I know there's an awful lot of experience here, and I am hoping that somebody familiar with this condition will share. I'm wondering how a coin comes to look like this? Most PVC damaged coins I have seen have been damaged on both sides. Any ideas? Nightowl
That was my first impression as well. The guy who I got it from said it looked like some plastic was melted to it. Nightowl
If fire damage, would it be on both sides? It may be like when you have a broken film on a 2X2 and you have toning/tarnish on the surface. If just toning /tarnish, you could try to remove the stuff by using a glass container, place warm/hot water, sand a small piece of aluminum foil and a tea spoon of baking soda. Let the coin touch the foil. This will remove the tarnish, without hurting the surface. When you remove the coin, just pat it dry only. Do not rub it.-O)
I don't think I'll use the baking soda trick. I've seen coins treated in that manner and they look bleached white. I will probably soak it in acetone unless somebody here can tell me why I shouldn't do that. Nightowl
It really looks like heat/fire to me as well. Good luck making it pretty again....be genttle what ever you decide to do.
Old collectors placed their coins in wooden drawers lined with a felt material or other materials or wrapped them up in an oil cloth to protect them. But for show they had them in the trays or drawers to pull out to show. Sulfur acted on only one side. Also the old collectors painted the surface's with lacquer paint, to protect the surfaces. That's why you see some of the old coins with a dark surfaces. I feel that this may be the problem. Just another idea. -O)
It looks like a surface contiminant....except for the reverse rim between 2 and 3 o'clock. That area looks far more sinister. Nightowl
I'm going with acidic and/or thermal damage. That's a good-looking coin on the obverse. I hope you are able to resolve the problem. If not, just remember that a set of coins usually only displays the obverse........
I hope that's not the case. It is reminiscent of a guitar's nitrocellulose lacquer finish that's had a urethane padded capo left on it for an extended of time. I'm hoping it's just that...but am prepared for the worst. The seller says he doesn't feel that the surface is damaged because the stuff's flaking off in some areas and it doesn't appear to be pitted under the gunk. Nightowl
I would try acetone and no rubbing of any type. The light colored area at the right looks like someone was testing.
looks like album mold to me,like it was in a cardboard folder/album that got wet and molded on the back and sides,seen this before,but no idea how to go about cleaning.the front didn't mold because the air got to it and dried it out.
You beat me to that one. That is probably exactly what happened to that coin. There are lots of coins with the reverses darkened, sticky, corroded from those Whitman Folders. It's really common. The process to make them has always been slabbing glue to the paper baking and the slotted holed cardboard is placed on that. If you look at the back of the slots in those folders you would notice a slight shine from the dryed glue. Normally no problem until the glue gets wet from either water or just high humidity. This adhears to the rear of the coins and they end up looking like that. There are millions of those out there. Kids know about that glue and if a coin is so worn it falls out, the kid will spit on the rear of the coin, the glue now melts to the coin and it no longer falls out. Even if coins are placed in and out many times the slots become to large and again, spit or just water on that glue holds the coins. A possible solution that sometimes works is to just soak those in distilled water. This will not harm the coin and if the glue hasn't done to much damage, might just melt off.
So it seems the most prudent approach then, would be soaking in distilled water. Now...to find a distillery...hmmm Thanks to all for the input. I'll let you know how it turns out. Nightowl
Don't Know Don't know how JC found out about my spitting in my old folders or you know about my nasty capo disaster stuck on the second fret, but I do advise not going to the distillery 1st. If you have some dateless old quarters try your concoction on the funkiest one 1st. Time is on your side if you let it be.hya:
People are in the habit of leaving their capo attached to the headstock of their banjos....and the finish goes from brown to black...and then they stop it, and I can well imagine that it would continue to deteriorate....but nobody continues the habit after it's gone black on them, so I don't know for sure, but if this thing was lacquered....it could be some kind of "plastic" adhering to the coin, which is how the seller described it. It was inexpensive, so it's worth the effort of trying to conserve it. We'll try the treatment for hide glue and mold first though.... Nightowl
