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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;lrbguy, post: 2825107, member: 88829&quot;]The reaction described in the OP quote does describe the mechanism for bronze disease, but makes a faulty assumption about the bare hand handling of most ancient bronze coins.&nbsp; The chemistry s/he describes assumes that you are touching pure copper or bronze with your bare hands.&nbsp; That is not the case when the coin has a patina.&nbsp; Patina is essentially a non-metallic shell (mainly carbonates and acetates) which forms naturally and shields the elemental copper within from outside contact.&nbsp; It is a conversion of the outer surface of metal into stable non-metallic salts, and these are what protects the coin from destruction while buried in the ground and subject to all kinds of chemical threats.&nbsp; Break through the patina and then bronze disease becomes possible from a number of sources including the transfer of salts by human touch.&nbsp; If your coins have intact patina, you need not fear the threats in the opening paragraph.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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