So, I went to look through the 'cheaper' stuff in my collection (all circulated world coins in a smaller box separate from my expensive coins in a bigger, nicer box) the other day, and I was confronted with a collector's worst nightmare: green PVC slime. I was angry to say the least. About 6 mos. ago, I took all of my coins out of their cardboard 2x2 holders and put them in clear, plasic 2x2 flips I PURCHASED FROM A COIN STORE. Naturally, I assumed they were safe. I look at my coins at least once a week, but I guess the slime hadn't built up enough to be easily noticeable until now. I had to take each and every coin out and gently wipe them with with a cloth. It all came off easily enough, and the only coins that weren't affected were the nickel coins I had. However, I had quite a few ancients and BU world coins in my 'nicer' collection in those flips, too, so I immediately took all those out, and LUCKILY, there was little to no PVC gunk on any of those coins. I am also glad that ALL my $50-$80 coins in my U.S. type set are housed in hard plastic, 2x2 snap-tites, and all my proofs that were in the plastic flips were housed in Cointains first. Not sure what I should do now (i.e. distilled water dip or acetone to clean any invisible PVC gunk left?), but I probably will go with Cointains and then flips, those hard Amos 2x2 snap-tites, or maybe cardboard 2x2's again. Bleh. Any tips?
Jhonn sounds like you caught it just in time what a nightmare, I am moving most of my coins in to the snap tite cases except for the ones in albums LOL I too got rid of all my flips that had coins in as I did not trust them. Good luck with the rest of your coins :thumb: Possibly the acetone would be better for removing the gunk rather than the distilled water.
flips are fine as long as they are non-pvc...sounds like you had the pvc kind...dont even know why they still make them.
Or why a coin store would sell them. I think I'd rather go for the hard snap-tites, but I have a lot of ancients and medievals, and of course, they are irregularly shaped, so...
Most coin shops sell both PVC and non-PVC flips. The PVC are cheaper but I wonder how many people buy them not knowing the damage they can do. :desk:
thats why I use flips for my ancients...I use the airtites only for gold and some of my coins that are a regular shape and expensive... a coin like this: doesnt lend itself well to an airtite.
They sell them because they have a specific short tem use that they are by far the best for. They are used for submissions to the grading services and for display for sale. Since they are soft they will not damage the coin upon removal from the flip for inspection/slabbing and it is well understood that they are a short term storage device only. It is expected that coins will be removed from from the potentially harmful container and placed into a more inert long term starage once purchased. I'm sorry to hear about your coins.
Would a coin inside a 2x2 that is inside of a flip be vulnerable to PVC, or is direct contact the greatest danger?
acetone to clean any invisible PVC gunk left-- yes, way to go. Afta is a commercial brand that is good. Also, the flips contain PVC if they are soft and easy to fold. The non-PVC's are very stiff and tend to crack when you fold them. So, 2 X 2's are the easiest to use. The others are usually okay for short term storage. And, 6 months? Wow, they much have been in a very warm & possibly humid area. Sorry to hear about your problem. Also, be sure to rinse the acetone off very wll, or it could cause spotting.
Cloud: Not sure what you are saying, but why would you put a flip inside a 2 X 2? However, it is the direct contact-- coin to holder that is dangerous.
To be more specific, I store some lower value coins in soft plastic pocket pages in binders and in some of the Harris coin folders with the plastic pockets made from the same material as flips. But all are in 2x2s and not in direct contact with the plastic material. I've never had a problem but I don't want to be surprised someday.
I just dealt with a pvc infestation that ruined a few silver halfs, quarters and, world silver. Luckily it was all low price modern so I still have the BV.
What bothers me is that they didn't mention anything about this (that they contained PVC and could easily ruin my coins) when I purchased them at the coin store, and there was nothing on the package that said they contained PVC. To me, it seems irresponsible for a coin store to sell a product that damages coins without, at least, some sort of verbal or written warning about the product, i.e. that is should be used only for short-term storage. We should all do our research, but again, I put my faith in these flips because they were sold at a coin store and I assumed they wouldn't sell me something that would decompose all over my coins - some of which I purchased there! Thanks for all the input, guys. Where is the best place to pick up acetone?
you want pure acetone, not the hardware store stuff. I can be purchased at your local pharmacy usually. It is relatively expensive, though. Additionally it can cause trouble with copper coins, so be cautios ising it on copper.
I'll probably be using is mostly on silver, I think. Most of my world stuff is non-copper. Does anyone use those Saflips? I was on the Amos Advantage site today and thought about picking those up in addition to more snap-tites. Also, does anybody know of a different brand of snap-tites that are a little more 'tight' around the coin? All of my coins are a little loose in the snap-tites I have, though I've thought of putting them in a Cointain first, as that'll add a little 'thickness' to the coin and it might fit more snugly. Ah, this whole situation sure is messy. :desk:
I know the pvc flips have thier place, but it sure would be nice if they were easy to identify, like having a little pvc stamp in the corner.
vipergts2 Just feel the flips, if they are soft and easy to bend-- they contain PVC. If stiff and tend to crack-- no PVC.
Why not just look at the package the flips come in and contact that manufacturer for what the product contains. I think you would find that all flips are NOT PVC at all. Similarly not long ago someone said Zip Lock plastic bags contain PVC. Someone contacted several manufacturers and none contained PVC. Way, way to many false statements about products with no foundation. By the way if PVC is so harmfull, note the amount of PVC piping being sold at Menards, Home depot, etc and used in homes for water piping. Gee are we all going to turn green? As to Acetone, regardless of where you purchase it you should always test it prior to usage on anything except painting. The way to test it is to just place some on a very clean glass plate and allow to evaporate. If there is a residue, usually white, discard as contaminated. If you purchased it at, say Walmart, it is purely dependant on how long it has sat on a shelf or in storage somewhere. Of course in our chem labs we only use solutions in glass containers to eleviate such contaminates. As to some flips being stiffer than others it is usually due to the thickness of the product, not the type of material. If you were familiar with the many thicknesses of Mylar, for instance in the Engineering field, you would know that is comes in so many thinknesses that it is difficult to bend the thicker stuff and yet chemically the same. As to Acetone effecting Copper. I've done some extensive testing since I've heard this numerous times. Once leaving a bunch of copper coins in a jar of Acetone. Two days indoors and two days outdoors since many say the sunlight creates the damage to Copper with Acetone. I must be doing something wrong. After four days, nothing. I mean nothing at all. Less dirt of course but no effect on the coins. As to coin stores carrying anything that may damage your coins. Why not. Many sell chemicals to clean coins. The same dealer may tell you your not supposed to clean coins but it you want to here is the stuff. They make a living off people that will buy anything you know.
PVC is harmful to coins, plain and simple...I have had damaged coins due to PVC flips. Its no big deal...just buy non-pvc flips...the stiff flips...I have been using them...no problem. I have to say that the stiff flips are not that way because of thickness...my non PVC flips are VERY thin...and stiff...the PVC flips I have collected from dealers are softer, bendy, and more thick...not trying to bicker but its true...If you like I will take picts to illustrate the thickness between the 2 and how non-pvc (the ones I use) are thinner but far more stiff then the more thick PVC soft flips (to the point that sadly it rips easier)...
