My first case of PVC...I think

RYK

Reviewing auction lots, I recently saw the first example of PVC that I have ever seen in a gold coin. It was an NGC-slabbed quarter eagle, a very nice an original coin, with small patches of what looked like fluorescent or neon green. Is that what PVC looks like? If I were to send the coin to NGC, what would happen next? Would the conservation of the coin destroy the originality? I am not intending to purchase the coin, I already have an example of it, mostly curious.

airplanenut

They would probably send it to NCS--a little acetone would likely take it off. How would that affect the originality? If they used a very small amount of acetone, it might go completely unnoticed, but I'm no dipping expert...

Jeremy

Catch22

Yeah, that was probably pvc. If it has just started, it can usually be easily removed with a quick dip.

Too many people just leave their coins in flips, tucked away somewhere and never look at them. After a couple of years in a flip they will start to develop a tinge of green, especially on the rim...even inside the reeds on the outer edge. When cleaning them, carefully roll the edge on a cotton cloth and you will see the green transfered to the cloth. Edited to add: I use baking soda to neutralize the acetone and then distilled water.

coinlieutenant

Robert,

Acetone will not harm the coin or its originality at all. Acetone is a natural solvent. It will remove non invasive PVC and other stuff common on coins. Mainly biological residue on coins... lipids (fats), etc...

I know that you know this but DO NOT use baking soda to neutralize the acetone. Pure acetone will "neutralize" itself, i.e. it will evaporate. It has a very low boiling point.

The only thing some people need to neutralize is actual "dip" which is acidic. Acetone is not acidic, or at least not very far from a PH of 7.

John

Catch22

I've never had any negative effects from using baking soda. However, if it isn't necessary to neutralize the acetone I am happy to skip it. Thanks for the info.

RYK

Here is a link to the coin in question:

Link

I think that the green spot at 4/5 o'clock just inside the second "A" of America on the reverse is the largest of the spots. There may be a second spot at the tip of the "anatomic" right wing of the eagle. I noticed three such spots on the reverse and none on the obverse. Is that typical?

In this case, it is a shame. This is a very nice original coin of a popular (in some circles) one year type.

Catch22

I would bet that coin has already been bathed. I have little experience with pvc on gold as I own so very little. On silver, it is usually more uniform, though spotting is also common, it's almost always slimier with areas of heavier darkening. My guess would be that the coin was bathed but didn't remove all the pvc.

coinlieutenant

I think that the coin could easily be fixed without hurting the original look of the coin.

John

chiefbob

"with greenish-yellow gold coloration complementing the lustrous satiny surfaces."

Is PVC now part of the toning craze?!!? Isn't this description a little more than disingenuous (some might say outright deceptive)?

So, for you toning nuts, now you can add PVC as another "complementary color". What BS.

I would never buy anything from this company after seeing that description.

Bob

RYK

I would never buy anything from this company after seeing that description.

Actually, the PVC spots are subtle, and they probably missed them with a quick look at the coin. I have found Scotsman to be very reasonable in my dealings with them. I do not believe that they are being intentionally deceptive.

chiefbob

"they probably missed them with a quick look at the coin"

Ryk,

I don't think they "missed them" as they included it in the description. Shouldn't they have been even slightly suspicious of the greenish color when they looked at it? I'm not arguing with you, just trying to better understand some of the nuances. I'm sure there's a lot of work in putting together an auction, but if you are looking at the coin longer than a TPGer and writing up a description, it seems like it would be hard to miss it.