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 Replies: 14 / Views: 3,558 |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
52 Posts |
Hey, I collect current circulation coins date runs and commemorative 50p £1 and £2. I was wondering shpuld I clean them and how? Also whats the best way to store them..ive sn album but I tjink the pages are pvc and I've be storing the couns for a long time. Bere in mind I've got 500+ coins to store so dont want to be spending masses on a few pages etc. Id appreviate help, thsnk ypu
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1351 Posts |
Don't clean although read some threads on acetone to remove gunk.
Avoid PVC at all costs it will ruin coins.
Rather than regurgitate previous posts you can search the forum where you can get your options.
Welcome.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
No need to clean them unless they are obviously dirty.
Since you are collecting coins from circulation (I am building a commemorative only collection from circulation), there won't be much need to clean them.
Individual coins MAY need some cleaning, but I think in most cases, it would be better to wait for a cleaner coin.
If you MUST clean some individual coins, I can't really see anything wrong with good 'ole soap 'n water; that, in spite of the fact that I expect to be howled down. We are only looking at coins extracted from circulation, after all.
Coins from circulation in uncirculated grades should never require cleaning, anyway.
If display is not a problem, storage in NON PVC flips for individual coins is probably best, the flips stored in cross sectional 2x2 box(es). The main storage problem with coins from circulation is that best examples are retained, and these usually have at least some mint lustre. This lustre should be preserved and individual NON pvc flips provide the best way to achieve that. SOME steps need to be taken to preserve the mint lustre.
Unfortunately, soft clear PVC album pages will eventually affect the toning of base metal coins.
I expect that you are looking the cheapest practical way of storing 500+ coins.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1351 Posts |
For run of the mill coins I use Britannia albums.You can get non PVC sheets which hold 20 2x2 flips.
They are all good value for UK based collectors.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3486 Posts |
There is nothing wrong with the reliable 2X2 cardboard holders.
Tried and true, I prefer these for most circulation finds.
About 4 US cents apiece but shipping to the UK may be costly.
They may be stored in either a 2X2 box or in a cheap vinyl page as they are protected
from contact with the plastic.
Oh, they run in size from US dime to US dollar but they work for coins
from all countries.
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
287 Posts |
Hi Greg
I had the same kind of issue and got quite stressed trying to ensure I bought the right kind of storage at the right price. If you buy from the UK, you will pay quite a lot more, I couldn't find flips in uk for under 7p each, and that soon adds up.
I ended up getting them imported in from the US at less than half the uk price even with postage.
I also bought the 2x2 sleeves someone mentioned above, but was careful to make sure they are safe, because even with the flips, you still need the right sleeves, most will say if archival safe
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
188 Posts |
OK, so PVC is VERY BAD for base metal coins.
Numpty has some brass and cupronickel coins unwittingly stored for about 2 months in a widely eBayed display album apparently made of PVC. Do I now need to do an acetone cleansing cycle on them before storing them in mylar?
Also is it possible to encapsulate coins to any effect using lamination pouches, a hairdryer or airgun and a stiff brush?
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Valued Member
 United Kingdom
52 Posts |
How long can my circ coins be stored in pvc for? Mine are in them at the moment :/
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
287 Posts |
They say no more than 6 months
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Pillar of the Community
United States
992 Posts |
I've been told the PCV storage maximum is cumulative, like radiation. So if you got the coins from a dealer in mylar flips, but he got them from an estate that kept them in PCV for 4 months, you've got another 2 months or so before chemical reactions become visible. I don't know if that's true or not.
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Moderator
 Australia
16846 Posts |
Quote:
How long can my circ coins be stored in pvc for? PVC is great for display purposes, but they should not be used for storage. At all. The rate of degradation of coins inside PVC is variable. It depends on the composition of the coin (some metals react worse than others - I've found brass to be the worst), the condition of the coin (for some metals, oxidized surfaces offer some protection, for others it does not), temperature (hot weather accelerates all chemical reactions) and humidity (the wetter it is, the more corrosion can occur). Some coins will start to degrade after just a few days if you're in Florida, or Queensland. How to tell if the PVC has started to react with your coins? Take the coin out of the album pocket and look at the pocket where the coin was sitting. Is there a buildup of residue, or some discolouration? Can you see an outline of the coin's high points etched into the plastic? If so, then the album is causing a chemical reaction with your coins. Throw it away and get a new one. Will the coins need acetone before being re-housed? Possibly. Putting coins covered in goo into a fresh album pocket or flip without removing the goo first will simply ruin the new album page, and possibly cause even further damage to the coins. Certainly if the coins "feel sticky" or if there is visible buildup on the coins themselves, it should be removed. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
52 Posts |
Ok thank you
.ive got pounds 50ps and £2 coins in the pvc pockets.theyve been there a few weeks..im looking into other storage but would probably be a month until I have an alternative
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
188 Posts |
A bit of progress reporting here.
I found that for storing £1 coins and being able to inspect/demo the edges, half dollar size (31.5mm) is ideal, better than the next size down (29mm). For £2 coins, half dollar size was the minimum that would close properly around the coin though a little tighter than desirable for edge inspection.
I was a little disappointed with some Whitman Publishing flips I got from a UK seller as the mylar film was not laid completely flat against the card frame but was a little crazed which we as coin collectors would notice. Hence some flips I got from a seller in China were worth waiting for as the film was laid completely flat. In the latter case the card was thinner and the film described as "made from OPP material. High Quality and no reaction with the coins."
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New Member
Australia
2 Posts |
The problem in cleaning coins is that you run the risk of damaging them. The collector community shuns cleaned coins a bit because people in the past have used abrasive and harsh cleaning methods or used chemicals whose residue left on the coin leads to damage.
In reality, if you clean a coin and do it properly and do not damage it, it's quality can become more easily apparent. I have seen coins graded slightly better after having been cleaned because the corrosion made it hard to see the fine detail that still existed.
So in summary:
1. Cleaning a coin may damage it, reducing its grade/quality.
2. Improper cleaning can leave residue on coins causing harm to the coin later.
3. While clean coins look nicer, the collector culture looks down on cleaned coins, even those cleaned by a professional antiquities restorer.
My advice to you is that for modern in circulation coins, you can wash them gently using a mild detergent in warm water. Be sure to use only a soft cotton or microfibre cloth and take care not to scratch the coin.
Alternatively, on cupronickel coins and on partly shiny (not dull) aluminium-bronze (gold coloured) coins you can give the coins a wipe over with a jewelers cloth to remove light tarnishing and then wash them as above. To reduce the chance of chlorine or calcium reside/damage, rinse them in fresh water (even distilled water) and wipe dry with a microfibre cloth.
Note in all of this, resist them temptation to polish the coin. Always try to clean it back to original lustre and do not attempt to polish it to a high lustre.
Just my thoughts.
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1064 Posts |
Go to WHSmiths, they have non-PVC coin holders, can be a bit expensive, but they work.
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Replies: 14 / Views: 3,558 |
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Posted 03/03/2014 07:06 am
