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 Replies: 16 / Views: 6,632 |
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Valued Member
United States
344 Posts |
I bought this album when I first started collecting months ago. Its a black 60 coin album that says H.E Harris & CO. It does smell like a shower curtain  idk if that is an immediate givaway. But I don't want to keep coins in it any longer if that's the case.   |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
I am not familiar with this particular brand but from your description "Smells like a shower curtain" and by the look of it from your images I would say it is PVC  |
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Valued Member
 United States
344 Posts |
wish the coin shop would've warned be ahead of time. Guess I'm not going back there.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
Quote:
wish the coin shop would've warned be ahead of time. Guess I'm not going back there. Many "Old School" coin dealers are blissfully unaware that PVC kills coins, This may be the case with the coin shop you went to. You can try taking the album back and explain that the PVC in this type of album is bad for coins, You never know you may get a refund or a credit to use on a Non PVC album. |
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Valued Member
United States
344 Posts |
I bought it months ago s its too late to take back. I also just found out about heating up copper and melting the plastic onto it, then holding a flame up to the melted plastic. If it burns green its pvc. When I did it with some of the plastic it did burn green |
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Pillar of the Community
Sweden
1078 Posts |
Agreed, this looks like PVC-containing plastic. The way the plastic is soft yet nearly impossible to tear apart is usually a sign of PVC.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
711 Posts |
Smells like a shower curtain is shorthand for is made from plasticized PVC, the plasticizer being what you smell. That same smell used to be called new car smell but when the plasticizer came out of the dashboard compound it would fog the windows. We fixed the fogging problem through formula, and that removed the new car smell from new cars. People complained so the smell was artificially added back in. I am a PVC engineer. Harris is a good company name from what little I know. To be certain you can test the plastic yourself with just a cup of water and a source of flame. First cut off a piece of the plastic in question. Make sure it is pure plastic, no glue or cardboard stuck to it and no air bubbles inside it. Then throw that piece of plastic in a cup of water. Make sure you sink it to break surface tension and there are no air bubbles under to float it. If it floats, it is not PVC and you are done. 100% certain it is not PVC. If it sinks, it may be PVC, you need to light it on fire to tell. PVC will have the following properties when burnt. It will smell horrible (hydrochloric acid from the HCl and air). It will have a green tint to the flame (chlorine burns green). It will produce whitish smoke. It is self extinguishing (you remove the flame and it will generally go out though that depends on the guy doing the formula knowing his job; the plasticizer will burn, the PVC won't but we invented flame retardants a long time ago for this reason). FYI PVC is self extinguishing because the chlorine gas it produces when burnt is heavier than the air and it suffocates the fire or self extinguishes the fire. You have to keep a source of flame like a lighter to it to get it to burn. It won't drip. Here is a great chart that will show you what any type of plastic is with just some water and some fire. http://www.consultekusa.com/pdf/Tec...chart%20.pdf |
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Valued Member
United States
354 Posts |
H.E Harris is a reputable name. As far as I know,their recent products contain no PVC or other harmful materials.
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Moderator
 United States
188770 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
344 Posts |
it could of been on the shelf for years, that's why it was pvc
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9792 Posts |
 pretty sure that storage album is made entirely of PVC. "Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Why take chances. Simple contact Whitman Publishing Co. As already noted, Harris bought Whitman. They now manufacture several different brands of Albums, Folders, etc. under different names.
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CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
As long as the PVC is not in direct contact with the coins, it shouldn't be a problem. PVC is used in these sort of albums as they are easy to work with, won't crack, and are good for carrying. Just don't ever store coins directly in the pockets without a flip.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1314 Posts |
Alec, don't be too hard on your dealer. And if this is your only problem with him, you might want to reconsider some return visits. I have a very good dealer, and it is a cultivated relationship. Last time I saw him, he had set aside a collection with me in mind. He didn't cherry pick the contents and he didn't show it to anyone else. The collection consisted of 8 albums. He paid $340, and said he would sell it to me for $360. He said that out loud in a crowded coin shop. I hastily flipped a couple pages of 3 albums, and loudly replied, "Sold."  When I got it home, I counted 1139 coins, at least 40 are quickly recognizable as silver - some crown size. No ancients, but the earliest coin appears to be Sweden, 2 Ore, 1573, Silver. There are a good number of moderns as well.   However. Some albums smell of PVC and a few of the Cu-Ni coins have a slightly greenish tinge. This isn't just a purchase, it is a project. And it is likely that for the next 6 months, most of my postings will be about coins from this collection. Right now the bunch is in triage. Wizzard is supplying 2x2s and Verdi-Care. I am going to do a strict accounting to see how I make out, but I'll bet 40% are world types not in my collection, 10% are upgrades to what I have, and 2 or 3 coins will be from countries I didn't have represented. That should leave me with over 550 coins to sell, helping me recoup my investment. If my dealer did all the work, I couldn't afford the collection. My approach my not appeal to everyone, but it works for me, and might for others. Edited by Chute72
07/07/2016 2:21 pm
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Valued Member
United States
75 Posts |
I'm pretty sure I've seen that same album for sale at my local Books A Million bookstore.
I do remember it having a very heavy shower curtain smell.
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Valued Member
United States
344 Posts |
Anybody recommend any coin albums?
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Replies: 16 / Views: 6,632 |
Posted 07/02/2016 4:04 pm
