Why you should avoid PVC

This is (was) a really nice coin. This came into the store today covered in PVC. I took it off with some acetone. It looks like the coin sat with the obverse down against the PVC leaching holder. The coin has a light spot of very nice luster in the center of the obverse and all the other slightly yellow area is pitted. The reverse looks like it wasn't touching nearly as much therefore it just had a light coating which was removed with the acetone. This is most likely from PVC or some other sort of environmental damage. This is exactly why you must make sure that the things touching your coins during storage are inert. This coin was a nice Mint State coin that was essentially ruined by improper storage. It's a darn shame.

 

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Does anyone still make new holders out of PVC? I get coins in a variety of holders from folks on eBay. I really worry about the PVC issue. I almost alway transfer my coins to new holders once I get them.

 

yup, but that reverse is still a beauty!

 

Please correct me if I am wrong but the flips that are really flexible still contain PVC which is what makes it flexible?

Best bet is to use Mylar flips.

 

Man, that's really sad! When I started photographing my collection, I discovered things I hadn't noticed before, such as this PCGS grade Lynchburg Commem:




The green stuff on the reverse was not visible when I bought it, I am sure. It is a good idea to actually look at coins in your collection from time to time, to see if they have developed some previously unknown "condition." I will be sending it back to PCGS for a 'spot review' and reholdering once the spots are gone.

 

Yes, PVC flips, as well as flips with other oils other than PVC, are certainly on the market. Some dealers will use these if they move inventory quickly or a temporary holder at shows. So it's essential to remove all of your coins from soft flips for long term storage.

There is a test for PVC. Take a metal rod, like a steel hanger that's been stretched straight, and heat it up over a flame (like a gas range). While it's hot, press it against one of the flips so that some of the plastic sticks to the metal. Then, put the metal with the attached plastic back into the open flame, and see what color the flame becomes. If the flame burns with a green color as the plastic is burned off, then PVC is present.

I think it's called the Beilstein test, and if you try this, have the hood over the range with the fan on. The burning of the plastic can cause release of toxic fumes. So don't breathe the fumes.

I first saw this test in a column by Susan Maltby in Coin World a few years ago. She's a museum conservator and has described the test in Coin World, so if you're unsure about this process, consult the Coin World columns first.

 

You know what? I remember looking through some flips from a dealer at the ANA show, and everything in his storage boxes were in those soft flips. He obviously just stored them this way. I wonder if he knew that he may be ruining his own coins? Aren't dealers supposed to be knowledgable about this?

About 10 years ago when I was first starting out, a local dealer sold me a bunch of his soft flips to store my coins. When I asked if these contained PVC, he insisted that it did not. Well, after a few months, I became suspicious when some slime appeared on one of my coins. So I searched for that test that I mentioned above, and tried it on the flips that he sold me. Green flame, big time. I was so disappointed. Apparently, he had no problem with these because he moved inventory and never saw a problem using them. But I was using them for long term storage. I replace all of those flips with mylar flips or Saflips, and threw all of my soft flips out. Today, if I receive a coin in a soft flip from mail order, I am sure to inspect it for contamination and then immediately throw away the flip.

 

(cough, cough) Help! Someone call 911!

Great info, thanks! :thumb:

Quick question...do you get more credits if I give you a "Clicker Award"?

 

I've only posted here for a short while, so I haven't looked at the Clicker awards, but I'll take anything I can get.

Better than the "Clinker award"

 

Please help .I am confused about the pvc content in flips.
What is a soft flip? Is that the clear plastic,without the cardboard?

Do my cardboard flips pose any threat to my coins? I have coins from my childhood (about 30 years)still in the original flips.And I don't see any noticeable damage,other than some yellowing of the cardboard.

 

pete

Pete,

PVC or other plasticizers in flips makes the plastic very soft and pliable. Mylar, on the other hand, is stiff and does not bend easily. It's more brittle and it's possible to even cut yourself on the sharp corners. It's the stiffer, mylar flips that are safer for coins. If you look at Coin World or Amos Advantage, they offer the stiffer kind of flips for coins. One brand name is SaFlips.

Regarding the cardboard holders, that's not as bad. If you have cardboard holders with clear mylar over the coin (usually stapled by a dealer), that's OK. The mylar will not damage the coin.

Now, the cardboard is a different matter. If the cardboard has sulfer in it, over time, that could tone your coins as gases from the sulfer based product are released. In the old days, they even stored their coins in paper envelopes, and that toned the coins. It's actually a way of toning your coins intentionally.

If you've had the coins stored in these holders for 30 years and see no damage or changes to your coins, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Is there anyway to undo the damage done by PVC without wrecking the coin? Traci

 

HMMMM. So far I've got probably thousands of coins of all sizes, denominations, US and foreign in those cardboard flips. Some have been there since they were invented I suppose. Same with plastic tubes, coin albums, etc. Since I do not allow moisture and/or high temperatures in the area of my coins, no reactions of any types have happened. Some of these coins have been with me for well over 50 years.
It's not the PVC, Carbon, Sulfur, the Sun, your breath, etc if nothing can get to the coins in the form of heat or humidity, not much will happen in the form or a metalic reaction.

 

As I mentioned I have some in those flips for well over 50 years. Exactly what do you consider LONG TERM STORAGE? If it takes more than 100 or 200 years, I really am not to worried.

 

Soaking the coin in acetone will remove the pvc residue. If the coin has been in contact long enough for the pvc to react with the surface, it will acid etch the coin as seen in the op. I have safely removed pvc several times using acetone. You can use the stuff from the paint section at the local hardware store, in a glass dish with a cover. It is extremely volatile, explosive, and the fumes are harmful so you must be careful!

 

Ouch. Would have been a gorgeous coin if it did not have the PVC damage.

 

Yes and no. Yes they still make the really flexible flips out of PVC, and NO it is not "PVC" that makes them flexible. PVC stands for Poly-Vinyl Chloride a stiff, somewhat brittle PLASTIC. To make the PVC plastic flexible they add to it an oil based plasticizer. Non-plasticized PVC is actually fairly inert and would probably be fairly safe for your coins.

 

I have my coins still in plastic zippers, cant find any holders in Cairo,Egypt. anyways, how can i make sure that my plastic zippers does not contain PVC?

Cheers,

 

Do you mean like a zip-lock bag for food? If so, they are not vinyl and are safe. A zip lock bag like for pencils, etc. might be vinyl . Any product safe for food storage should also be safe for the coins.

Jim

 

I have had several dealers say that the soft vinyl ( PVC) flips protect the surface of the coin better when people pick them up by their fingers and squeeze the inner surfaces against the coin. The harder mylar flips may leave hairline scratches on the surface according to them and it may make sense for harder traveling coins.

Jim