If that coin "feels oily, or slippery, it has been coated with mercury, and yes, GET RID OF IT! It is poisonous It, (mercury), will dissolve gold, so if you allow it to come into contact with anything gold, or gold-plated, there will be damage done. I also played with the stuff as a kid, and later found out how it was used by the miners. It, as I mentioned, woll dissolve gold, and was used to "almagamate gold". They used potatoes to "bake" out, or off the mercury, and end up with a porous gold pellet. They did NOT eat the spud! The "liquid mercury will vaporize readily with very little heat, so it behooves one to be very careful with it! The vapors are very poisonous, and can be fatal!.
Dick
Edited by livingdinasaur
07/14/2007 04:42 am