Sad Story

dougsmit,

Wow that horrible, I'm sure you tried everything in your power, this could happen to any of us, sorry to see this......

Wow that's too bad. This is one of the reasons why I try to avoid bronze and copper coinage. The noble metals are resistant to oxidation.

From a chemistry perspective, the worst thing you could do is touch bronze coins with your bare hands! The chloride ions from the salt on your skin react with the copper ions in the bronze to form cuprous chlorides. When exposed to moist air, the cuprous chlorides are hydrolyzed to form hydrochloric acid and basic cupric chloride. The hydrochloric acid then reacts with uncoroded copper metal to form more cuprous chlorides. This reaction will continue until no metal remains. In summery, don't touch bronze or copper coins with un-gloved hands.

interesting woozi, I knew the moisture bad part and knew chlorides (or similar something or others) is tap water was bad (soak in distilled), but didn't think about skin secretions. after I put them in flips, I don't touch again, and I put silica gel packs in my coin box. and I check out my rather small collection frequently. am I doing enough?

Thanks W00zi--perhaps I should be more careful with my coins.
I live near salt water, and I'm careful to keep my coins sealed from humidity and airborne salts.
The strange thing about "bronze disease", you would think brass fittings on boats would be corroded in a similar way, but they're not. There are bronze statues right on the water here that don't corrode either. Perhaps BD also has to do with impurities in the original metal?

I don't recognize Doug's coin, but that's a sad progression!

Really sad to see that happen.

Doug. I am sorry to see your bronze disease blues On a plus side: it looks like you have arrested the decay.

Did you soak the coin in distilled water and then bake in the oven as a cure?

Do you have a protocol that you use for BD?
Do you plan to ren wax this coin after you are convinced the BD is gone?
I know that there is more than one oppinion on how to deal with BD. Would like to hear your oppinion:)

This coin was treated with an approximation of Sodium sesquicarbonate (home made solution from Sodium carbonate and Sodium bicarbonate) followed by a wash in distilled water and drying. The coin is still in the drying phase. It will be watched daily for a while and then weekly before it is put away again. I do not believe in waxing or any coating that will hold whatever is inside in there. This is only my second BD coin since I try to avoid buying them. I believe from the original photo that the coin had been waxed with colored wax in the areas that turned green. Notice there is no green in the left photo but there is surface irregularity there.