Does Can. Maple Leaf packaging contain PVC?

pendragon1998

I got a handful of silver maple leaves today in a trade, still in their original packaging from the sheet. The plastic seems to be PVC, but I don't know for sure. Does anyone here know what it's made of and if the packs will damage the coins?

Thanks,
Michael

pendragon1998

???

pendragon1998

ttt

thestig

if they are in SOFT plastic holders and were made before the early 1990's, they could contain PVC plastic. Most world mints now use low- or non-PVC plastic holders today

I have some 2005 maples but the plastic seems hard not soft, on the other hand the Chinese panda coins use a softer plasic, these may contain PVC.

I think yours are ok.

Ebay Guides

ColinCMR

my guess is that it is pliofilm like the proof-like sets, but i'm not positive

pendragon1998

These are 1989 maple leaves; the material is sort of on the thick side and is very flexible, almost like a shower curtain liner.

thestig

if the coins look good with no spotting, I would say its safe. Its always a good idea to keep them original.
silver reacts with air, so they are protected good in the plastic they came in..

1jester

Personally, if I even remotely suspected the possibility of PVC, I'd break it out and give it an acetone bath and put it in a mylar container toute de suite. Keep the original holder if you wish.

7Jaguars

I have original 1988 Maples and many others in original plio and NO PVC residue seen. I think they may not contain PVC.

Bailathacl

I'm sensing a market for an "At Home PVC Test Kit"....

7Jaguars

OK, the test is too heat up a pin or paperclip and touch it too the plastic holder so that some melts on to the metal. Put this to more heat like a match or lighter and burn the plastic up that has been melted. If there is green to the flame that shows that there are chlorides in the plastic. If my wife lets me I will try it this weekend or somebody else can.

No joke, that is the test!

silvereaglecoins

Canada silver maples come in sheets of ten coins, sealed in a "blister pack". The sheet is made from polyethylene terephthalate polyester film, commonly called by the trade name Mylar. This is the same material that was used by the US Mint in the late 1950s and early 1960s for Proof Sets. The clear plastic "slides" used in Dansco albums (and other brands) are also made of Mylar.

Mylar does not contain any PVC and is perfectly safe for coins.

However, the Mylar film can also trap in any surface contaminants on the coin which is why you sometimes see sealed silver maples with milky white spots. The milk spots are caused by an incomplete planchet rinse at the mint which leaves residue on the coin which can, over time, turn into a dreaded milk spot.

Other than the flame test mentioned above, an easier way to determine if your coin flip contains PVC is to smell it. PVC coin flips will have a very distinct "plastic shower curtain" smell when new. The smell fades with age as the PVC gases out, making the flip more brittle.

More recent Canada silver maples are being packaged in mint tubes of (20) or (25) coins.

pendragon1998

<< <i>OK, the test is too heat up a pin or paperclip and touch it too the plastic holder so that some melts on to the metal. Put this to more heat like a match or lighter and burn the plastic up that has been melted. If there is green to the flame that shows that there are chlorides in the plastic. If my wife lets me I will try it this weekend or somebody else can.

No joke, that is the test! >>



The flame test yielded a green flame, so I'm assuming that this packaging material contains some sort of PVC.

Mylar is much more brittle, more "crinkley" - I'm pretty sure this isn't mylar.

7Jaguars

Yes, I think the test is called the "Bilstein test" and is a legit chemical test. Usually the PVC is the plasticizer part that keeps plastic supple as you pointed out.

pendragon1998

I remember doing some basic flame tests in high school, although not in college (probably due to safety issues, since my college class was a bunch of screwups). It hadn't occurred to me to try it here, though - thanks for the suggestion.