I am just wondering if billion rounds and bars can corrode or rust? Once you buy them do you need to keep them sealed or anything like that?
Hey there, I try to help, please senior jump in anytime to correct me, silver won't corode or rust, but can tannish, which is like a bronze colour around the side when expose to particular temperature and humitity. Which can be prevented with air tite capsule on coin or bar, then can zip lock in plastic sleeves with minimum air inside and store in a place with not expose to a lot of temperature change or dry lock box. Even if you so this, u can perserve your silver longer, but sometime you get some coin expose to extreme temp and still look new, and some sensitive one like purity 9999 canadian maple leaf or wildlife set, in capsule can milk spot with doing all the right thing. Some bar or coin look better with tannish and also can show sign it real silver with a vintage feel, so no need to clean it. Anyway that all I can do with the first response to your question, considering it 2am in the morning here, hold it help
of course it does, silver oxidizes however, you and your kids kids will be long gone before the silver has lost 1% of mass
Silver will blacken if exposed to sulphur compounds like cigarette smoke. Silver may also tone when exposed to some compounds found in paper and some plastic bags. Store them in coin capsules or coin tubes and keep them dry. I keep dessicant in outer containers storing tubes etc. This is dirt cheap and called silica gel, bought in small bags. Avoid pollution and they will stay bright for decades.
IF you are referring to 999 then basically it shouldnt rust.. it should tarnish which is just a surface effect. Silver is Non-corrosive (one of the properties distinguishing it from base metals) People (girls) often say to me.. i cant wear silver it gives me a reaction... i explain to them that silver is non-allegetic and that the silver they have is only 92.5% ... hence the bad reaction is the remainder alloy base metal.. copper.. brass.. So while your silver wont rust.. if its sterling or a lesser % a component of the coin could potentially rust or get verdagris etc.. Remember to differentiate between pure silver and alloyed silver to avoid confusion. cheers, 1for1
Silver is a passivating metal, like aluminium for example, where a surface oxidisation occurs, however the product is impermeable to air, so the silver beneath is unable to corrode further. This is unlike rust (a process exclusive to iron and iron alloys, by the way) in which the surface product is permeable to air and water, and so the metal beneath keeps degrading, hence you have things "rusting through" and the like.
Beware of old PVC collecting pages, in fact beware of newer ones made of PVC because despite the fact that PVC pages will destroy silver coins, they are still being made and they are pretty cheap. You will be able to tell by the strong smell. The pages give of fumes which eat into the silver and turn the coin green, they can be cleaned but will never be the same. not so bad for bullion but not good for anything else. Of course if you are not putting your coins into pages this will not be a problem.
