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 Replies: 16 / Views: 2,836 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Do moths eat coins?  to the CCF! Edited by Coinfrog
10/28/2020 09:49 am
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Pillar of the Community
1110 Posts |
Don't know if the odor or fumes from mothball effects coins.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5675 Posts |
There are reports of mothballs being used to prevent silver from tarnishing. But I would never use them because I hate the smell...
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Moderator
 United States
189340 Posts |
That would be a no from me. The smell is one reason.  |
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Valued Member
United States
171 Posts |
No, I would not use mothballs. They stink, and who knows what effect they'll have on coins.
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Valued Member
United States
171 Posts |
I personally use a closet de-humidifier and 40 grams of silica in my safe.
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Moderator
United States
34427 Posts |
@stimpy, it is a little unclear what purpose you have for these mothballs. Are they for other items (such as woolen clothes) also in this closet or specifically for the coins?
As far as odors go, my only experience was when I purchased an old numismatic book from the estate of a smoker. I had to air that thing out for months and now even years later still has some lingering odor from the cigarettes. If at all possible, I would try to separate your collection from strong smells.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Quote:
Do moths eat coins?  |
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Valued Member
United States
171 Posts |
Do moths eat coins?
Moth:
MMMMMMMMM...yuuuummmmy coin! The gold is delicious, my precious!
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New Member
 United States
14 Posts |
The mothballs are for the items in the closet, the safe just happens to be in there too. The problem is stuff that's been in there a long time has a strong musky odor I find quite offensive and washing them has very little effect. It didn't occur to me till just now that I might find the smell of mothballs even more offensive. Guess I'll look for another solution. I have desiccants and activated carbon in the safe with the coins.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7958 Posts |
If the safe has a decent seal on it, should be no problem.
If it doesn't, I would be worried about long term exposure of plastics (slabs) to the aromatic hydrocarbons in mothballs.
Polyetser is not very resistant to chemicals like this ...
Since the airborne concentrations are very low, I doubt that days, weeks months would pose an issue, but long term exposure, maybe.
The coins themselves would probably not be affected.
Edited by tdziemia
10/28/2020 8:25 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
After photographing them, I keep all my slabs frozen in ice, thinking this will prevent any deterioration.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Although most moth balls smell similar, just as with even water, not all are the same chemically. In other words, play it safe and don't do it.
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Moderator
Australia
16849 Posts |
To answer the question more directly: "moth balls" can be made of different substances, depending on your geographic location. Naphthalene used to be the main ingredient; in North America, this has largely been replaced by 1,4-dichlorobenzene, while in Asian countries, camphor is usually used.
All three compounds ought to be harmless to coins, as they contain no sulfur and do not otherwise react with metal. They will make the coins smell, though.
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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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
You could always go old school, before mothballs the standard remedy for moths was to get some cedar chips or planks and store them in the closet. The oder is very nice but supposedly it repels clothes moths. Evey 6 months to a year lightly sand the cedar planks to expose fresh surfaces to restore the odor.
If you do use mothballs I prefer the naphthalene variety. They are harder to find but I prefer their odor to that of the paradichlorobenzene type. Possibly because of the association of the odor to the other common use of the chemical. It is what the odor cakes in men's urinals is made of. I don't care for the idea of my clothes smelling like a urinal.
Edited by Conder101
10/30/2020 01:07 am
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Posted 10/28/2020 09:54 am
