Marc Rothenberg
When it comes to protecting your valuables like silver jewelry or other precious metals, you’ll often find people using anti-tarnish paper in storage containers or bags to prevent corrosive gas from tarnishing the items
When these types of valuables are exposed to hydrogen sulfide (found everywhere in the air), they will succumb to the undesirable consequences of tarnishing which requires cleaning and polishing to restore their brilliant shine. Some may have first-hand experience in this time consuming cleaning process from their own belongings or items that were passed down through the generations. But with proper storage, tarnish will become history which is why modern protective measures are being used to prevent corrosion and degradation of items revealed from our past!
A discovery at the Massachusetts State House in Boston uncovered historic documents that date back to 1795 in the time of Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and William Scollay. This historic find resulted from a water infiltration problem that was found last May in the basement of the state house and upon further investigation, officials found a time capsule in the cornerstone of the structure. It was transported to a high-tech research laboratory where it was examined and contained several pieces of paper, newspapers, a collection of coins with dates spanning back to 1652, a silver plate honoring the then new state house and a few other history items.
The time capsule was originally placed on July 4th, 1795 and then sat untouched until 1855 when workers found the time capsule in the old state house. Then, the contents were cleaned and cataloged, and officials added their own newspapers and coins from their era. From there, everything was placed in a brass box and put in a new, carved depression in the same cornerstone used for the new state house. This is where it sat until 2014 and its’ contents were revealed! But, due to the age of the items and their fragile condition, state officials and MFA preservationists decided to protect the contents with Corrosion Intercept® materials like anti-tarnish paper, bags and films. These materials purify, neutralize and protect the contained items in an enclosed environment to prevent adverse effects from corrosive gases in the atmosphere.
State officials plan to keep the time capsule on display but will be placing it back in its original position with new protective materials so future generations can marvel in its contents. This type of monumental finding gives us a look in the past and a chance to provide future generations with insight from this era. If anti-tarnish paper provides enough protection for these old relics, imagine how well your own silver jewelry or other precious metals will be in storage.
