GregsonVaux Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Some of the first collectable coins that I ever received were a set of three Harry Potter coins distributed by the Nobel Collection. They came for free with a set of three DVDs and included a nice decorative case with each coin being set in velvet (or some sort of imitation velvet). I noticed several years later that the coins were badly corroded. At the time, I thought that maybe they were just poorly made, but now I think that it was the velvet that corroded them. I now keep all of my coins either in saflips or acid free paper envelopes. However it pains me when coins come in attractive packages. Some of my extra large coins come in foam cradles shaped to hold the coin snugly. My fear is that this foam will cause the coins to corrode, so I always remove the coins. Sadly, my house is already filled to capacity, so I have always thrown out these nice containers. Today I received a "Cache is King" geocoin that came in a rather nice package (pictured). However, I don't know what the package is made of and the foam especially worries me. Am I foolish to throw these things out? Quote Link to comment
eseurat Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I was noticing a few coins on eBay with this packaging and the seller list them as a baseball card protective case with foam. The sleeve/hard case should be acid free at minimum, but there are cheap ones out there that are not very "paper" friendly. The foam I wouldn't be too sure of. There are several type and I would be worried about it releasing chemicals and affecting the coin over time. Quote Link to comment
+mpilchfamily Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Your initial harry potter coins probably had a poor quality finish. I'd venture to guess that they would have corroded the same no matter how they where stored. You would probably have to vacuum seal them to keep them from corroding. Most of the factors that can mess up a coin are oils from your hands, high humidity, acid papers, and direct sun light. I doubt the foam around the coin has any corrosive materials in it. I believe that is the same material used to store and display valuable coins. But i could be wrong. Quote Link to comment
+Six Little Spookies Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The card holder will not harm the coin. Don't know anything about the foam. Sweetlife has used foam cutouts like this in their coin binders for years. You should ask them if they've ever noticed any damage. Quote Link to comment
GregsonVaux Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Your initial harry potter coins probably had a poor quality finish. I'd venture to guess that they would have corroded the same no matter how they where stored. You would probably have to vacuum seal them to keep them from corroding. Most of the factors that can mess up a coin are oils from your hands, high humidity, acid papers, and direct sun light. I doubt the foam around the coin has any corrosive materials in it. I believe that is the same material used to store and display valuable coins. But i could be wrong. The reason I blame the velvet is that the coins were undisturbed for several years and where the coins were in contact with the velvet, they were corroded. The areas on the coins that were only in contact with the air still looked new. Quote Link to comment
+ALAUNOS Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Maybe the velvet being a type of cloth drew moisture over tine and where it was touching the coin caused said moisture to settle on the coin and cause the corrosion. Quote Link to comment
+Six Little Spookies Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Your initial harry potter coins probably had a poor quality finish. I'd venture to guess that they would have corroded the same no matter how they where stored. You would probably have to vacuum seal them to keep them from corroding. Most of the factors that can mess up a coin are oils from your hands, high humidity, acid papers, and direct sun light. I doubt the foam around the coin has any corrosive materials in it. I believe that is the same material used to store and display valuable coins. But i could be wrong. The reason I blame the velvet is that the coins were undisturbed for several years and where the coins were in contact with the velvet, they were corroded. The areas on the coins that were only in contact with the air still looked new. I'm sure nargles had something to do with it. Quote Link to comment
+GoldBugGirl Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The foam I wouldn't be too sure of. There are several type and I would be worried about it releasing chemicals and affecting the coin over time. Oh dear, I hope that's not true, 'cause I store my entire collection of keepers that way! I hope someone who has had coins stored this way for years will post that theirs are okay--I'd really hate to change this method, because it's so much easier to view & enjoy my collection. Quote Link to comment
+Jackalgirl Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 If you're not sure about the foam you've bought, just make sure that you buy foam that is marched as "archival quality" or "acid-free". I know that paper often has acid in it, which may after time discolor (and might damage your coins). Likewise, make sure that the PLASTIC that you're buying is made for archival (the stuff you buy for storing baseball cards or other collectors' cards should be okay, if it's specifically designed to hold collections, and should be marked as "acid free" or "archival quality"). The regular PVC coin flips are not acid free nor are they archival quality. They seem to do all right although I've noticed discoloration on some of my coins in which the flips were split along a seam: I think the problem is that when air gets into the flip with the coin, that's when discoloration happens, but tightly-packed, flat, un-messed-with coins in PVC flips seem to be doing fine. GBG, I admire your organization. Your binder looks awesome! My coins are packed into a stack of something like 10 plastic boxes. ; ) Quote Link to comment
+GoldBugGirl Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks for those tips, JG. The card collector's pocket pages I use are acid free/archival safe, but the foam rectangles are cut from sheets of 3 mm craft foam from the hobby store. I learned this method from a tutorial on YouTube a couple of years ago--the video is no longer available, & I don't remember who posted it. Does anyone have a source for archival quality foam? If anyone else has long-term experience with craft foam, please let us know if any deterioration of the coins can be expected. Quote Link to comment
+WRITE SHOP ROBERT Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Your initial harry potter coins probably had a poor quality finish. I'd venture to guess that they would have corroded the same no matter how they where stored. You would probably have to vacuum seal them to keep them from corroding. Most of the factors that can mess up a coin are oils from your hands, high humidity, acid papers, and direct sun light. I doubt the foam around the coin has any corrosive materials in it. I believe that is the same material used to store and display valuable coins. But i could be wrong. The reason I blame the velvet is that the coins were undisturbed for several years and where the coins were in contact with the velvet, they were corroded. The areas on the coins that were only in contact with the air still looked new. My guess would be whatever glue was adhering the velvet to the box or foan under it. It might even be cardboard under the velvet. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.