Will a full red copper coin turn into a RB 10 yrs from now?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Dancing Fire, Sep 24, 2015.

  1. Dancing Fire

    Dancing Fire Junior Member

    if the coin is in a slab. I am not a copper collector.
     
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  3. stldanceartist

    stldanceartist Minister of Silly Walks

    Improperly stored, maybe, depending on where/how it is stored. Slabs are not airtight, so humidity, temperature, chemicals...etc...will affect it if stored improperly.

    (short answer)
     
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  4. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    Maybe. Unfortunately, there is no better answer than that. The slab won't make a difference, but your level of care could. Copper cannot be allowed atmospheric exposure, and slabs aren't air-tight. If I had a full Red copper piece - I wouldn't buy one, but if - I'd keep it a couple layers deep in ziplock baggies with a dessicant package.
     
  5. stldanceartist

    stldanceartist Minister of Silly Walks

    @SuperDave maybe not Ziplock baggies - something with definitely no PVC in it.
     
  6. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    Ziplocks are food-safe. They contain no PVC plasticizers, being polypropylene.
     
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  7. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    I would say similar except to store with fresh silver coins like ASE's instead. The ASE will start to tone if something is going wrong, and its easy to see it. If the SE starts to tone, replace it and find out what environmentally is causing the toning. Silver will tone faster than copper so hopefully no toning agents would get to the copper.
     
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  8. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    Throw a sacrifical Red copper - something common - in the bag.
     
  9. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Some coins tone regardless of their composition, others do not. Storage conditions, geographical areas and tons of other things can affect the coin. You can always artificially tone a coin but I don't recommend it.
     
  10. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    But then you only have something AS REACTIVE in the bag, not more reactive. You want something more reactive than the coin you are protecting to make sure it will take the hit instead of the valuable coin.
     
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  11. Rick Stachowski

    Rick Stachowski Motor City Car Capital

    I store my nice silver coins in the refrigerator, of course, their very well protected in acrylic, before I put them in ...
     
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  12. physics-fan3.14

    physics-fan3.14 You got any more of them.... prooflikes?

    Maybe. Maybe not. There is no way to know.
     
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  13. desertgem

    desertgem Senior Errer Collecktor Supporter

    That is why you scrub hard the sacrificial red cent and with the patina gone, it is more reactive than the other non-treated cent(s) with the normal patina of the protected coins. You could dip the sacrificial to pretty pink, wash with water and finish with acetone, they are more reactive also :)
     
  14. ldhair

    ldhair Clean Supporter

    To make it even more fun, there is no way to know what may have been on the surface of the coin before it was put in a holder. If the coin has been in a slab for several years and is still red, it should be safe as long as it has proper storage.
    Jason gave the best answer. You never know how copper will react over time.
     
  15. robec

    robec Junior Member

    If that were the case you wouldn't see any RD copper earlier than 2005. That clearly isn't the case since you can find RD US copper from the 19th century and earlier.

    Not sure how much has been worked on, but it all depends on storage conditions.
     
  16. eddiespin

    eddiespin Fast Eddie

    I prefer the freezer Ziplock bags.
     
  17. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Chris, you got it backwards buddy, copper is more reactive than silver.
     
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  18. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    That's why you find sacrificial Cents in the storage arrangements of smart numismatists. Every copper roof in the country argues in favor.
     
  19. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    Maybe you are right. I have just noticed pure silver tones faster than new copper, but maybe my observations were biased. I still throw unprotected sacrificial silver in my SDB and replace it as necessary, but maybe I am wrong.
     
  20. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Just for the sake of clarity, because calling them "sacrificial cents" could be misunderstood by some, the cents don't actually protect coins in your collection. Rather they act as alarm bells to alert you to the fact that toning is occurring in your storage area, and that you need to change things if you wish to protect your coins from toning.
     
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  21. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    Thank you; I was remiss in not clarifying that. The most important step in long-term storage is regularly checking on your charges.
     
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