Fingers on coin....? ugh!

Hey guys so the other day I brought my 1902 S Morgan to a coin show, just to get some opinions on it. Long story short one of the vendors who I had thought was a very knowledgeable Morgan collector took my coin out of the plastic flip and before I knew it he had his fingers on my coin!!!! on the surface not just the rims!! It was brief but still none the less he touched it... I told him to stop and he was all like I'm getting a better look at it? I'm not sure if I am overreacting but it sure made me mad. What should I do about the coin? Someone told me to pour a tad bit of acetone on the coin, but I don't want to ruin it further. Upon close inspection I can't see a finger print on it but still. It was only a couple days ago as well. It's an AU Morgan btw...

 

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Do the acetone. You may not be able to see a fingerprint, but if it is there it may show in the future. You need to remove the oils, salts and acids from the coin before they have a chance to either start etching the coin or causing selective toning.

I would have asked to see one of his coins, preferably a MS or Proof coin, and started rubbing my fingers on it. When he freaks I say "Well you seemed to thing it was OK to do it to my coin."

 

So what do I do exactly? Tilt the coin and pour some on it? Let it air dry after? I know not to rub anything on it for sure. Also, acetone doesn't constitute as cleaning does it?

Or should I soak it?

 

Soak. Use straight acetone, not nail polish remover. That stuff has fragrances and other junk that can't be good for coins. Keep it covered since acetone evaporates quickly and is flammable. Rinse with distilled water (not bottled water or tap water)

 

The term "soak," in this case, means about ten seconds. Heck, you could hold it with tongs and swish it around for five seconds and do the job.

The dealer's only failure was not holding the coin by the rims. I don't like trying to evaluate coins thru a flip, either, and you won't catch me dead surrendering manual dexterity by wearing gloves.

 

Okay so soak the coin for about 10 seconds, do I have to rinse with distiller water or can I just let it air dry? Also if I put the coin in a glass bowl since one side is on the glass would I have to flip it over? Or should I hold it with something? Sorry if I'm complicating this lol never done it before.

 

Well, if you've never used acetone....

Use it as if it's the most flammable thing you've ever handled. Because it is. Of course, the advantage of using a substance so volatile is, if you want to rinse it in something after using, it will all have evaporated before you can get the coin into whatever you're rinsing with.

Point being, unless you're handling a coin so cruddy that stuff will be suspended in the acetone and possibly redeposited on the coin before you get it out, you do not rinse after acetone. And if you do, you use clean acetone as the rinse. The acetone itself will literally vanish without a trace from the surface of the coin. Nothing will remain of the acetone; no chemical detector can detect it's use because it leaves nothing behind. Just like any other liquid, though, acetone can hold debris in suspension, so just like you wouldn't rinse in dirty water, don't rinse in dirty acetone.

For your case, a second rinse won't be necessary unless the dealer was eating fried chicken at the same time he was examining your coin.

As regards flammability: Treat acetone like gasoline when it comes to considering ventilation. You're not going to be using any more than a few ounces, and even then only briefly, but all the same put yourself in a place with decent ventilation for the process.

 

I've never slapped a grown man, but I'd have to consider it for that.

 

Could I wear a latex glove to hold the coin in the acetone since I don't have tongs? Thanks for all the help! Also, would it be really bad if I decided not to do anything?

 

Latex and acetone don't mix. Might either dissolve the glove or soak out some additives. Put some acetone (!/4 to 1/2 inch) in a glass container (small so as to not need much acetone) and put the coin in. Let it sit a couple of minutes and turn it over (you can use your finger, but that might have oils on it, so use something to touch the edge to flip it over). Remove from acetone and place on soft towel and blot (don't rub).

 

The acetone will melt them.........don't do that. I made the mistake (once) of putting acetone in an styrofoam cup.......

 

a dealer that did not hold my coin right would get yelled at by me and I would never do business with them ever again.

 

He'd be slugged by me, for transgressions contrary to protocol........

 

So just my last question but what do I hold the coin with then? I'll soak the coin for 30 seconds both sides. If I use my fingers could I just wash thoroughly with water then touch the coin in the acetone?

 

A lot of dealers do that. Its no big deal. Just put it in acetone for a few seconds with your bare hands then take it out by the rims and hold for another 20 seconds or so and put in a flip. This is quite easy.

 

Yes, just use your fingers, and of course, hold the coin by the rim. Having your (clean) fingertips in the acetone for a few seconds won't hurt you.

When you remove the coin from the acetone, just hold it for a few seconds to dry. No need to blot with a cloth, because the acetone will be fully evaporated by the time your coin reaches the cloth.

By the way, I personally think an acetone soak is a good idea for any raw silver coin that hasn't been encapsulated and thus possibly exposed to environmental contaminants. And just because you can't see anything on the coin doesn't mean it's not there. A 10-15 minute soak, followed by a quick rinse in clean acetone, should do it.

 

I use a large shot glass with a curved bottom, which keeps the coin from laying flat and therefore allows the acetone to reach each side equally. Using your fingers is not a problem, although you should know that - as an organic solvent - acetone will dissolve your fingers as readily as anything else organic. For the brief exposures we're talking about it's absolutely not a problem. I do it myself. Its' evaporation rate is so fast that your fingers dry in two or three seconds. I will say, though, don't let acetone get into an open cut. You haven't felt pain yet, until you do....

 

it is a big deal if you want to do business with them in the future. a reputable dealer would know better not to do that. a dealer that handles a coin wrong is not a dealer I would want to buy from period.

 

I hope you're using polyester flips and not vinyl (aka PVC) flips. A common brand of polyester is Mylar, and a common brand of such flips is Saflip. If you've been using vinyl, the dealer may have done you a favor because acetone is a fairly good way to remove vinyl residue, which can harm coins, as well as skin oils.

Cal