Speaking of Air Tight Coin containers

So I did a bad thing today.
I took my 1979 (40% Silver BU) Bicentennial Quarter and switched it's case with my 2007 .90 Silver Quarter PR and during the process my thumb lightly touched the surface of the montana side. now it is not a greesy fingerprint but you can tell it came in contact with something.

Should I Clean or leave be?
If clean how would you do it???


If your lost and asking 'Why would he switch the cases' I love the air tight that the Bicentennial was in. And hated the montana air tight. one had a foam holder the other was the exact size of the coin. I obviously placed the MT coin with the foam holder (black )

 

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I think if you catch a fingerprint before it's on there too long, it's possible to remove the fingerprint by placing the coin in pure acetone, and then rinsing with distilled water. I'm sure some more guys will chime in with their advice as well.

 

Just buy some good quality acetone, do NOT use fingernail polish remover. Give it a soak for a few minutes (don't let it evaporate), take it out, give it a fresh acetone rinse and put it in the airtite. DO NOT rinse with water! Doing so will rehydrate the surfaces and could result in corrosion.

Buy some cotton gloves for $2 before handling proofs. I have a lot of experience but I still don't trust myself with proofs....I always wear gloves when I handle them. It's just too easy to goof. The slightest spec can wreak havoc. I also blow out my airtites with canned air before sealing them....yep, I'm paranoid when it comes to corrosion. I've seen far too many coins ruined by careless handling.

 

And if I choose to let it sit how bad will it get with a little bit of finger grease on it?

 

Ya really think distilled water will make a 90% silver proof corrode? I'd like to hear other opinions on that.

 

I'd like to see a 1979 (40% Silver BU) Bicentennial Quarter!

Also, note that it's Air-Tite not "Air Tight" and Air-Tite Holders are not air tight.

 

Thank you for the error spotting, when I noticed you posted I hoped you had a good suggestion as I always respect your option, What I ment was 1976

Thank you Krispy Spell check rotfl

 

Given time the organic acids in the fingerprint will etch the coin's surface.
It takes a while but it will happen.
That's why you can have slabbed coins with fingerprints. The new print wasn't noticed during grading but after several years it sure will be.

 

Could you also post a pic of the problem area you are worried about on the coin. Fortunately, if you needed to replace the bicentennial coin, there are plenty of them out there to do so at nominal expense. I agree with the others about the effects of prints on proofs and the limited time and ability you may have to get them off.

Check out this thread: Do fingerprints affect a proofs grade and see my post about a Proof 2007-S Pres Dollar that I found in circulation with prints. I tried unsuccessfully dipping the coin in Acetone for attempted removal.

 

Deionized water is highly corrosive and will corrode ALL metals. So, YES, I not only think it will, I know it will. I've been a chemist in the metalworking fluid industry for a long time, I've seen it time and time again for over 20 years.

 

Here's my chance to get my knowledge expanded.
"Deionized" vs. "Distilled"

To me distilled means all non-water matter has been removed.
(We know that's only theoretical in the same way that gold bullion can only be made 99.99999% pure, not 100%.)
But it's close enough.

But to me deionized means that all non-water matter has just been neutralized.
It's all still present but (at the moment) not in a reactive state.

Have I gone wrong and, if so, where?

 

My first thought would be to question the purity of the acetone used.
My second thought would be that the acetone reacted with something ON the coin and not the coin directly.
And of course there is still the possibility that acetone is NOT as non-reactive with the coining metals as I believe.

I do know that isopropyl alcohol which is often touted for the same use as acetone VERY often leaves milky spots on coins.
Again it may be a purity issue.

And I believe that water itself is rather non-reactive.
It either:
- conveys dissolved material that IS reactive with the coining metal, i.e., the water isn't distilled.
- acts as a catalyst for the the coining metal and the environment, particularly environmental gasses.

 

With all this talk about the fingerprint oils & acetone & rinsing, I want to mention something different. Be careful of talking (spiting) over your proof coin(s) when they are out of the holders. I frequently see people holding proof coins properly (over a soft surface) while they continue to talk over the coin and contaminate the surfaces with their spit. Also be careful if you are drinking or opening carbonated beverages in the same room with your proof coin(s) out of their holders.

 

This is true, this is mainly the reason why I want to leave it alone. My issue is what will happen to my proof if I leave a tiny fingerprint on there

 

There are no sebaceous ( oil glands ) on the ventral side ( towards closing surface) of fingers or palms. Unless you have hair there, in which case, all bets are off. It is not the oily secretion that produces the fingerprint effects on coins, but the salt/water, and other chemicals of sweat from the sudoriferous glands acting on the metal. Since it is a water based solution, I would use distilled water to treat, and followed by pure acetone to remove all water from the surface. Just MHO.

Jim

 

They mostly differ only by method of preparation, for practical purposes, you can consider them the same. Distilled water is just that, water that is boiled, recondensed with a reflux apparatus and then collected. Deionized water is prepared by using ion exchange cartridges and carbon beds. Tap water is forced through the carts, impurities are absorbed and deionized water produced.

My preference is for deionized water, it is of much higher grade than distilled. With a quality setup you can get extremely pure and bacteria-free water. Distilled water can contain some organic compounds and often bacteria.

 

lol no one has answered my question, what will happen if left alone, I mean it's not noticeable & wont be removed from it's air tight

 

No one can say with surety. If you can visually see a fingerprint now, it will probably get worse in time. Depending on many environmental factors ( even if in an air-tite) it may take years before it is very noticeable.

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I'll say it with certainty....it will eventually become permanent. You're making this into a WAY bigger deal than it is. Just go buy some acetone and rinse the thing already. LOL