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Found a weird metal box buried in my backyard in Tucson
I was digging to plant a cactus and hit something hard about a foot down, so I pulled out this small, tarnished metal box with no markings. I tried soaking it in vinegar for a day and the lid popped right open, revealing a bunch of old marbles and a single silver dollar from 1922. Has anyone else found something sealed like this and figured out a good way to clean the coins without damaging them?
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king.river1mo ago
That 1922 silver dollar could be a Peace dollar, which is a specific design. Did you check the condition of the coin before you soaked the whole box? Vinegar is acidic and can permanently damage silver. For future finds, a distilled water soak is safer. What did the marbles look like, were they all the same or a mix of types?
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Used to just grab whatever cleaner was around for old stuff, but king.river is right about the vinegar. Learned that the hard way with a wheat penny I messed up. Distilled water is the move for sure.
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evan_morgan811mo ago
That vinegar soak is a real bummer for the coin. Silver and acid do not mix well at all. Try a gentle rinse with distilled water next time.
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