Home› U.S. Coin Forum

Strange question - Would storing coins in distilled water prevent them from tarnishing?

ecichlidecichlid Posts: 1,212 ✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum
Would storing coins in distilled water prevent them from tarnishing? I suppose you would have to replace the water periodically. I would think it would work.
There is no "AT" or "NT". We only have "market acceptable" or "not market acceptable.

Comments

  • dragondragon Posts: 4,548 ✭✭
    True 0 TDS water is actually very aggressive and I don't think makes a good storage medium for any type of alloyed metals.
  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,749 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Uh, no.
    You wish to keep moisture away from your coins.
    Seriously.
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • NitroCruiserNitroCruiser Posts: 654
    Water, even distilled water is H2O. Oxygen in any form is still an oxidizer. I'd go with it being a bad idea.
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,853 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You'd be better off storing your coins in mineral oil.

    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

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,749 ✭✭✭✭✭
    W.C. Fields studiously avoided water, allegedly on the grounds that fish procreate in it.

    image
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You would be better off letting them tone naturally.
  • ColonelJessupColonelJessup Posts: 6,442 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ask someone taking high school chemistry.
    "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - Geo. Orwell
  • magikbillymagikbilly Posts: 6,780 ✭
    Nitrogen only in sealed anodized aluminum storage container?

    Eric
  • MrSpudMrSpud Posts: 4,499 ✭✭✭
    Water would be bad. Like was said before, mineral oil might work in an inert glass jar. Mainly because it blocks water and air from reaching the coin. Your grandchildrens' grandchildren could then rinse off the mineral oil 1000 years from now and they should have blast white coins (assuming you put blast white coins in the mineral oil).
  • BAJJERFANBAJJERFAN Posts: 31,326 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>True 0 TDS water is actually very aggressive and I don't think makes a good storage medium for any type of alloyed metals. >>



    It s actually the dissolved oxygen in the water that is the real culprit. It likely wouldn't be worth the effort or the expense for the average person to try to do it. Organic solvents OTOH have much less propensity to dissolve up atmospheric oxygen than does water or aqueous solutions.
    theknowitalltroll;
  • ambro51ambro51 Posts: 13,949 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have a few pennies which my uncle, who was a glassblower....sealed up inside glass 'bubbles'. Still brilliant, after 40 years.
  • ecichlidecichlid Posts: 1,212 ✭✭✭
    Not that I was planing on doing it. image Some god points, thanks guys.

    Time to start blowing some glass bubbles.
    There is no "AT" or "NT". We only have "market acceptable" or "not market acceptable.
  • RRich2004RRich2004 Posts: 252


    << <i>Would storing coins in distilled water prevent them from tarnishing? I suppose you would have to replace the water periodically. I would think it would work. >>



    If you don't mind lime deposits all over your coins.

    Seriously, you might as well face facts, that where silver coinage is concerned there is not much that can prevent tarnish from appearing on them.
  • BAJJERFANBAJJERFAN Posts: 31,326 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I have a few pennies which my uncle, who was a glassblower....sealed up inside glass 'bubbles'. Still brilliant, after 40 years. >>



    I bet he pulled a vacuum on it first before he sealed it.
    theknowitalltroll;
  • BAJJERFANBAJJERFAN Posts: 31,326 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Would storing coins in distilled water prevent them from tarnishing? I suppose you would have to replace the water periodically. I would think it would work. >>



    If you don't mind lime deposits all over your coins.

    Seriously, you might as well face facts, that where silver coinage is concerned there is not much that can prevent tarnish from appearing on them. >>



    He said distilled water. That wouldn't leave lime deposits.
    theknowitalltroll;
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,853 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Would storing coins in distilled water prevent them from tarnishing? I suppose you would have to replace the water periodically. I would think it would work. >>



    If you don't mind lime deposits all over your coins. >>



    This may be true of tap water but not with distilled water.


    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

  • ambro51ambro51 Posts: 13,949 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Seriously, putting your coins in distilled water for storage, or to prevent them from toning....would not work.
    corrosion would result.
  • PCcoinsPCcoins Posts: 3,354 ✭✭✭
    Oxygen is your enemy if you don't like toning, H20 is filled with oxygen obviously.... so no.
    "It is what it is."
  • tahoe98tahoe98 Posts: 11,388 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I have a few pennies which my uncle, who was a glassblower....sealed up inside glass 'bubbles'. Still brilliant, after 40 years. >>



    ...glass would be great for slabs, yes? image
    "government is not reason, it is not eloquence-it is a force! like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action." George Washington
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    They can safely be stored in nitrogen filled containers - the containers being inert as well (i.e. glass). Water will ruin them. Cheers, RickO
  • jmski52jmski52 Posts: 23,266 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have a few pennies which my uncle, who was a glassblower....sealed up inside glass 'bubbles'. Still brilliant, after 40 years.

    I have an Unc 1959 Cent and (3) Unc 1960 Cents that I've kept in a cheap felt-lined jewelry box since 1965 (46 years? !!!), and they are still BU, maybe just a little less than brilliant but still amazingly Unc. When I obtained them, I figured that they might be valuable some day. And they are.image
    Q: Are You Printing Money? Bernanke: Not Literally

    I knew it would happen.
  • JJHulinJJHulin Posts: 82
    You could always get a food saver jar and suck all the air out. That should keep them from tarnishing I would think as long as there is nothing else in the jar.
  • ConstantineConstantine Posts: 2,369 ✭✭✭
    I think the paper PCGS inserts would rot image

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Format
SpoilerCodeQuote
Heading 2Heading 1
Emoji
:):D:(;):/:o:s:p:'(:|B):#:*<3o:)>:)
Url
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file
Home • U.S. Coin ForumComment As ...