Hi NewTD. What you've discovered is how nice Silver stays in the ground,
compared to the thin Copper cladding on coins after 1964, the last year for
90% Silver coins. The thin copper coating on clads cannot hold up to
the ground minerals that attack it and cause them to turn dinjey and
corrode. You see, Silver is a "noble" metal, like Gold, which is the
"noblest", which means that they are more resistant to corrosion than
copper or zinc. Actually, clads are coated with an alloy, called
"cupronickel", composed of copper and nickel. Nickels will also turn
dark and corrode by mineral effects. The most worthless U.S. coins ever
minted are of course the copper clad zinc cents, which have no
resistance at all to corrosion, sadly. Mother Earth will reclaim the
zinc very quickly, meaning that in a short number of years in ground
they will completely disappear.
It's a sad comment on the weakening economy of America, similar to
what happened to the old Roman empire, that started out with Gold
and Silver coinage and ended up with Lead.
Happy Hunting, there's still Silver & Gold out there!
..W
