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 Replies: 12 / Views: 2,066 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
767 Posts |
I've spent a lot of time worrying about how I store my coins.
I've heard horror stories about priceless collections being ruined by pvc, humid environments, etc...
But those gold coins of the SRH stayed in wonderful shape buried in old rusty cans with dirt and rock and gravel all around them.
I assume that the area where the discovery was made is somewhat arid, and that the coins were not moved during their 100+ years underground.
Is it just that gold doesn't get troubled as easily as other metals?
Some of these coins ranked as the highest grade examples known.
Was it because they were stacked neatly on top of one another with only their rims exposed?
Should I stop worrying about my coin's preservation, and just bury them in old rusty cans in my backyard? Edited by scottk
11/12/2014 5:22 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
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But those gold coins of the SRH stayed in wonderful shape Gold is non-reactive it would not corrode in a natural environment... The chemists will be along... to tell me I'm wrong....  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
814 Posts |
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Should I stop worrying about my coin's preservation, and just bury them in old rusty cans in my backyard?   |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
767 Posts |
Check it out... This is from wikipedia with the caption "gold coins shown as found":  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
767 Posts |
And another...  From now on when I send my coins to a TPG service I would like them to grade them, then send them back to me just like this. Edited by scottk
11/12/2014 9:55 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
Just hope you don't want to do that with copper coins, hehe.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1005 Posts |
I have one of these coins; interestingly the reverse is pristine and beautiful, with incredible luster but the obverse has quite a fair amount of roughness/dings that earned the coin a details grade. I can only figure the damage to the obverse occurred because this side had been facing the dirt/sand that got in the can and caused mechanical damage to this face. However, I'd bet the reverse was flush against another coin and thus was spared any damage whatsoever.
So my guess is the pristine mint examples from this hoard were sandwiched between other coins, which kept their faces free from any damage caused by infiltrating dirt and possible friction. As for how the gold surfaces stay pristine, the gold does not react with anything in its natural environment; at most, the copper in the gold alloy could leach in highly acidic conditions. Otherwise, the coins, free from mechanical damage, should remain pristine indefinitely.
It is also worth noting that these coins were carefully conserved by a professional to remove any dirt/possible rust that might have adhered to their surfaces.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1747 Posts |
I also don't remember hearing if they sent all or if some were kept. I personally would have kept a few.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
767 Posts |
I remember reading that they kept a few.
It was over 1400 coins with nearly $28,000 face value.
Edited by scottk
11/12/2014 11:20 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2661 Posts |
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Should I stop worrying about my coin's preservation, and just bury them in old rusty cans in my backyard? Yes.................Yes you should. But first you will have to send me your address and a detailed outline of your daily routine so that I can snail mail you instructions on how to properly bury your collection.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8137 Posts |
The hoard was not really in the really nice shape that it is in now when it was found. You need to remember that those coins were sitting in decaying metal cans for over 100 years. Many of the coins had to be conserved before they could be graded problem free, and I think some of them were so bad that they ended up in details holders even after lots of conservation work.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
767 Posts |
Right Tim. In the meantime, should I mark the spot with a large red spraypainted "X"?
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17946 Posts |
Conservation of coins is strange. Around 1990 my Auntie Mary gave me some pre-decimal pennies that she'd discovered in an old handbag (US: purse) that had been stored in a cupboard for about 20 years. The 'hoard' included several 1966 and 1967 pennies in superb red MS state that were in better condition than specimens that I'd put away at the time of issue in 2 x 2's!
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Replies: 12 / Views: 2,066 |
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Posted 11/12/2014 5:21 pm
