This is a coin that I was given. It is in a very old coin holder (probably 25 to 30 years old) and it has some black discoloration. I did my best to use the search function for this web site and have read many of the old threads. I am still not sure what my coin has on it. Is this PVC damage from the old holder? Is it damage from improper conservation efforts? What should I do with this coin? I am new to coin collecting, so please pardon my ignorance. I will try to attach two pictures of the coin. Thanks for your help.
Can't be sure but it looks like 2 different things happened. 1 - some tiny specks of organic material were on the coin when it was holdered. (or they might even be tiny specks of the cardboard holder itself) Over time that material decayed causing some of those spots. 2 - it looks like the mylar has a small tear (or holes) in it which allowed to the coin to tone at those locations. What can you do about it ? First thing would be to put it in a new holder. To remove the spots about all you can do is dip the coin. But - if you don't know what that means, or even if you do know what it means but have never done it yourself - you don't want to do it.
Thank you for your post. I will not try to dip the coin myself. I will get new holders and put it in one. After you mentioned dipping, I did a search for "dipping" and there are over 100 old threads with "dipping" in them. I have some reading to do now. I assume there are people who provide this dipping service for a fee. In my case, the coin may not be worth the expense.
