Do slabbed notes need to breath??

Interesting. If you look at the description for the holder on the PCGS Currency site it says:

"Unlike other companies, PCGS Currency is the only grading service that encapsulates notes in Mylar-D®"

...in addition to the comment "Our specially designed grading label and partial open-top holder allow notes to "breathe," thus preventing the paper from deteriorating due to lack of oxygen"

So, if PCGS is the only company to encapsulate using Mylar-D, what does PMG use?

 

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I have both PCGS and PMG slabbed notes heres my opinion on
Both:

First the PCGS holder, I like the fact that they use a Mylar-D
Holder, Which is the best material to store these notes in
Also i was worried about the note getting oxygen, Though
The jury is still out, I do feel a little better knowing this!

On the PMG holder, I like the rigid holder, But when i go to
The website they are very vague on the type of material
They use for slabbing, It doesnt appear to be Mylar-D
Also they make a big deal about completely sealing the note
Is this a good thing??

Iike i said i collect both, So iam not going to take one side
Over the other i just feel a little more comfortable with the
PCGS slab

 

Ok, I don't know much about paper money, but as Rickie says, there is a lot of difference between wood pulp paper and rag paper ( cotton/linen), such as amount of cellulose, processing means, etc.. Most paper shufflers are concerned with the preservation of document paper and only certain ones with rag paper. When considering preservation of rag paper money, consider how you might preserve the Shroud of Turin, an ancient linen cloth object.

http://www.shroud.com/consrvtn.htm#preserv

which says :

"the Shroud shall be kept in a reliquary with bullet-proof glass, waterproof, in absence of air and water and in presence of an inert gas. The reliquary shall be protected from light and maintained in constant climatic conditions"

You might not need the bulletproof glass, but notice it says absence of air and in an inert gas. I think the key point is "absence of air". I don't know the value of the Shroud, but I know it is higher than any paper money I will have

Jim

 

So for us non chemists...
Is there a short answer?

 

As I said, I don't know much about paper money, but from this research I ( and I am just saying it is my personal opinion) , I would go with no oxygen, and vacuum seal if possible.

The only thing that I might hedge on, is if the bill is infected with anaerobic ( oxygen hating) cellulose digesting bacteria. So don't squish termites with your paper money

Jim

 

Jim.. I am glad to see another Scientist's opinion here.
Although I do not work in a capacity of Archival Science, I do work in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology arena.
I think it would be an interesting experiment to plate samples taken from random notes and incubate them. I am quite sure all of the varieties of microbes would be primarily aerobic. For all the non Scientific types, a by product of microbial respiration is the primary production of Lactate (an acid) just like when you exercise and experience the burn...
"Aerobic" meaning with O2 so the little critters can grow, as long as there is a carbon source as well...hum paper (fiber-cellulose) & ink sound delicious to me...:eating:

I am of the opinion that our paper money in circulation has to be one of the truly disgusting filthy objects we come into contact with.

Last time I checked, none of the TPG Companies retains a Scientific Staff, they simply imply what they are fed. I have had the pleasure to visit and work with some of DuPonts Scientist, however, none from the polymer labs at this point. What folks need to take into consideration is what I said before, the % of O2 in ambient is ~ 20% the remaining ~80% is N2. It is not as if 100% O2 is being used. The combination of Temp and Humidity may have a greater impact than the influence of a gas.
What I will say with confidence is that if PCGS has open portions on the slab to let the note breathe, then it is subject to RH (Relative Humidity Shifts) % moisture in ambient air, therefore I would certainly use RH control for my storage area having this type of holder.

This has given me an idea of developing a slab that can be pressurized to say ~ 0.1 to 0.2 Bar, containing N2. But then again I would be faced with proving that there is no gas permeability of the selected materials or internal membrane for that fact.

See you around Jim

Regards,

RickieB

 

Yes like you looking for the short non complicated answer....LOL
Rocket science was never my strength:goofer:

 

Yes I guess I kind of was and uh...er...still am
My brain is still spinning. It feels like it did after a chemistry test in college!

 

Is'nt this fun??

RickieB

 

I love it!! And look forward to every new day on CT!!