Slabs and fire.

My fire safe says:

Prevents inside temps from reaching 350 Fahrenheit.

350 won't burn paper.
350 surely won't melt gold (not that I have any ), silver, copper, etc.

But what will 350 Fahrenheit do to a slabbed coin?

Has anyone seen slabs come out of a fire?
Were they intact? Any damage?

 

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Try it yourself. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees...
To be honest, I don't think 350 would have any effect at all, except blisters if you try to handle it bare handed.

 

Paper's ignition temperature, or the temperature it ignites into flame, is 451 degrees F. However, it can scorch without igniting into flames, by the heat alone, at a lower temperature.

Polypropylene, what bottle caps are made of, melts at 350 degrees F.

 

Unless I can find some info of slabs surviving a fire inside a safe, I am going to build a mini house (like a doll house) and place a cheap $20 sentry safe inside it with a couple of slabs, a few paper notes, and some loose change, and see what happens.

 

I think before you go trying this experiment at home, you should consult a firefighter first.

For some reason I have mental images of this being really, really bad for you to do.

 

Huh? It's not like I'm gonna sit in the middle of the fire. I've burned plenty of things before. I burned a whole camper down once (easiest way to scrap it).

 

Woah woah woah...maybe we shouldn't be so hasty to stop Detecto.

 

[h=1]Fire Damaged Coins Conserved[/h]from CoinLink [9/1/2010]

 

I remember seeing Krispy's link before... thanks for posting!

 

That's a mighty nasty habit you have there...

 

From what I recall, typical house fires can usually average about 1000-1400 degrees Fahrenheit (depends on what materials are currently burning, etc). So I'd start at around that temperature, not 350 degrees. Floor level where the fire is not currently on fire can be 100-200 degrees but just at eye level can reach 600 degrees (hence the reasoning when your house is on fire, drop to the floor to get out).

 

The true test is, do the slabs prevent damage without being in a fire proof safe. I'm sure the coins hold up themselves to a certain temperature but I doubt those slabs are going to hold up in a fire 1000 degrees or hotter, then only damaging the coins from the melting plastic and other harmful materials in the air being burned, etc.

 

Uh huh!

And the fire marshal bought that did he?

 

House fires, can generate as much as 1500-1800 degrees F. because of the high presence of combustibles, and flammables that can be found in homes.

I served as a volunteer firefighter, and can attest to the amount of heat inside a burning building is extremely high. I was a nozzleman on an interior attack team.

 

Something tells me you're on to something.

 

Just because the answer you're looking for isn't here on CT doesn't mean there is no answer.
Did you look anywhere other than here?

Call or write NGC and PCGS. Ask them.

Your proposed "test" is not only dangerous, but its results will tell you nothing. A doll house in the middle of the yard will not generate the heat you want to test for.

I can tell you for sure that if the inside of your fire safe doesn't get past 350 there will be no damage to your slabs. I'd guess that even 500 wouldn't damage them.

Rest easy grasshopper, rest easy.

If the most valuable thing you could possibly lose in a house fire is your coins, you are living a sad and miserable life, my boy.

 

1500-1800 degrees is a free-standing house fire. But, say your neighbors houses are on fire, or worse yet, you live in the woods. When I was a firefighter for the park service we wouldn't even try to save houses. They would burst into flame long before the forest fire got to them. Basically they were burned twice. A forst fire will melt your coins. It's a common site to see sand and rock turned to glass, which requires far more heat than it does to melt metal. The worst I ever saw was road asphalt boil and then evaporate. I have no clue what that temp was. So, many factors exist when determining if you'll be left with coins or a pile of slag.
Guy

 

Yeah, I figured it could get much hotter, just couldn't recall the exact amount but knew it was over 1000 easily on average.

 

If your safe is rated to not exceed 350 in a typical house fire, then I think the best test would be a controlled test in an oven set at 350. No need to test them at 1000 or 1500 degrees as has been suggested, we know what will happen in those temperatures.

The doll house idea, while it might be fun, probably wouldn't produce any meaningful results. What you need is a nice prolonged exposure to 350. Not a flash fire that might or might not reach 350, and certainly wouldn't be that hot for very long.

If I was doing the test, I might even set them on top of some gypsum board to see what the heat, combined with the steam, would do to the coins and their holders.

 

Truth