Here's what PVC damage looks like: PCGS rattler Mercury Dime MS66

I thought this could be educational. PVC was often deposited on coins from old, plastic holders or flips. When PVC is present, both the holder and the coin can feel slightly tacky or sticky to the touch, and it leaves a light green film behind. That film often becomes more pronounced with time. I'm guessing that the film was not visible with the naked eye when PCGS graded this coin, but over time, it etched itself into the surfaces and became more pronounced. Anyway, take a gander, and remember the look. I purchased this one for $50 and have to return it. Before I do, however, I wanted to photograph it and share it. I welcome and appreciate your comments.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

That’s too bad. It’s too bad that cool old PCGS holder will have to be sacrificed to help the dime.

 

And it may be beyond salvation! Acetone will remove active PVC, but I suspect this one is so far gone, the damage is permanently done.

 

Good teaching tool John PVC is coin cancer.

 

Meow thinks it still looks kinda nice.

 

Nice example. When the PVC is still a light green, there is a chance the coin will clean up. Once it turns dark, the damage has been done.

 

Thank for posting your coin. I have seen coins in that condition before, but did not know the cause of it.

 

This is why every raw coin I buy gets an acetone bath, no matter how pristine it may look. You never know for sure what may be lurking there.

 

Not certain if this is the same damage, but I just bought this 1812 for the Classic Head slot in my album.



I broke it out and noticed the spot on the bottom of the reverse while I was photographing. I would think NGC would have put corrosion on there if it was present upon grading.


Anyway, after a few minutes of VerdiCare:

 

Another good example.

 

That merc is a shame. I’m a big fan of acetone too. I’ve bought coins covered in green slime that ended up beautiful. I know you have too @C-B-D i remember that score you made in the flying eagle cents and Indian heads with the 09-s in them

 

Were the PVC plastic flips commonplace early on in the developments of plastics?

 

Very. And album pages and slides. They’re still common actually and used for short term storage

 

So grandpa likely put his favorite coins in PVC flips before he stuck them in the top of his closet for the past forty years then?

 

If he put them in flips. A lot more common were cardboard 2x2 holders and cardboard Whitman albums or the better wayte Raymond albums. All of which can cause some nice toning

 

While searching large cents on line recently to assist me in attribution of Newcomb numbers of coins in my collection, I noticed several several mint state examples which had green, or green with early surface corrosion spots. Copper of course, is much more reactive than silver. One would hope that the TPG did not miss this. This damage more than likely occurred post slabbing.
This is another reason to not purchase sight unseen slabs...or raw coins for that matter.

 

But does the merc merit the FB designation?

 

Not quite

 

That's green corrosion. The Verdicare may have made it less visible, but it's still there.

 

My example, before acetone.


After......