Tarnished coin cleaning

[Fulvio]

These RAM folders don't survive well in PVC sheets either or is the reason something in the folder cardboard that stains the coin?

The folders aren't sealed, so whether they're PVC or not, the air can get to the coins. Better to separate coins and packaging and store separately.

[trout]

Better to separate coins and packaging and store separately.

I do that all the time , Coins go into the album packaging goes into the "round file"

[Fulvio]

packaging goes into the "round file"

Yeah, and hasn't that worked out well for you? I think you've destroyed more value than most peoples' entire collections are worth. :angel:

[trout]

packaging goes into the "round file" :)

Yeah, and hasn't that worked out well for you? I think you've destroyed more value than most peoples' entire collections are worth. :angel:

i think we are talking "perceived value" here, I wonder how much value will be retained with the coins in the original packaging turning green and sticky/nasty or just plain totally tarnished in 10 or so years , if not already ?
I think I would much rather have a brilliant uncirculated coin that is fully lustrous in my collection without packaging than some shoddy PVC damaged/Heavily tarnished coin that is still in its mint packaging any day :ok:
Each to their own But I don't want to listen  to collectors a few years down the track complaining the about the ruined coins in their  packkyboxitis collection because someone told them that they are worth more that way.

[5 rubles]

I will keep the original PVC folder + card and pair it with the coin if needed sometime in the future.

[Fulvio]

I will keep the original PVC folder + card and pair it with the coin if needed sometime in the future.

And this is the sensible approach. Never forget you can only throw something away once.

Interesting point about perceived value, Trout. Isn't that precisely the debate we're having over in the crypto thread?

At the end of the day, absolutely everything is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it, no matter how rare, shiny or useful it is.

I just think its better to hedge your bets, in this case by keeping the packaging, much of which is not toxic, BTW, in the event of a future demand.

[5 rubles]

Well said Fulvio, the value of an item (or an idea) is dependent on how much the person wants it. This is why at auctions you must have a maximum price you are prepared to pay for an item and stick to it so that in the emotional situation of bidding you don't get carried away. We humans are highly emotional beings and that can lead to impulses that we later regret. Advertisers know that and items are laced with attractive people, surroundings and packaging, this includes music that appeals to the potential buyer, the colours used in the packaging and the film set. One would not try to sell bathroom cleaning products in a brown tiled bathroom, they are always sparkling white. People have a psychological perception that white is pure and clean.
When evaluating a coin, if it is brilliantly shiny and packaged in those clear capsules, the perceived value is high because the person looking at it likes it and wants to have it. You can even mate that coin with a one page  data and history sheet and the value of the coin goes up again. It is all about presentation and making the buyer want it. Remember there is a difference in "want" and "need". Need is easily determined by a simple logical process, want is much harder to define and justify.
Sorry to slip from tarnished coins to psychology...

[Basil]

Yeah,the Multinationals particulary the Tobacco Co.'s spend a small fortune on Psychology in marketing.
What you see....



What you subconsious MAY see.

[5 rubles]

I imagined James Hunt sitting on the side pod with a cigarette in his hand and a pretty girl sitting next to him... awaiting for her turn..

[JeffH]

I can picture that now.

What was she waiting her turn for...a drag of the fag, a drive of his car or a kiss?
Talking of his car this is what he commonly drove. He was also known to turn up to the BBC to do race commentary (after he retired from racing) on a bicycle!

That is an Austin A35 van. Could you imagine a current F1 driver turning up in, say, a Corolla station wagon?

[5 rubles]

As you know James was a ladies' man and the story goes that he once had a romantic night with 17 out of 20 British Airways female flight crew in China, if  I remember right. So, yes, the girl is waiting for him, not the cigarette.. She is also wrapped in gold suit, so matching for a winner.

We'll probably get a warning from the moderators for drifting off the subject.

[Fulvio]

That is an Austin A35 van.

And a collector's item!

Want!

NEED!

MUST HAVE!

:angel:
Oh, and if we're going to hijack the thread into F1, check this out:

http://www.bitpixr.com/i/dogecoin-formula-1/

How cool is that? :angel:

[5 rubles]

Now, back to cleaning coins. so I bathe the contaminated coins in acetone, which i got from Bunnings. I don't know if it is pure or not as some may have tiny amounts of contaminants apparently. After thorough bathing i can see a big change, most of the cloudiness on the surface of the coin is gone and even some of the discolouration or tan is reduced. Some websites suggest 2 minutes bathing but I found 2 minutes only get them wet and do not remove any contaminants. So I have left the coins in overninght. Once clean i pick them up with wooden chopsticks and rinse in clean acetone. Next step I do not understand, why should I rinse the coins in pure water? Water is an oxidiser and not an inert liquid like acetone. In its pure form acetone evaporates totally leaving no residue but water will kick off oxidising reaction. Can some explain what to do after acetone rinse pls.

[trout]

I don't use water I simply rinse in new acetone and shake the coin holding it by the rim to remove the last of the acetone.
NO need to rinse in water :ok:

[5 rubles]

I did some testing using a small mirror. After the first acetone bath I pulled the coin out and let a drop off the coin fall on a mirror, after evaporating there was a nasty stain left which was obviously anything that had dissolved in the acetone. Repeat the test again this time i rinsed the coin in fresh acetone and led a drop fall on the mirror. Again a nasty stain which was difficult to wipe off the mirror. Third test: I dunked the coin in the first bath, then in the rinse acetone and then in warm water and let a drop fall from the coin onto the mirror (just tap water this time). I am now awaiting for the water to evaporate to see the residue.
Some suggest to use isopropyl alcohol after the acetone and then purified water.

Cleaning was not as simple as I thought, acetone leaves a nasty cloudy stain on the coin so something else must be used after that. Apparently acetone will contaminate very easily, as soon as the bottle is opened, air and water will mix into it, it is no longer pure.