I just bought a couple albums with some Nickels and Quarters in GREAT shape and they must have been in a moist area, cause they smell a little, but the coins are as mentioned in GREAT crisp shape. Some of the coins have some minor toning and some are very toned!!! As in they have a very very thin huge "tone" to them. (I'll have to see if I can get some pics posted...) I know some people love the toning, but I would like to "wipe"/"clean" some of the film off of them. They are in some Dansco Albums TIA!! -Brent
I would remove them from the albums and post pictures here. I would not remove any of the toning. I know it can be done, but I would not touch them myself.
Indeed.....DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN THOSE COINS! Get them out of that nasty, moldy album and throw it away ASAP!
This may sound stupid, but can't I just "air out" the album instead of throwing it out and save the cost of new albums?
I would just throw the album in my autoclave in the lab to sterilize it, and then put it in the incubator to dry it out. Short of that, I think you'd have to throw them away.
Um, really? If you think the folders got moist or moldy, I'd throw them out just because I wouldn't want mold in my house. If they were just moist, then wouldn't the drying process make the books brittle and therefore mean they are compromised? I'd get those coins into a new folder or a new type of holder. As to the toning, I'm not sure that is necessarily a bad thing?
Just to be clear, there isn't any visible mold or anything, they just have an "old smell" or "musty" smell to them. I bought the small "collection" mainly for the albums, but I guess $50-100 is a small price to pay if you all think it could be a health risk?! -Brent
Brent, Welcome to the forum. Toning is the result of oxidation and can't be wiped off the coin. The only way to remove toning is to dip the coin which if done incorrectly will also destroy the surfaces of the coin. You would be wise not to attempt to clean or dip the coins. As stated, get rid of the old album and put the coins in a stable storage environment to prevent any further toning. If you can provide us with some photos of the toned coins we might be able to give you better advice. Toned coins with good eye appeal can bring premium prices, but we would need to see the coins in order to evaluate the toning.
You are smelling microscopic mold spores. Therefore, you do have a mold problem. You need to kill each and every spore, and store the album in a dry (low humidity location) to prevent them from coming back. Chances are, it'll come back.
OKay, thanks all for the advise!! I'm at work and will have to try and get some pics tonight or over the Christmas Break. Thanks Brent
...What about the coins, as in putting them into a new album?! I'll need to wipe them down with something or else they will carry the problem to the new album, no??? (something to kill anything on the coins?) -Brent
Without pictures you cannot get accurate advise. Lets see what the issue is and then you will get better advise. It's like asking what wrong with my car without the mechanic getting a chance to look under the hood. The general advice you get may not be the advice you need.
Do not wipe the coins with anything! Even a slight wipe with a soft cloth can cause hairlines on the surfaces of the coin and turn the coin into a problem coin. If you are determined to clean the coins, soak them in acetone!
Simply rinse each coin with a high quality acetone and place into the new album. Why risk completely ruining your collection by reusing that old album? Is $20-30 worth it?
Clean nothing, if the toning is good it carries a premium. If you think the albums are a problem, don't use them.
If the quarters are 1964 and earlier and if the nickles are 1942-1945 P,D & S they are made from silver and mold does not like metallic objects, I'm not sure about the clad stuff or the copper/nickle Jeffersons. For $50-$60 bucks get yourself some new albums and toss the smelly old ones, those coins deserve a new home.
Well, I tried to take a dozen or so pics and none came out well enough to describe what I was trying to explain. I have a couple new albums on the way so hopefully this week they will arrive and I'll get the coins moved and the older albums thrown away. -Brent
