ASE - Milk Spots

I'm new to collecting PCGS grades ASE and there seems to be a lot of concern about coins with milk spots.
I've that they are caused by corrosive gases in the air to a wash that the US Mint uses on the coins.
If one agrees with the corrosive gas theroy then proper storage is needed. If it is the wash theory then all ASE should be prone to this problem, but is seems that there are certian dates that they occur on more than others.
Any insite as to cause or storage would be appreciated.
Thanks Much
Joe

 

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hmm same here.. i've got about 1-2 ase with milk spots. what are those anyway?

 

GDJMSP
So is it your feelin that storage in an Intercept Shield box is of little use.

 

Here's a link to a thread with photos of ASE milk spots that I posted earlier in the year after I'd bought a small amount of 2009 ASEs NGC graded MS69. I was disappointed to discover they had these 'milk spots' and after asking CT members about this issue, I returned them all to the dealer that I ordered them from. Some time later I bought a batch of unslabbed ASEs and so far no spots have appeared. These spots on ASEs (and other modern US coins in circulation or those from the Mint catalog) are disappointing and in some cases bad Quality Control since they are getting in customers/collectors hands when the spots have clearly developed or were present when shipped/distributed.

 

sort of a philosophical question, on many coins there are issues with die strikes that can make a ms coin appear to have wear, yet those coins do not suffer in grading because the issue of die strikes are taken into account. So the question is are milk spots on ase's treated similarly, would the grade not suffer because it is known that "milk spots" are common on that issue?

I have not seen the issue of milk spots on bullion coins, but that just may be because I do not have a large enough sample of them, only about 60 or so.

It seems to me the issue of milk spots is confined to the proofs and the UNC issues, they must make them early in the morning while they are having their cereal.

 

Chomp-chomp, crunch!!!... :eating: LOL! >>spray<< ...just sneezed milk-spots out my nostrils. :rolling:

 

They do suffer...but they still can get an MS grade. But, a poorly struck coin will never (actually, extremely rarely) be able to grade MS67 or above. I know there are a small few exceptions to this...but for the most part it's true. So, it prevents the coin from reaching the ultra high grades.

 

"It happens on the bullion coins more than any other. "

Interesting... I have only acquired eagles from four sources so far, my main source is davy the dipping dealer, maybe the coin dip stops the spots?

 

It is my understanding that PCGS has a sizable reward out for anyone who has a way to remove milk spots without damaging the coins. If a dealer had a process that worked, I'm sure they would be talking with PCGS.

 

What I would like to know - are the milk spots on the ASE's related to the water spots of the mid 1950's era coinage? It really started with the 1953 issues, for example see my 1953D NGC MS-64 FBL below. For more info, see my Registry entry here: 1953D NGC MS-64FBL

 

Both theories are correct. The wash is the cause but the results come later.
I'll add more to this after others post.

 

You guys gotta stop eating your "Oreo" cookies and milk when you're checking over your collection. So far, no "milk" spots in my collection.....

 

None in my collection either, because I've returned the ones that arrived with spots hya: and so far none of the ones I've kept, since the series began, have developed the spots, neither bullion nor proof varieties.

I'd like to see the reasoning as to why this affects the bullion ASE coins, because it doesn't seem to affect all bullion ASEs, just some of them. Perhaps it affects those coins from certain batches, at some point of production, from some improper rinse or atomized spray/vapor that lingers in the air and manages to come into contact with the coins unnoticed by QC inspections but which appear later.

 

From the mint release, it was that the alcoholic wash that was in use to remove the water-soluble lubricant ( oil needed for the high speed press) was not changed on a regular cycle. Often it became unable to remove the lubricant or became contaminated with it, and this lubricant chemically reacted with the metal of the coin.
There still seems some debate as to how the lubricant reacted with the metal to become so difficult to remove. Some say it is annealed. I am not convinced. IMO.

Some coins and bullion pieces were struck during clean wash periods and would not develop the spots. Others were not as lucky.

Jim

 

I've been buying a roll of these issues for the last five years from an internet provider (original plastic government tubes) and haven't yet experianced this phenomena. Hope I never do in the future.

 

Doug,
Yes, you are correct about there being no post striking wash. One Coin World article is in the 7/27 edition. It seems I also read a slightly different version, but I can't find that source. Both mention a contamination problem with the last dip before striking, and I recall it being an alcohol dip. Cent planchets, it said, are treated at the production company and are strike ready when arriving at the mint.
Jim