Will a red brown lincoln turn all brown??

Wisconsin

I was wondering if a PCGS red brown coin will turn all brown over time, or stay the same. If they turn why would you save one?? If possible what storage procedures would keep it red brown??

Maybe stupid question, but I don't know the answer to this.

Jay

tjkillian

Folks have been asking this question for years. Rick Snow, of Indian Cent fame, said that if a coin is undoctored and has remained red for a hundred years, why do you think it will happen now? Well I would say that what if the coin changed in its enviroment? Say going from Missouri to California where the air is toxic and we are close to the coast?

Tom

jeffnpcb

Definitely the area! On the NW Gulf Coast of Florida, 1/4 mile from the gulf, coppers turn green in your hand. I have seen pennies from the 70's and 80's that are green or porous. If they are climate controled and low humidity, it should be okay.

BillJones

All copper will turn brown or even green eventually. The trick is to store in properly so that process is considerably retarded. Given proper storeage, it will turn color well after you are no more.

Or a coin doctor will fix it so that it will be red, R&B or a desired shade of brown again. Sadly that's the nature of our hobby.

WANNABEDEALER

Rick Snows comments are not accurate. Coin storage and the elements of the area in which they are stored pay a large part of what will happen over time. In the southwest with low humidity raw copper tones much slower than in an area of great humidity, sea salt, sulphur and other containants. The PCGS slab may not be perfectly air tight and with time and contaminamts can and will change the look and color of a coin. How does one know that the holder will last 100 years, plastics haven't been around that long.

Coppernicus

The color of a slabbed Lincoln, stored in a cool, dry place with plenty of drying agent, should not deteriorate unless the coin was contaminated prior to slabbing. In such a case, the colring will continue to deteriorate regardless of how it is stored.

The same rules apply to raw coins but require much more careful monitoring of the atmospheric conditions of the storage site.