Sorry, I can't post any pics, but I just recieved a couple of pounds of silver coins from a friend of mine who knows nothing about them or their value and has asked me to give her a ballpark on what they may be worth. These coins have been wrapped in Saran Wrap and quite a few of them have dark looking gunk on them. I would say that it is more of a gray or black colored gunk and not green. Does Saran Wrap have PVC in it? I'm thinking about dipping some or all of these in Acetone if this is in fact PVC contamination. Also, a while back I purchased some small plastic coin envelopes from a coin dealer and would like to transfer these coins from saran wrap to the plastic envelopes for the time being. Should I be concerned about PVC in the plastic envelopes? Thanks for you input. P.S. the first coin I looked at out of the bunch is a 1928 Peace Dollar....can't wait to see what else this stash has in it! myster
If the first coin is a '28 peace dollar, I don't think you should use the acetone yet even with the owner's permission. It is possible that this is a valuable batch of coins that is worth some sort of professional conservation/restoration, if they haven't been ruined. If you don't have that level of skill, I wouldn't recommend experimenting on someone elses coins just because they trust you. Just do what you have been requested to do. Give the ballpark estimate of the value. Let the forum know too, and I'm certain someone here can tell you what the best course of action is. Post some pictures too.
No, it does not contain PVC. Possibly, if the flips are very soft and pliable - then yes they contain PVC. If they are rather stiff then they likely do not. As for dipping the coins, even in acetone, I wouldn't recommend it unless you are sure of what you are doing. But based on your comments, you aren't. If the coins have any value to speak of then I would agree with Cloud that it would be best to have them professionaly conserved.
The coin was actually a 1928 S. The remaining coins were all very common dates. Based on the fact that there is no pvc in saran wrap, I don't believe it is PVC contamination. Therefore, it looks like the gunk on the coins is there to stay. Thanks again Myster
All Silver will Oxidize over a period of time. Remember, if your old enough, that at one time people called Silver Ware because it was made of Silver. Your knives, forks, spoons, etc had to be kept clean over and over because left alone they would turn blackish from normal oxidation. Now my question is did that person just want you to find out what they are worth or is there a chance you could acquire all of them? Regardless, don't clean them and warn the owner not to clean them either.
