pvc on coins
tep
Posts: 3
I have been told that coins that have been in older holders containing pvc for 20 years are greatly reduced in price. Is there a way of cleaning the coins without damaging the surface. One dealer told me it does not even pay to have them graded because of this????????/
tep
0
Comments
PVC containing flips smell like new shower curtains when stretched
Can remove PVC by soaking in acetone (get by paint section in hardware store) - careful as acetone is flammable and is like sniffing glue
If the coin is already pitted from PVC, dealer is correct in a way, need to stop further contamination
If mintstate coins, do not want to rub, will cause scratches/hairlines which will drop value of coins
For hard to reach areas, lightly rub with acetone moistened Q-tip or flush with syringe
good luck - some pvc flips are more reactive than others - depends also on temperature and humidity
Acetone will remove PVC. I dipped a war nickel set this past weekend in acetone. They were in a carboard holder in a soft plastic sleve. I noticed some green toning spots on 1 nickel so I took them all out. It took off the green but left the silver toning alone. After the cleaning, all the nickels looked brighter and had nicer luster. There must have been a film over all the coins. Now they are in safe hard plastic snap tight holders.
FrederickCoinClub
(Scary thought: put it up for sale on eBay with that exact title, and see what happens... )
<< <i>Does the acetone do any damage to the coin? >>
Acetone should not damage the coin. And rather than having to buy a gallon of it at a paint or hardware store, you can buy a small bottle of nail polish remover anywhere they sell cosmetics. (Just make sure it's the kind with acetone as its active ingredient).
<< <i>Could you tell a dipped coin after the process? >>
Most people could, yes. Commercial coin cleaners like Jeweluster and MS70 actually remove a microscopic layer of the coin's surface. This affects the flow lines in the metal. One should only dip when necessary, and then as sparingly as possible. Sometime's it is a "necessary evil", however, and can improve a coin's appearance. It takes some learning to tell when to dip versus when to leave something alone. When in doubt, it's probably best to leave it alone.
<< <i>What would a mild detergent like dishwashing liquid do? >>
I'm not sure. Probably not much. It would be OK for removing loose grime from the surface of a coin, and probably not harmful, but I doubt it would be effective against PVC once the contamination had set in and started to react with the surface of the coin ("active PVC", I believe the grading services call this).
<< <i>Would it leave something that could be seen under a loop? >>
If thoroughly rinsed, I don't see how a mild detergent would leave much visible residue, though I could be wrong. Again, however, it probably wouldn't do a whole lot. Acetone would probably be better, as it evaporates. Depending on how powerful the loupe in question is, any of these methods might leave some visible trace, partiucularly if the coin is rubbed dry. (I've heard folks say "pat, don't rub". I instinctively rubbed some coins I had dipped recently, though I should have known better, and I hairlined them. Fortunately they were only cheap bullion-value silver coins that I was only dipping to remove blackish toning.)
As to submitting a PVC-ed coin for grading, unless it's a really valuable coin, it might not be worth the risk of getting a bodybag and losing your submission fee. However, minor cases of PVC contamination can be reversed, or so I've heard. If it is a valuable coin, perhaps it is worth sending in to NCS for professional conservation before slabbing.
Glenn
i bought a giant lot of silver bu washington quarters not long ago and the coins were literally sticky with PVC (i pulled them out of old vinyl sheets. i just dipped each one in full-strength jewelustre for about 1 second each. it seemed to do the job just fine. i realize now i should have used acetone, but they all look great now.
how would you have cleaned those - and they HAD to be cleaned. some had to be peeled off the sheet.
2 Cam-Slams!
1 Russ POTD!
<< <i>
<< <i>Does the acetone do any damage to the coin? >>
Acetone should not damage the coin. And rather than having to buy a gallon of it at a paint or hardware store, you can buy a small bottle of nail polish remover anywhere they sell cosmetics. (Just make sure it's the kind with acetone as its active ingredient).
Me: Actually, you should avoid nail polish remover, even the kind that contains acetone. It has other stuff in it, such as fragrances, color, etc. My 32 oz. (1 quart) of acetone from Home Depot was cheap and certainly in a manageable size can.
<< <i>Could you tell a dipped coin after the process? >>
Most people could, yes. Commercial coin cleaners like Jeweluster and MS70 actually remove a microscopic layer of the coin's surface. This affects the flow lines in the metal. One should only dip when necessary, and then as sparingly as possible. Sometime's it is a "necessary evil", however, and can improve a coin's appearance. It takes some learning to tell when to dip versus when to leave something alone. When in doubt, it's probably best to leave it alone.
Me: Dipped in acetone? No, unless it's removing PVC that has eaten into the coin. The, the coin will appear with surface damage, but that damage was already done.
...snip...
<< <i>Would it leave something that could be seen under a loop? >>
If thoroughly rinsed, I don't see how a mild detergent would leave much visible residue, though I could be wrong. Again, however, it probably wouldn't do a whole lot. Acetone would probably be better, as it evaporates. Depending on how powerful the loupe in question is, any of these methods might leave some visible trace, partiucularly if the coin is rubbed dry. (I've heard folks say "pat, don't rub". I instinctively rubbed some coins I had dipped recently, though I should have known better, and I hairlined them. Fortunately they were only cheap bullion-value silver coins that I was only dipping to remove blackish toning.)
Me: A loop of what? Oh, you mean a loupe... (sorry, couldn't resist)
...snip again...
>>
<< <i>Acetone should not damage the coin. And rather than having to buy a gallon of it at a paint or hardware store, you can buy a small bottle of nail polish remover anywhere they sell cosmetics. (Just make sure it's the kind with acetone as its active ingredient). >>
I thought someone said you shouldn't use nail polish remover because the other ingredients could be harmful...?
<< <i>As to submitting a PVC-ed coin for grading, unless it's a really valuable coin, it might not be worth the risk of getting a bodybag and losing your submission fee. However, minor cases of PVC contamination can be reversed, or so I've heard. >>
I got one sent back from ANACS, and they will let me send it back once it is fixed for just $5 more and they'll grade it.
Good luck!
I have tried the acetone followed by the mild detergent 'trick' on some morgans and walkers and worked great - got the coins encapsulated. The PVC was caused by older plastic holders from the 1970's/80's - sounds just like your problem...
...snip again..."
Barry, I just can't bring myself to use french words for some reason...
FrederickCoinClub
Then sent it in to pcgs, and low and behold it came back SP62
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