PVC: How easily does it spread?
Showmetheway
Posts: 22 ✭✭
Hi everyone, so I received a silver coin from a plastic flip and currently not sure if I've made a mistake. Upon opening it, the coin has characteristic signs of PVC damage (waxy feeling, bright green deposits in crevices + the flip was that wiggly thin plastic) but I hadn't looked into PVC damage until after I had placed this poor infected one amongst my other coins! Took an hour of digging to scare me into separating it from the rest now.
Does Polyvinyl Chloride damage spread only when in a PVC-plastic material? Can it pass on via indirect contact? I've since scrubbed down the glass desk I rested it on with alcoholic wet wipes and now question whether I should dispose of the airtites I sealed the other coins in (which were also recently purchased sadly). Currently looking for a bottle of pure acetone to off-set any more instances. Am I overreacting??
Comments
just as a side-note, i have seen at least a few products advertised recently, specifically to inform the consumer as a selling point it seems, that their product has or is made of pvc. so keep your eyes out for stuff you may want to put your collectibles/valuables in/around.
"Am I overreacting??"
may a little but then again, if a person has something they care about and is potentially worth a lot of money and since money gets a lot of things done in this life, it needs quantified into this, it is better than to be safe than sorry, ESPECIALLY since pvc is a known mortal enemy of numismatic items and it doesn't always take long for it to potentially ruin something, so personally, i'd toss ANY type of containers/holders/flips or whatever as a simply matter of risk assessment. my 2c.
@LanceNewmanOCC That's very considerate of some sellers. Unfortunately this item was one of those "story text accompanied with coin" grabs so there wasn't much attention to anything else.
And the other coins are certainly valuable at a sentimental level, so I'll be sure to pay close attention to their status.
But my other deep concern is with the ease of spreadability... I haven't touched my collection since then over worries that I still have traces of that PVC gunk on my hands. Is this an overreaction too? 😩
https://www.walmart.com/ip/V-I-P-Klean-Strip-Acetone-1-Quart-Paint-Thinners-Solvents/17208793?athbdg=L1200
It's actually the plasticizer used to soften the PVC that causes the problem. Depending on environmental conditions, it can leach out and react with moisture. One of the decomposition products of this reaction is Hydrochloric Acid, so it needs to be removed as soon as possible. The good news is that acetone does a decent job of removing it. (Search the archives for instructions, if needed)
Regarding your other question: I'm reasonably certain that the coin needs to be in direct contact with the plasticizer residue to spread and I've never had an issue with indirect contact. However, there are a number of members with strong chemistry backgrounds who will correct me if I'm wrong.
I would trash any airtight or flip used to store a contaminated coin before it had been cleaned with acetone. The plasticizer residue could be transferred by contact, then transferred to the next coin. Although it may only be a small amount, no sense in taking chances.
Hope this helps
I've rarely see it eat into the surface of a silver coin, etc.. Metal is tough enough to survive a lot before it gets damaged.
You need to take a closer look at a PVC-affected coin with a dissecting microscope.
Did I miss the pictures everybody is commenting on??????
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Fast
Throw away the container that held the contaminated coin. Give any coins that came in contact with the contamination an acetone bath. You will not transfer the contamination by hand if you wash your hands after handling the PVC contaminated products - and it would be highly unlikely even if you do not wash your hands. Cheers, RickO
No it's just a general question.
Not overreacting just keep an eye on the coins and if silver you can soak in acetone to remove the contamination. I've seen dip residue turn and eat into the surface of the coin far quicker than PVC ever will.
FWIW, I give every raw coin I purchase an acetone rinse before putting it in a fresh 2x2 or Mylar flip. Even the cheap stuff.
Is the green on the breast of the Morgan on the right side of the below picture PVC?
If so, I have had this coin in a tube with others since early 2016. No other coins in the tube were contaminated as far as I can see.
And the green area on the coin has not gotten larger. Does the spread of PVC become inactive over time?
I do keep this coin at the bottom of the tube, so that the PVC (if that's what it is), does not touch the other coins.
It is not alive, so it does not spread. It may flow when warmed up, but actually is very stable once removed from the offending source. Think of it as "stuff" that oozed out of the plastic and is finding a new home on your coin. Once there is nothing oozing onto it anymore, it does not get bigger or move on its own. Not all PVC contamination results in surface damage because it takes a while, sometimes it can actually give a coin a nicer look [screams in background], but over time it will erode the surface enough to still be able to see where it was on the coin, even after it has been physically removed.
Same here. You never know how it's been stored in the past.
This really has helped, thanks folks for all the wisdom 🙏. Just curious but are there any alternatives to acetone in cleaning acidic residue? Some past threads talked of Verdi-Care or pure isopropyl alcohol as alkaline substitutes but not sure how veritable these are.
Very easily, you should wear a mask
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Various solvents will work but never experiment on valuable coins. Some, like ethyl alcohol, and even some acetone have additives that will ruin coins, especially silver coins. I prefer 91% isopropyl for moderns since it works on everything except 90% silver and all 80% cladding. But on coins that are tarnished for longer times then acetone might do it.
Anything under soluble substances on coins will become visible so coins don't always look better. Test cheap coins first. Experience is the best means for doing anything to a coin beyond putting it in an inert flip.
And ya gotta toss the dirty acetone cause all that crap is held in suspension and will begin leaving a residue on subsequent bathed coins. IMO. Peace Roy
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Maybe the PVC ate the entire coin and there's nothing left to photograph?
I still say it was the Dingo ...............
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72KhHephedg
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
The older poly bags was/is another product/culprit that will bleed PVC onto coins over time. Not sure about the newer poly bags.
But you all can thank.one of our own here for coming up with the Saflip in 1980.
Leo
The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!
My Jefferson Nickel Collection
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I think I have a perfect example of this. Both are silver.
One is obviously okay and the other I could never figure out what happened to it. But when you said this
it immediately popped into my head.
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC
Polyethylene is inert and safe for coins. Don't confuse it with PVC.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I always take the coin out of any flip and replace it with mine so I won’t have that problem. Can cost a bit till you get your stock up but after that just replace one or two when I get low.