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 Replies: 15 / Views: 1,612 |
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New Member
United States
30 Posts |
Hello, everyone! I am very new to collecting coins and have a quick question  I picked up a coin album recently, and it is unfortunately made of PVC. Is it safe to store my coins in this provided they're in cardboard flips? I'm not sure if that thin barrier from the flip would be enough to prevent PVC damage?  *** Moved by Staff moved to a more appropriate forum. *** |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3619 Posts |
They will be perfectly fine. I haven't experienced a problem with those. Even if a tiny bit of PVC develops, they'll be fine.
Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
PVC and coins is not a good thing so why even risk it. John1  ( I'm no pro, it's just my humble opinion )
Searched 6.5 +/- Million Cents Since 1971
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New Member
 United States
30 Posts |
Unfortunately, it's what I have for the moment. I definitely don't want to damage the coins at all, so I'm holding off putting anything in it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2893 Posts |
My first thought is that if the coins are in a 2x2 holder it would probably be Ok for temporary storage, but I'd definitely look for album sheets that are PVC-free to replace those. I've handled too many coins with PVC damage, and I don't like taking any risks when it comes to my coins!
Edited by hokiefan_82
09/16/2023 9:40 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4233 Posts |
I've had coins in 2x2 stored in album pages for 50 years. I suspect the pages have PVC because they're very flexible and still have a whiff of shower curtain. None of them have developed PVC damage as far as I understand what that looks like - greenish gooey stuff. That said, I wouldn't risk it either when you can buy pages without it.
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New Member
United States
30 Posts |
Thanks, everyone!
I'm going to order something that doesn't have PVC.
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Moderator
Australia
16181 Posts |
Your main issue here is going to be "solvent transfer".
PVC coin album pages contain phthalates. They deliberately put phthalates into the PVC mixture to make it soft and flexible, because PVC in it's "raw" state is hard, brittle and not-quite-transparent. These phthalates are liquid at room temperature, but held in place by the polymer framework.
As the polymer degrades, or if the pages are squeezed under pressure (for example, if the pages have a heavy weight like several coin-filled coin albums placed on top of them), the phthalates migrate out of the PVC matrix, and onto surrounding substances. If your coins are placed directly into a PVC page, then the phthalates migrate directly onto your coins (creating "PVC goo"). If your coins are in mylar 2x2s, then the phthaltes migrate into that plastic film. It would take a long time for the phthalates to migrate all the way through a film of mylar, but they will eventually. Meanwhile, the phthalates make the outer surface of the 2x2 all sticky, unpleasant and hard to see through.
They use sulfuric acid to make phthalates, and some of that acid remains with the phthalate and transfers with it - which is why PVC goo damages coins. It is also why PVC tends not to damage .999 pure silver coins, only copper and copper-alloy coins (and 90% silver is a "copper alloy" as far as sulfuric acid is concerned), because sulfuric acid does not readily attack metallic silver, but it will strip away toning and tarnish.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2893 Posts |
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
11023 Posts |
Quote:
I'm going to order something that doesn't have PVC. @TavMS: Smart move, no sense taking any risks with non-PVC options readily available. @Sap: 
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Moderator
United States
157664 Posts |
I have had to replace my 2x2 pages every few years regardless of the material. These are the 12-pocket pages that fit the Dansco binders, not your standard 20 pocket three-ring binder pages. The original ones were clearly PVC and got stretched out over time (the pages looked wavy), but I replaced them with their "improved" pages. These were clearly not PVC; no only less smell, but even less flexibility, which means over time the pockets nearest the inside become separated.
I ordered a batch from Wizard a several years ago to replace pages as they ripped, but I have now run out of that supply (and so has Wizard). I have mapped out how I will move all these coins into to assortment of blank pages (cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half, small dollar, large dollar, and several different millimeter pages). Now I just have to wait for Wizard to get blank pages in stock from Dansco (who have had some bad luck since moving from CA to WA).
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Moderator
United States
157664 Posts |
Quote:
I have mapped out how I will move all these coins into to assortment of blank pages (cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half, small dollar, large dollar, and several different millimeter pages). Now I just have to wait for Wizard to get blank pages in stock from Dansco (who have had some bad luck since moving from CA to WA). Update: Wizard now has most of what I need! Order placed. 
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Moderator
United States
64151 Posts |
Quote:
I'm going to order something that doesn't have PVC. That is a very good idea. I keep my collection in my coin room that I keep free of any PVC in the room.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21593 Posts |
Replace the PVC pages in the album with archival quality non PVC pages, such as clear polypropylene, or better still, Mylar. Coins in such album pages will never be affected.
Bonus: both of these plastics are recyclable.
I do, in fact, use recycled PVC pages but only for my lowest value coins, (say, of a less value than a Dollar or so).
I really should throw them out.
Problem is that soft PVC is an intractable non recyclable pollutant, which can cause environmental damage, in the long term.
I notice that dealers send coins through the post using re cycled cut-up PVC album page pockets. This application OK for coins, but only temporarily, for a maximum of a month or so.
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
16074 Posts |
Many of the album pages I bought when I started collecting were of PVC, but I've gradually replaced these with mylar ones. I've got some coins in 2x2's inside PVC 20-pocket pages and never had any problem with them.
I bought a small album at a 'Boot Fair' (UK equivalent of a garage sale) about 20 years ago that had some 1960s and 1970s Italian aluminium and stainless steel 5, 10, 50 and 100 lire coins in it. The album pages were defintely made of PVC but none of the coins show any damage - I imagine this is because these metals don't react with the phthalates. However some other coins in the same pages, including bronze- and brass-clad steel German pfennigs from the same era, were quite badly affected. I think the coins had probably spent about 30 years in the album before I bought it, as the firm that manufactured it went out of business in the early 1970s.
British collectors should watch out if they ever get second-hand WH Smiths coin album pages. A friend of mine bought some of the older, clearer type and they affected some of his coins after just a few months. The more brittle newer pages appear to be safe, but are quite expensive and not the best for clarity.
Edited by NumisRob
10/25/2023 04:16 am
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21593 Posts |
I have had nice red unc bronze coins go to black over a period of about 10 years, when stored in Mylar 2x2's BUT in soft PVC album pages.
I learned my lesson: Never use PVC album pages. at least for un toned bronze coins, or for silver proof coins.
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Replies: 15 / Views: 1,612 |
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Posted 09/16/2023 1:27 pm
