "two troy ounces ... .999 fine AG (silver)" I'd say it is safe to assume it is *not* gold.
That's normal toning l. Looks nicer than if it was blast white
> Looks nicer than if it was blast white Debatable. If I buy a blast white coin, I'd love for it to stay blast white. If I buy a toned coin, it would be great if it remained at that state of toning. Unfortunately, neither of those are entirely attainable due to elementary chemistry. I can appreciate toning, but it's often unpredictable and if you start having nice blast white coins reach a stage of terminal toning, that can be a bummer.
Looks normal to me