Are these truly PVC free?
TheGoonies1985
Posts: 5,435 ✭✭✭✭✭
I stored a few coins in them about a year ago but then saw they are made in China. Then transferred those coins into cardboard 2 by 2 Mylar coin holders.
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They do not smell of anything at all.
Just about everything is made in China these days.
All you can do is go by the label. They use three different terms to say they are safe, so that's good enough for me.
But, then again, I probably wouldn't be storing coins in card sleeves.
I do not usually store coins in such sleeves just forgot to transfer them into Mylar cardboard holders (purchased them afterwards but forgot about this single package) once I received them. I just figured they were safe.
Polypropylene is not poly vinyl chloride.
If you are asking if the label is lying, how would we know?
Ah well I just put them in acetone just to be 100% sure will do them 1-2 hours then turn them around in fresh acetone and that will be that end of questioning. If they were made in the USA or Canada I would trust the label 100%. Like I said the plastic sleeves smell of no odour at all.
Made in China always makes me doubt things.
I don’t put anything made in China in my body (knowingly). Nor do I put valuable coins in anything made in China.
That said, pure polypropylene is safe. But given that Chinese companies make their profit by skimping on quality, who knows the actual purity of these things.
If you care about your coins, use tried and true Saflips and nothing else.
I have these also I imagine these are OK? Can I use a staple on these so the coin stays in? I purchased them off eBay a while back forgot I had them till today when going threw my stuff.
Made in China as well.
Seems like these are also made in China geez. In the garbage they go.
So these Pruebas:
Seriously?
Yes hence my question and post.
Yikes!
I am learning this evening from now on anything coin related made in China I will no longer be using that may contain PVC even if the package says otherwise. I will buy the ones Pruebas suggested they are made in the USA.
I care about my coins and protecting them for the next generations to enjoy.
I think the xenophobia is misplaced.
How do you know that your "made in the USA" items aren't made of Chinese manufactured raw materials?
I do not but I have to draw the line somewhere and this is were I draw it. I will go with made in the USA vs China. I will take my chances I trust Pruebas judgment and go with the ones he suggested.
And what do you use for raw coins in your collection? Made in China or made in the USA?
Mylar 2x2's or mylar flips. The 2x2s are all made in the USA. the mylar 2x2s aren't.
But it's quite possible that the mylar 2x2's are made with mylar sheets from China.
Well I do not see anyone ever for that matter complaining their coins got PVC from Mylar 2 by 2's on the boards. So I will trust that long term experience. Pruebas has been collecting coins for decades so I trust that as well.
You're missing the point. No one ever got PVC from polypropylene either. But people are complaining that "Chinese" polypropylene could have PVC contamination. Why, then, can't "Chinese" mylar? Or "USA" mylar? It's just bigotry.
I am not a Bigot stop trowing that word out there. Playing the label game (Bigot in this case) does not change the fact I have concerns based on the fact that many things made in China have issues vs those made in the USA or say Canada it is just based on long term observations. If they had a long track record of making excellent product say like Germany I would not be having this conversation. They did this to themselves over years and years of making lower quality product vs other countries that made better quality items. It is been a smart consumer to buy the best out there and looking into the products we want to buy.
You can buy their products go right ahead be my guest. I will stick with other options that are better when possible. I purchased China made coin product in the past so how can I be a Bigot just because I now think there is better quality options out there for coin storage.
There are people on this forum who would benefit from going on an extended tour of factories in China. The “everything made in China is crap” mantra would end immediately.
Smitten with DBLCs.
Facts don't sway people anymore.
Search for PVC Flame test, and sacrifice one as the gold standard proof.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
If these are the facts I will look into it I will not refuse facts I just want to find my best option is all.
I used safe flips for a few years then switched to Guardhouse because they’re thicker and offer better protection. The safe flips are kind of flimsy.
I may try these I prefer flips that are not flimsy. Thanks for sharing.
But they're made from vinyl. I think you're going backwards.
I don't see "archival" or "acid-free" anywhere on the label. They do have another flip that specifically says "archival" and "no pvc".
I was not able to find information on where these are made, but Guardhouse cardboard and mylar 2x2s are made in.....China.
At this point I am about to just stay with 2 by 2 Mylar cardboard. This is giving me a headache.
Well, it does say trusted by numismatic professionals worldwide I mean, if that’s not good enough what the hell is!
By the way, for those who say Chinese made products are crap, and for those who say that is not true, I believe you are both correct.
After WWII and well into the 70s, people thought "Made in Japan" meant low quality. That wasn't entirely incorrect, but the reason was misunderstood. The Japanese factories were turning out products that met the customers' specifications. Many businesses went to Japan to have things manufactured because costs were so cheap. If they wanted cheap products then the Japanese accommodated them, but the Japanese were certainly capable of producing quality products.
The same goes for China. There is the occassional story about a rogue factory producing unauthorized or counterfeit or substandard products (I'd never buy pet food from there, for example), but they can and do produce quality products when the contracts stipulate that.
They often don't respect US copyrights or patents, but that's another story.
If you use the 2X2 cardboard staple holders, be sure to use a clean cotton cloth to wipe the cardboard dust off of the inside windows to prevent spotting on your coins. Also, be sure to flatten the staples with a pair of pliers.
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'm not saying they're not good, but personally I'd prefer Mylar (or equivalent).
The Guardhouse flips shown say they are made from "unplasticized vinyl", with the abbreviation being "uPVC". That's too close to PVC for me.
Guardhouse also makes flips that do not contain uPVC.
Thanks I’ll have to check those out next time but typically my coins only stay in those flips a month or two and then long enough to get to Newport Beach.
Transline 'manufactures/distributes/sells' Guardhouse branded products.
Here is their take on flip materials.
Key Paragraph:
"Anyone familiar with soft PVC flips knows they are quite durable and easy to use, but be warned they are best reserved for processing, temporary storage or with common coins. Unplasticized PVC, while safer, is more rigid and not as pliable as soft PVC. Pure, uncoated PET, while nearly twice the cost of PVC products, is the only material that can truly be called Archival, or Museum Quality."
Source: https://www.translinesupply.com/store/pg/42-PVC-and-PET-Flips.aspx
It is the plasticizer that causes the breakdown and the etching problem.
But I do find this funny.
I made my choice going with what Pruebas suggested and placed my order today. These are what I feel comfortable with and that is my choice as a consumer:
Most products made in China are as good or better than products made elsewhere. IMO most Chinese products and the people who make them are great. I usually try to avoid products made there because their government is terrible IMO.
A little late to the party here, but if you're ever concerned about whether or not a piece of plastic is PVC, there's always the good old fashioned Beilstein test.
You need:
- A Bunsen burner or propane torch
- a piece of pure copper wire
- A small piece of the suspicious plastic.
Bend the wire into a small loop on one end. Hold the loop in the flame until it doesn't give off any coloured light.
Now touch the still-hot loop onto the small piece of plastic, so that some of the plastic melts onto the wire. (note: don't use a large piece of plastic like an entire flip, just in case the plastic is flammable). Now put the wire loop straight back into the flame again.
If the flame turns green, then there's chlorine in the plastic. And the only likely "chlorine-containing plastic" is PVC.
YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BHvUxQMPzU
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.