Can coins be damaged from moderate heat?

All of the coins I buy online or at auction come via USPS. I live in California and right now it’s getting up to 109 degrees in the afternoon.

Can a coin get damaged if it’s delivered to my mailbox and left in the heat for ~24 hours? I imagine it’s even hotter inside the metal box then outs in the open so it would be above 109 degrees.

I’m just wondering if it’s ok to leave them in the mailbox for a little while or if I should keep an eye on tracking to ensure I get it within minutes of delivery.

 

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I really don't think so . Even if it was Gold . You would have to look up it's melting point but I'm sure it's way more than 109 degrees . More like 1948 of degrees .

 

Well I was more wondering if it would cause any issues. I wasn’t worried about it melting.

Kind of like how toothpaste won’t damage silver or gold but if you try to clean a coin with toothpaste it becomes a problem coin.

I wasn’t sure if maybe high temperatures affect the appearance somehow that will cause problems.

 

Well I would hope not . Where did you say you live ? Vegas ? Nah , that can't be right . 109, that's crazy ! That would mean the interior of a truck w/o AC would be more than that substantially ! Nah even that, I personally would be interested to find put also .

 

I live in California. It’s even hotter than Vegas sometimes.

 

If there is plastic packaging with trapped air inside I would think that kind of heat would promote sweating/condensation to form

 

WoW !! Look at that Temp. Drop .

 

The possibility exists. The right factors need to take place, but the possibility is there.

Most likely to happen would be some form of hazing or toning. The coin isn't going to melt or bubble, its not hot enough but the mailbox, like the paint,, could off gas, the packaging could off gas, like cardboard, tape, glues, yada Yada or there could be a drastic temp change between the package in the truck and the mailbox at the time of delivery that could cause condensation on the coin and a film occur.

 

Would condensation be a problem even if the coin is slabbed? Aren’t the slabs airtight & waterproof?

I guess I should stick to refreshing the tracking page to make sure I get it within an hour or so of delivery.

 

slabs are not vacuum sealed so there will be some air in it, extreme heat followed by a temp drop can cause condensation

 

There was a thread here a year or so back. A fellow had purchased a proof set from his LCS. It was mid-summer and he lived in Dallas. He had forgotten about his purchase and the set baked in his car for a period of time. The plastic mint set holder became twisted from the heat and the coins all became rainbow toned….. I don’t think a few hours in a mailbox would harm a coin though.

 

Ouch! I wouldn’t mind some rainbow toning but melted plastic? No thanks!

The way HA usually ships is in a custom cardboard box that fits a slab and is sealed.

I definitely don’t want the plastic NGC holder to melt and ruin my quadrigatus when it’s still all nice and shiny.

 

I don't know for sure but vinyl flips may leave something on the coins. Those made with PVC may react to the heat.

 

@Gam3rBlake …toothpaste is a mild abrasive. It affects the surfaces of any coin it is used on.

Do some research on restoration and conservation of coins. There are many substances and chemicals and techniques you can or should not use depending on the coins metal construction, and yes, I am including foreign coins that are many times bi-metallic.

This is why most collectors proscribe to the mantra: “Don’t clean coins”. Many coins have been improperly cleaned in the past. You can always say “I didn’t clean the coin”, but someone did and the damage is still evident and almost irreversible…imo…Spark

 

My point wasn’t about whether it’s ok to clean coins or not. It was the opposite.

But mostly I was asking if heat could cause issues the same way toothpaste does even though obviously it couldn’t melt the coin. Basically asking if it causes problems in any way since we wouldn’t think toothpaste would damage silver yet we know it does I figured maybe heat could similarly damage a coin even if it won’t melt it.

 

Simple question: Can coins be damaged from moderate heat?

Simple answer: YES, they can change. As for "damage," that depends on what one considers to be damage. For example, I learned recently that one major Florida dealer does not put his coins (raw or slabbed) in the trunk while traveling.

 

Why on earth would anyone think scrubbing a coin with toothpaste wouldn’t damage it?

 

You are showing your age. At one time scrubbing coins to clean them was recommended! Several different things were used including toothpaste. Baking soda was the usual method. However, in the early 1960's one dealer I frequented for his bid-board used toothpaste on EVERY SINGLE coin in his store before it went into the showcases. Shiny is beautiful.

 

Go up to someone on the street and ask them:

“Will toothpaste damage silver?”

I guarantee most of them would say no.

Silver as a metal in itself is not damaged by silver. But a coin can be.

That’s why I was asking if it’s similar to heat. I wanted to know if maybe 109 degree heat could damage a coin even though it wouldn’t melt it or anything like that.

 

Even water tight is not fully water tight when you factor in condensation. Water can migrate through many different material.