What is the best way to clean silver coins (mold/fungus)?
Early_Milled_Latin_America
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I have a relative that said he found his old coin collection but there is mold/fungus growth on the small paper sleeves he put his coins in (his best coins as well). All his coins are silver so I thought I would ask here. Would acetone do the trick? Or would vinegar be better?
I thought silver (based on AI searches I did) kills fungus/mold. Maybe it is not on his coins directly just on the sleeves.
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I think a couple of rinses in Acetone will do the trick.
bob
I told him to wait for my response then once all is OK buy some Mylar sleeves. After he cleans them of course.
ooohhhhhh
i wouldn't feel comfortable giving conservation advice on sight unseen "mold/fungus" infection
all i can say is don't touch them until they can be seen by someone knowledgable
no acids like vinegar! no bases like clorox bleach!
He has about 100 coins can he just do like 25 at a time in a large bowl with pure acetone? Then do each side with fresh acetone?
What about acetone? His coins are mostly coins that would grade authentic anyways he collected them from circulation when he was young most have scratches and the like.
acetone can melt many types of plastics
anything you do, you do it outside the holders
it is possible for you to get some pictures?
Absolutely do not use vinegar. Acetone is safe but may not do anything.
Without knowing what we're dealing with I don't think any advice here will be particularly useful.
Any chance you could get some pictures?
Collector, occasional seller
I meant would acetone work in this case in a glass bowl with a metal lid. He is old he does not have a camera just told me this over the phone.
It actually may be easier than you are thinking. Try it with a dozen or so at first and see how quick and easy it is or isn't. The mold, etc, is likely from moisture in the albums they were stored in and most likely the coins will not be a problem to clean. It worked for me once on coins that were recovered from a house fire that all were like yours. The albums were hosed down and did not burn but turned nasty from the organics growning on the albums.
bob
PS: hope it is easily corrected, let us know.
Dip them maybe work w dip (jewel luster) soaked q tip tap tap - worked good on $550 coin. Retailed it for $495 down the road. Came out nicely / super luster. Nice profit too.
Why would acetone not work? His coins are all 90% silver or more.
So there is no one common solution for this then? I figured acetone would work. I am curious why it would not in some cases?
The coins do not have mold/fungus on them it was the paper sleeves he just want s to make sure to kill whatever could be lingering on the coins due to this. He has taken them out of those paper sleeves and just put the coins in a glass bowl for now.
if it is just on the coin, acetone could work. mold and fungus won't live on the silver, but if there is something else between, then mystery material has a place to rest.
while experienced people can get away with q-tip, i'd advise beginner's not to do it as it might could leave hairlines(do not scrub!). just soak the a few at a time. change acetone between groups or if there is junk swirling in it. rinse with high purity alcohol
also this is definitely not a time to use a silver polish/cleaner of any type
handle coins by the edges! no smoking!
I do not understand this part:
but if there is something else between, then mystery material has a place to rest.
What does that mean?
mold won't grow o silver
if there is mold there, then there is something between the silver and the mold. the mold will grow on that
And that could be anything I guessing? Like sticky residue or things like that?
And will the acetone bath ensure it will not come back if properly stored afterwards? Does acetone kill mold/fungus?
Silver is notoriously good at killing microbes and moulds. It won't grow on the coins, and will probably not then spread from the coin to anything else.
Acetone would work, but if we're just talking about removing clumps of mouldy paper stuck to a coin, then water would be just as effective, and a lot cheaper.
We also shouldn't discount the possibility that your relative is using the word "mould" when it's actually something else, like corrosion, PVC damage or just plain old tarnish/toning. Which is why we're being cagey about giving sight-unseen advice.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded the DPOTD twice.
I asked him to look up images of PVC he said no on that. Verdigris either. There is nothing on the coins he just wants to make sure that the mold/fungus is 100% removed if any residue is on the coins. I will tell him to do acetone. Then buy good Mylar sleeves and keep them in a proper environment. They where in is garage for 20-30 years or more in boxes. He lives in a humid place.
whatever mold likes to live on
in this case of AUandAG
I'm thinking there was something like cellulose from the paper/cardboard plus the water for dampness. the same could be for him if there was a damp or humid place
sticky? there's probably something a real educated person could think of for mold to grow on. i don't know.
start with the acetone. don't scrub, if there's something sticky underneath, there are people here that know how to deal with sticky
Try acetone first on a few coins. It's not expensive and it can't hurt a silver coin. It won't cost you anything other than a little time and the cost of some inexpensive acetone. Let us know how it goes.
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
Acetone will remove largely organic dirt. It may not remove "mold/ fungus" without friction which is its own problem. Dilute bleach might be more effective but you need to be careful about the length of exposure. We're all just guessing without seeing it.
Like others, we do need pictures. Can he not take some and send them to you and you. post at least a few examples.
Also, not to be sold short as ammonia, clear and mildly diluted can work better than acetone on some types of toning as it def. has differing properties from acetone.
Well, just Love coins, period.
IMO, the first response to the OP should be WHAT ARE THE COINS! We wouldn't want his friend touching a MS 1733 Piller dollar right?
NO BLEACH.
NEVER EVER BLEACH!
IT CREATES A DARK BROWN COMPOUND THAT BONDS SO TIGHTLY TO SILVER THAT IT IS SAFE TO SAY IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OFF
NO BLEACH.
NEVER EVER BLEACH!
So you do use the CAPS button after ALL!
If there is nothing on the coins, just throw out the holders. > @MsMorrisine said:
THAT'S ONLY CHLORINE BASED BLEACH
YOu can safely use non- chlorinated bleach. The Grey is silver chloride. No chlorine, no silver chloride.
Although since he said it's only on the paper, I wouldn't do anything to the coins.
You have received good advice above.
In my view, only use acetone with a distilled water rinse. Never touch the coin with anything. Acetone will not damage the coin but it may not remove the contaminant depending upon what it is.
If after that it looks reasonably good and low value then keep it as an album coin.
If it looks exceptional and has high value, then maybe send it in for grading.
Otherwise, sell it for melt value and if it is a date/mint that is important to you, buy a replacement that is graded.
yes yes sure sure
yo tell someone bleach is ok and they won'r ask chlorine or peroxide? they're going to go get that gallon jug instead of a tub of oxi-clean
i stand by my statement despite it is not 100%. i'd rather tell someone never bleach and the coin has a no-chance encounter over someone some kinds of bleach are safe ii think i remember, let me go buy that jug
you didn't specify non-chlorinated bleach. why not?