Silver didn't tarnish before the Industrial Age?

[Bricker]

This page was linked in another thread, and contained this startling (for me) claim:

Actually, not many people ever made silver bullets. It’s a difficult process, and their efficacy against werewolves has never been scientifically proven. I suppose their renown came from the perception that silver was a distinguished metal, often spoken of in connection with its higher class cousin, gold. But today silver is far more common, and it tarnishes over time, primarily because of sulfur pollution from power plants. (By and large, it didn’t tarnish before the Industrial Age.)

I accept the claim that silver bullets’ efficacy against werewolves is an unsettled matter. But silver didn’t tarnish before the Industrial Age? Really?

[engineer_comp_geek]

Uncle Cecil doesn’t agree with it.

Unshiny day: Is there more sulfur in the air than in preindustrial times? Is...