Last week, my mother-in-laws home caught fire and was destroyed (fortunately, she escaped unharmed). The local fire department retrieved what they could find of her valued possessions, including her late husband's coin collection. The collection has been severely damaged: virtually all of the cases/containers are melted/scorched, and everything is soaking wet (not to mention the stench of from the acrid smoke). Below are just a couple pictures of some of the coins: most of the collection is silver coins in the 2x2 holders seen in the second picture, and mostly US quarters at that (hundreds of them)... I'm only just starting to inventory them. I've read the posts and opinions on coin cleaning, so I'm not looking to clean the coins in any aggressive manner; however, I know I need to do something right now with all these wet and decaying holders. Can anyone give me some advice on what my first steps should be here in minimizing any further damage to these coins? Thanks!
take the coins out of the holders and throw them away you can put them in new 2x2's. a soap and water bath will help with the grit... remember tho NO SCRUBBING..
do what the dutchman says, the silver will be okay, just rinse in distiled water, and pat dry. Then leave th ethe sun to kill any possible mildew. But, #1: Get rid of those holders. Good luck, and welcome to the forum.
When removing the holders, be especially careful with the staples. They can easily scratch the silver coins. Use staple remover or pliers to remove the staples completely from the holder before attempting to remove the coin. Because some were in plastic and heat may have "gassed" it, after rinsing with water, I would also soak in pure acetone for a few minutes and then hold each vertical and rinse with a stream of acetone. Acetone will remove any plastic film or organic gunk deposited on the coins. hold vertical for a few seconds for the acetone to evaporate before putting into new holders. Jim
Sorry to hear of the lost of the house. The 2X2 holders and plastic actually protected the coins somewhat just rinse them in distilled water don't rub, scrub, or wipe the coins. Rinse them in distilled water and then evaluate them. If they need further care then do more. Ice
All the old holders need to go but record any information possible from them. Desertgem nailed it from there.
I dont mess with the staples. Take a small wooden object and go around the outside edge of the plastic (puncture) and simply let the coin free. ie...toothpick works. You can use a small pen knife but be careful NOT to hit the coin
Unless they are key dates or rare sell them for melt. Unless they are key dates or rare sell them for melt or if sentimental value just remove the holders right now and soak them in olive oil or WD-40. Given what they have been through you got to quickly neutralize any corrosive possibility - if they are rare or key dates remove them and put in another holder and seek the advice of a conservator.
There's a lot of good advice above. I would just add that you should go slow. First, get the coins out of the 2x2's. Some may be okay. Some might just require a rinse with distilled water [no soap]. I would avoid the use of acids [olive oil]. If there are any potentially high value coins, they may warrant professional conservation. Just take it one coin at a time even though there are many of them. Resist the urge to rush to get it done.
NCS and Fire Damage NCS has an article on repairing fire-damaged coins today: http://www.ncscoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?NewsletterNewsArticleID=871 This is probably the way to go when dealing with gold certified and other coins worth enough to make the process worthwhile. Just don't sent them a coin worth over $5000 without realizing that they get a hefty percentage of actual coin value.
Ftm, Desertgem hit it on the head. The old holders have to go, (don't worry they didn't add much value), and you need to clean them with mild soap and water and pat dry. Then acetone to get rid of any contamination and rinse again with water, (distilled), and pat dry. Then put them into new holders. Go to a local coin shop and get archival type holders. Coins can go through a lot, but they will need a little care after a fire.
Mild bath of soap and water, with no rubbing or scrubbing will do just fine for common date stuff. If you have key dates, i would say look into the services offered by the NCS. Their newsletter for this month has a section concerning fire damage.
