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New Member
Estonia
1 Posts |
Hello, I am new on this forum and am not aware if this is the right place to post this or not but here I go:
I am an Estonian collector and I am constructing a 20.000$ worth album for my Estonian bank notes. There are 410 total UNC bills in my collection and I will try to include them all in one huge album.
My plan is to put them all in individual PVC sleeves and then laminate them in strong A3 sheets and then put them in a binder. I have no intention to ever take them out but would like the option for them to be removed safely and undamaged if needed.
My main question is: what are the effects of plastic sleeves or plastic in general on banknotes? I have read that PVC-type plastics are supposed to damage the bills over time - some say that the colors may blur over time and some claim that there will only be dust remaining after some years. The theory is that over time, chemical elements are released from the plastics into the bill, which then degrades it. I have then tried to look for some kind of example on the internet where the sleeves have destroyed the bill, but for some reason I can't find the pictures anywhere. It is said that it may not happen in 5 years, but it may happen in 50 years. How can you be sure of such a thing when the test period has been relatively short, there are very few bills that have been in plastic pockets for 50 years, and precise information is lacking? Some even claim that they have seen changes in 5-10 years but with no actual proof. I personally think that a large part of destruction may also come from the paper used, the composition of the ink used in printing, the amount of light or UV, the humidity, the temperature, the specific composition of the PVC pocket itself, dirty handling and the combination of all these things. Could it be that, for example, a certain ink and a certain PVC film simply cause a chemical reaction? There is certainly a difference between PVC and PVC plastics as well, and I have also heard of a thing, where when smelling sleeves, a strong smell of plastic also indicates greater chemistry and therefore faster decomposition. So what is correct and can anyone give specific examples?
I am aware that Mylar and other products specifically friendly to paper money are sold, but they are considerably more expensive. If you can get a regular pocket for maybe a few cents, specially designed films cost 50 cents each, etc. It is obvious that 400 notes divided by 50 cents equals 200 euros, which is a large amount, but next to a collection worth 20,000€, it is relatively non-existent money. Unfortunately, special sleeves are not sold in such perfect sizes for my notes that they look as polite as possible under the laminate (at least I haven't found them). I myself found 1mm bigger PVC sleeves, which are completely odorless, and I already have enough of them and they are a prefect fit. I wonder what materials banks use for novelty packaging and, for example, PMG and other graded paper money companies use, and have they also noticed any changes in the preservation of notes over time?
My main point from this is: How likely is it that my notes will be damaged after 100 years if I put them in odorless PVC sleeves and then laminate them and keep them in an album away from the elements? And also do you know any specific examples of plastics ruining paper money?
English is not my first language so I apologize for any typos and I am excited to hear back from you.
Thank you.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2286 Posts |
Your statements about PVC plastics are correct: they will react with the paper & damage your note collection in time. How much damage will storing in PVC cause (& how long)? This (& what the damage will look like) is impossible to elaborate on since most banknotes have varied substrate content (different blends of flax, paper, cotton, linen & different %) as well as different types of ink. Some notes will likely react faster than others. How each note reacts to PVC & over what time frame is rarely discussed. I attended 2 joint RCNA (Royal Canadian Numismatic Association) workshop on the preservation & grading of banknotes. The first workshop on the preservation of notes was conducted by a museum curator. The curator discussed the test used to discover whether plastics are reactive or inert (non reactive) but I cannot remember the term she used. She showed a video which showed the reactive plastic burning with a blue colour (I believe). She also asked the 30 or so participants if they had any part of their collection (coin or banknote) damaged due to improper storage. Almost every collector raised his/her hand. If my memory serves me right, I believe she said that a banknote could probably react with PVC in a matter of months (closer to a year or more) but not in weeks (something like that). She also asked a few collectors to share their stories & they "weren't pretty." All damage was completely irreversible & usually the notes (which may have had a premium) became face value (if the note could be cashed in). Nobody had their notes disintegrate. The damage mostly resembled a toning colour. I believe that is one of the reasons the new holders are used by the TPG's and the notes are in a vacuum (oxygen, like moisture, is bad!) Here is a link to one of the threads discussing storing banknotes on Numista. Perhaps you can read it & it will help answer your questions. https://en.numista.com/forum/topic120763.html |
Posted 02/09/2023 08:53 am
to the Community!
