06-10-2012, 02:53 PM
This is horrible but I feel that I need to show this just to warn anyone else what happens when silver oxidize. I have, until today, had my collection hanging on a board in a room in my parents house (I live on another location since several years) and frankly I haven't spent much time looking at the awards.
Anyway, today I noticed that several of them had turned suspiciously black, and, my friends - it was a disaster. Most of my October Revolutions as well as Red Star and Patriotic War have blackened entirely, some Friendship of Nations are turning black. I do not know what to do and I do not know if there is anything that can be done. I removed the awards from the board and carefully put them in a box with some clean cloth between, later this week or next week I need to further assess the damage.
I am in horror and I am very sad. Just look at the once so beautiful October Revolution orders, how the metal has reacted with air and with other metal. Of course, one may think that the same could have happened if a veteran stored his awards in a bookshelf - but I am not a veteran, I am a collector and I should have known better.
Anyway, today I noticed that several of them had turned suspiciously black, and, my friends - it was a disaster. Most of my October Revolutions as well as Red Star and Patriotic War have blackened entirely, some Friendship of Nations are turning black. I do not know what to do and I do not know if there is anything that can be done. I removed the awards from the board and carefully put them in a box with some clean cloth between, later this week or next week I need to further assess the damage.
I am in horror and I am very sad. Just look at the once so beautiful October Revolution orders, how the metal has reacted with air and with other metal. Of course, one may think that the same could have happened if a veteran stored his awards in a bookshelf - but I am not a veteran, I am a collector and I should have known better.
