| Author |
 Replies: 23 / Views: 3,963 |
|
New Member
United States
11 Posts |
I am puzzled by this.. Seems to be only coins that contain copper. My Lincoln cents had this issue a few years back. I ended up replacing all my cents. But now I noticed my Buffalo nickels, dimes, Washington quarters, and Kennedy half dollars are starting to show Verdigris growth along the edges of the coins. All coins are stored on my first floor in a safe. I didnt think moisture level and humidity would be a problem.. but I suppose I was wrong. What can I do to prevent further growth? Are these coins pretty much damaged? Or could I possibility be able to salvage them? Most of the coins affected are common every day coins you would find in pocket change but I am a bit concerned about the Buffalo nickels and half dollars. |
|
|
|
Moderator
 United States
187862 Posts |
 to the Community! Are you sure it is verdigris? What kind of coin book do you store your coins in? (album, cardboard 2x2, plastic flip, etc.) |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2120 Posts |
Welcome!
Pics would help identify the problem. As well as the above questions.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
You mentioned your coins are in a Coin Book. Do you mean a coin Folder? Is it a Blue colored Folder? Or by Books, do you mean an Album? Do you live in a high Humidity location? Some things to remember about Humidity is if your in a high hudity area and ever time you open your safe, the air inside comes out and is replaced with new, possibly high humidity air. This air stays in there until the safe is opened again. If your coins are in those Folders, that may well be the problem. As moisture in the air gets to the glues used to make them, It slowly attacks the coins. If in Albums, there too would depend on the age, make, etc. Please discribe what you mean by BOOKS. |
|
New Member
 United States
11 Posts |
Hi, Sorry for the delayed response. Didn't mean to leave you guys hanging like that. But to clarify I mean a coin folder. (Whitman) Not a book or album. And as Carl has stated I believe it has to do with the dew point and humidity that's inside the safe. I bought a silica pack hopefully this http://i49.tinypic.com/142h5dg.jpg will help? I bought all new coin folders. I am in the process of replacing what coins I can. Can these coins be saved? I bought a bottle of Verdi-Care but have yet to try it out yet. I don't want this to happen again. Any thoughts? As far as pictures of the coins and in the coin folders.. here's just a sample. This affects basically all of my coins.    Edited by orlywutlol
05/21/2012 7:23 pm
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
Get your coins OUT of that cheap folder ASAP! You'll need to address the verdigris on the coins immediately. I suggest dipping a toothpick in VERDI-CAREâ„¢ and chipping the verdigris off. It's fresh enough it should come right off, the VC will help the process. Then rinse the coins with acetone and put them into something better.
Verdigris will only form if the feed materials are there, i.e. air and water. Right now, those folders are shot and they are holding moisture and providing extra feed materials. If you choose to put them into new folders, you MUST store them in ziplock bags with desiccant packs. These cheap, cardboard folders offer NO protection from the environment.
|
|
New Member
United States
11 Posts |
I pretty much figured that these folders offer no protection from the environment. Unfortunately I bought all new coin folders and currently in the process of replacing the coins I find in circulation as well as searching rolls from the bank, "upgrading" coins as I go..
I do plan on starting a separate higher grade collection (AU-BU sets). I just don't want my current new folders going through the same problem. Also would like some insight on how to go about putting together AU to BU sets and properly displaying and storing them.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1796 Posts |
How many cubic feet is your safe? 200 grams of silica is a bit too much desiccant for a single plastic bag, but it might not be enough desiccant for a larger model safe.
|
|
New Member
United States
11 Posts |
I have an older model of the Sentry Fire Safe "1250" from what I gather I think its 1.23 cubic feet?
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Every time you open your safe, you allow moisture to enter with all new air. This moisture and new air is now trapped inside that safe until opened again. And every time it is opened, the same thing happens. A safe is not really safe for coins since it locks in whatever was in the area when last opened.
For one thing, get rid of those Folders. They have glue on the rear of the slots. You can touch each coin when opened and leave finger prints on the coins. IF you do want to keep those, then at least put each one in a Zip Lock Plastic bag, push out as much air as you can prior to sealing them. However, an Album is a lot safer.
|
|
Moderator
Australia
16810 Posts |
Fire safes are fire-resistant because they're deliberately designed to keep their contents slightly moist; this prevents paper objects placed inside them from spontaneously combusting while the safe is engulfed in a fire. The people that make fire-resistant safes don't count on people placing moisture-sensitive objects inside them. You can counteract this tendency by loading it up with desiccant, but you're really fighting against what the safe was designed to do.
I'd recommend, if at all practical, to swap it for a burglar-proof safe instead.
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
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
863 Posts |
If you want to keep the moisture out of your safe put a jar of rice in there it will absorb the moisture.
|
|
New Member
United States
11 Posts |
So keeping the coins in a fire safe is a no go then? All along we thought we were doing a good thing. When I was little someone broke into our house and burned it down. My parents and grand parents coin collection suffered severe smoke and fire damage. So we thought keeping the coins in a fire safe would at least give one more level of protection if god for bid something like that would happen again. I guess we were wrong.
I never knew that coin folders caused such problems with coins. If I have known that I wouldn't have bought all new coin folders but went with albums instead. What do you guys use for your collections?
Edited by orlywutlol
05/22/2012 12:28 pm
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Wow...there must be sulphur contamination in the cardboard.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1796 Posts |
Quote:
I think its 1.23 cubic feet? 200 grams should work fine. Just be sure to replace it every 2-3 years. Quote:
Fire safes are fire-resistant because they're deliberately designed to keep their contents slightly moist; This is not quite the case, especially as most fire safes are rated for holding firearms and ammunition. Fire safes are "fire safes" because of the fire resistant boards on the sides of the safe's construction. The boards make it act like a thermos or multi-pane window glass, allowing breaks that resist the heat invading the payload. This is why they are rated in BTU or minutes or hours, as that is the amount of energy/time that the contents of the safe stay below 451 degrees when exposed to an external temperature of (usually) 1,200 (and these numbers should be listed *on* the safe somewhere). For example, mine is rated to 62,000 BTU or roughly 30 minutes at 1,200-1,400 degrees (and for a safe the size of mine, that's pretty good). The fact that they also tend to be air-tight is why they can retain moisture. Moist air let into it stays moist without a proper desiccant so a fire safe stored in a moist basement will, in the course of normal use, get moist air in it. |
|
New Member
United States
11 Posts |
I am a bit undecided here. Considering I bought all new coin folders ($75 worth) without reading much into folders vs albums, a big oopsie by me. I plan on using them for my "secondary" collection (lower grades) and keep my higher grade stuff in interceptor 2x2's or maybe even go the PCGS slabbed route on the really high value coins.
Ugh I'm even changing my mind as I type. I could just say the heck with it and scrap the coin folders all together and go with the album route. With albums though I noticed there generally are two versions. One with holes for proofs and one with out. What are your thoughts about busting up proof sets to put proofs into an album? Seems kinda silly to me I personally rather keep my proofs in the original proof holders.
Also if I scrap the coin folders do you think there will be any resell value for these to try and recoup some of the cost?
|
| |
Replies: 23 / Views: 3,963 |
Posted 04/16/2012 5:18 pm
