A couple of weeks ago I noticed some new green color on the reverse of this coin. It has a powdery look and is just on the surface. I have had the coin for over a year and it's stored in a maylar flip in a Whitman coin box in a heated safe in a warm and dry home. I ordered some Verdi-Care but have never used it. Should I treat the whole coin to make sure it's all stable? The pit between the 2 Victory's is old and has been stable.
If it is light green and powdery I don't think you can go wrong by treating with Verdicare. I'd coat the entire coin and let it sit a while before wiping off the excess. Allow it to dry and then store it in a new mylar flip.
Doesn't hurt to treat it anyway just to be on the safe side. I always coat my coins in verdicare when I first get them, even the silver. Once a year I recoat the coins in verdicare, wipe the excess, and store them again. Verdicare is cheap, BD can be costly and ruin really beautiful coins.
The green powdery residue seems to have come off with the Verdi-Care and a light rub with a cotton swab.
When using verdicare its important to not enclose the coin, let it sit out a couple days on a cloth. Once its all absorbed you can put in a mylar or what ever you store your coins in. Its in the instructions of use. I didn't read until after the fact. So now the coin I improperly treated doesn't look to well. Atleast is was a scrubby wheat cent. But I swear that verdicare is the best solution if used right
Also, if you ever have Verdi-Care questions, the maker is a user here at CoinTalk. His handle is BadThad.
Gavin, I just put a couple of drops on a Q-Tip swab and gently applied it. i did a bit of gentle rubbing where it looked like a problem. It seems to look just fine now. I will let it sit out a couple of days as recommended.
The powdery appearance looks like me a reaction to a PVC flip. I've seen it countless thousands of times (if this is indeed what I am seeing in the photo) and it just wipes off. Before I joined CT I never heard of Verdi-Care, so I cant offer any opinion on that.
verdi-care instructions here http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/old/files/images/Verdi-Care-Instructions.pdf
The instructions make me suspect that they were written by someone who had not used the product on ancients with hat we call bronze disease. I bought a bottle but did not trust it enough to bet the coin I had needing treatment so I only applied it after completing my normal sesquicarbonate treatment routine. The instructions repeatedly warn against letting it evaporate from the coin so I don't see how something that comes in so small a bottle (2 oz) could be much good for soaking. In all honesty, I don't plan to buy coins with BD so I hope I never get too expert in the matter. I currently have four coins in isolation awaiting their passing my requirements for being returned to normal status (ten years without recurrence). That is plenty.
Sometimes I've notice a green residue forms within PVC-free flips that isnt proper BD, but I havent found any explanation for what it is. I stopped using flips because of this.
Even the PVC 'safe' flips will often give off a slightly powdery substance, most often on the flip itself, less often on the coin. Honestly I am not aware of any method which will not in some way affect a coin. I use trays and no holders, but even so we have what is called 'cabinet rub'. Any flip or holder should be considered temporary. Paper and trays are the best method for storage, but both have their limitations on collections. For those with a very large numbers of coins trays are cost prohibitive and can have an additional cost when considering the size of a safe deposit box. Its one reason why I keep my collection small.
I remember in the old days when clear plastic flips were new I would get a green slime on both silver and copper US coins. I went back to the cardboard 2X2''s until so called pvc free flips came out. In 20+ years of using them this is the first time I have seen a problem. One thing I was told to do when taking my coins out of the old flips was to give them a dip in denatured alcohol. It seemed to stop the slim.
Two words: Paper holders! Seriously folks, they are still the best method of long term storage. So you can't see the coin unless you take it out...so what? Wouldn't you rather see the coin in your hand without plastic distortion?
You are probably right. I plan to keep a close eye on my coins and if I see any more problems I Wil make the switch to paper envelopes. You are right about seeing them better without plastic.
