General coin-related use of acetone questions

Yes, I do keep every coin worth keeping in SOMETHING, but not all the SAME thing. Yes, that would be intellectually lazy. I would never treat old coppers to the same holder I would a silver coin.

 

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Nor would I use the same chemical to de-gunk a silver coin (acetone) as I would an old copper coin (xylene). The point is, it's not "intellectually lazy" to take steps with every coin to be reasonably certain that no organic compounds, seen or unseen, lurk on its surface.

 

I don't chemically treat every coin at all. I do use holders of various types, though. I put old coppers in cotton pouches, but ONLY them. Why? Because what attacks copper is different from what attacks silver, as you know. The only "everything process" should be thorough examination. There seems to be an appetite in this hobby for hard and fast rules for "everything" and that's just not reasonable. Different materials and histories call for different approaches to preservation. If you're too busy "getting stuff" to "understand stuff", then you need to slow down.