Replies: 3 / Views: 82
Posted Today 2H 34M ago
Acetone is harmless* to copper coins.
That little asterisk in the above sentence offers the caveat that a days-long soak of bright shiny copper coins, if left in strong UV light over those days, can/will result in corrosion. But since an acetone soak doesn't need to go for longer than a couple of minutes and you're not trying to give yourself sunburn while you do it, acetone should be safe.
You can find dozens of forum members who will happily tell you they routinely rinse their coins in acetone prior to shipping them off to a TPG and never have any problems. And, since acetone does not affect the grade of a coin, I would also doubt that an acetone detection by a gas chromatograph would automatically trigger some kind of details grade of a coin. It's not one of the chemicals they're looking for.
A water wash is unnecessary, and I would posit that water, if it's not pure and it's not properly dried afterwards, is far more harmful to bright shiny copper than acetone. Acetone is an excellent drying agent and if I ever have cause to wash a copper coin with water, I always give the coin a rinse with acetone afterwards to make sure all the water is removed.
Nevertheless, it would be prudent to allow the coins to fully air-dry at room temperature for at least several hours prior to sealing them up for shipping. Sealing a coin up in a shipping envelope when it's still damp with acetone won't hurt the coin, but it might hurt the envelope.
That little asterisk in the above sentence offers the caveat that a days-long soak of bright shiny copper coins, if left in strong UV light over those days, can/will result in corrosion. But since an acetone soak doesn't need to go for longer than a couple of minutes and you're not trying to give yourself sunburn while you do it, acetone should be safe.
You can find dozens of forum members who will happily tell you they routinely rinse their coins in acetone prior to shipping them off to a TPG and never have any problems. And, since acetone does not affect the grade of a coin, I would also doubt that an acetone detection by a gas chromatograph would automatically trigger some kind of details grade of a coin. It's not one of the chemicals they're looking for.
A water wash is unnecessary, and I would posit that water, if it's not pure and it's not properly dried afterwards, is far more harmful to bright shiny copper than acetone. Acetone is an excellent drying agent and if I ever have cause to wash a copper coin with water, I always give the coin a rinse with acetone afterwards to make sure all the water is removed.
Nevertheless, it would be prudent to allow the coins to fully air-dry at room temperature for at least several hours prior to sealing them up for shipping. Sealing a coin up in a shipping envelope when it's still damp with acetone won't hurt the coin, but it might hurt the envelope.
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
