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Montgomery County Coin Club

October 1998 Bulletin

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Next MCCC Meeting: Tuesday, October 13, 1998
Featured Speaker: Richard Jozefiak on "An Introduction to the Modern British Sovereign and Half-sovereign."

The Montgomery County Coin Club will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 1998, at the Senior Citizens Center on Forest Glen Road in Silver Spring, Maryland. The meeting will feature Richard Jozefiak , who will present a slide-illustrated lecture on "An Introduction to the Modern British Sovereign and Half-sovereign."

Charity Auction Coming Soon

The MCCC Charity Auction will be the featured attraction of the November meeting. All proceeds from this special event go to benefit the Silver Spring and Wheaton Boys & Girls Clubs. Please donate --- you can offer cash or numismatic material for the Auction. In either case, you get a tax deduction. Thanks you for your help!

NumisRiddle of the Month

MCCC YN Robin Zimmermann asks: What color is a nickle?

The answer appears later in this Bulletin. To submit a NumisRiddle for the Bulletin, write to YN Robin Zimmermann.


September Meeting Announcements

MCCC President Swab called the Club to order at 7:17 pm. He wore no (visible) baseball attire (although he had seen Mark McGuire hit number 52 in Pittsburgh on August 22), even as McGuire was in the process of setting a new home run record. Approximately 30 members were present, including 3 YNs. Among the major announcements were:

Design the MCCC's 40th Anniversary Elongated Coin!

The MCCC will celebrate the Fortieth Anniversary of its founding next summer. In celebration, there will be a special competition to create a Commemorative MCCC Elongated Design. Use the template which appears in the paper version of the Bulletin this month, draw your design, and submit it by the December meeting (December 8). The winner's initials will appear on the die, and thereby appear on every one of the special coins!


Calling All Medal Collectors!

Medal Collectors of America: A Proposal

A meeting was held during the 1998 ANA Convention to launch MEDAL COLLECTORS OF AMERICA, or MCA. The new organization is envisioned as broadly based group serving collectors of art and historical medals and will fill what many collectors believe is a long-standing need. MCA will be a non-profit organizational of members sharing a common interest in collecting United States and world medals.

MCA'S GOALS INCLUDE:

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR MEMBERSHIP?
Any medal collector of good character who subscribes to the goals of MCA and pays dues of $20 per year is eligible for membership.

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
An organizational meeting was held on Thursday, August 6, 1998 during the ANA Convention in Portland. Almost thirty people attended the meeting, and most signed up for MCA on the spot. An ad hoc committee, consisting of David Alexander, Paul Bosco, Robert Julian, and Michael Hodder, was appointed to give MCA a boost start. They will propose bylaws and serve as stewards of the organization until officers can be elected.

For further information, contact Chairman pro tem David T. Alexander, P.O. Box 780, Mahopac, NY 10541, or e-mail David.


Just in (the) Case

The MCCC display case provides members a splendid opportunity to show numismatic material of all sorts --- coins, tokens, currency, and related pieces. Bring something from your collection that you enjoy, and share it with the Club! October's meeting follows closely on the heels of Columbus Day, and of course there are numerous other topics which a good exhibit might be tied to. At the September meeting, for instance, members applauded several items:

YN Takes Prize for Exhibit

For exhibiting YN Robin Zimmermann garnered a 1946 commemorative Booker T. Washington half dollar, donated by a Club member who prefers to remain anonymous. The MCCC has other gifts for YNs who offer items for the display case in months to come. Don't forget to invite YNs (or potential YNs) to come to the meeting with you!


September's Featured Speaker: Kermit Smyth

"To Clean, or Not To Clean?"

Kermit Smyth spoke entertainingly and in good technical detail on the theme of coin cleaning. He began by analyzing three aspects of the subject: Mr. Smyth observed that the old proverb, "More coins have been ruined by cleaning than improved," is probably true. Particularly risky are kitchen cleaning recipes including vinegar soaks, copper pot cleaners, baking soda pastes, and the like. "The subject of cleaning is rife with horror stories; fragile coins literally have disappeared into bubbles in a solution," he said. Mr. Smyth's personal experiences with harsh copper and silver coin treatments were horrifying to hear. He also noted the dangers of lint from sulfur-rich tissues ("Kleenex"), which he reported using once to carefully push cents into a Library of Coins album --- after some years, areas the tissues had contacted became covered with green spots of verdigris. Ugh!

Although some have said, "A coin should never be cleaned, period," Mr. Smyth surveyed the MCCC audience and found general agreement that cleaning could be justified under some conditions. He quoted the Early American Copper (EAC) Society in its statement, "Removing verdigris, oil, and dirt from old coppers enhances their appearance, brings out detail, and prevents corrosion." In addition, Mr. Smyth mentioned the subjective justification to clean, to "make coins look better" --- though he noted that tastes change, and that fashions in 1890 or even 1965 are far from today's.

Coins fall into three major categories, Mr. Smyth observed: soft metals such as gold and silver, harder ones materials such as copper, and even harder metals such as nickel. The surface of gold and silver coins should never be directly rubbed in any way, because even the gentlest stroking or brushing will cause hairline damage. To treat such coins, Mr. Smyth prescribed ultrasonic baths, a gentle wash with a suitable solvent, or carefully controlled "dipping." He performed a live demonstration of ultrasound cleaning, which uses high amplitude sound waves to cause cavitation, the formation and collapse of tiny bubbles on the coin's surface, which removes dirt. Solvent cleaning, he described, can be done with water to remove salts, alcohols to remove some organic deposits, and hexane or xylenes to take away oils and grease. After use of a solvent, silver and gold coins should be washed and patted (not rubbed!) dry.

"Dipping" silver coins in a chemical bath such as "Jeweluster" is both common and risky business. These dips contain both an acid, which removes oxidation (tarnish), and a salt such as thiourea which forms a soluble complex with the oxidized silver on the coin. The result is that silver atoms are removed from the surface, which definitely can dullness and impaired luster due to the loss of the fine lines on the coin. Mr. Smyth recommended experimentation on a common, inexpensive silver coin such as a 1964 Washington quarter dollar --- "Dip it 10 times and see the difference!", he said. One can often judge the thickness of surface toning by its color, Mr. Smyth said. Yellow, especially pale yellow, is a thin sulfide layer and can likely be dipped successfully with full luster restored; blue or black are much deeper layers, which are probably the result of significant surface etching, so it is unlikely that even the most careful treatment will get the original luster back.

Copper and nickel coins, in contrast to gold and silver ones, can tolerate rather more vigorous cleaning, at least for circulated specimens. Mr. Smyth recommended the use of a fresh (soft, green) thorn to remove crud in the devices of a coin, working slowly and methodically under a magnifying glass. "I've done it for hours," he said. After cleaning and brushing away loose dirt, a solvent treatment on a copper or nickel coin will remove grease and leave the surfaces clean but dry-looking --- at which point a thin coating of "Coin Care" or "Blue Ribbon" will work wonders and is accepted even by the EAC. Both of these products have been discontinued, and now cost huge sums ($100 or more) for even a tiny bottle. They contain trichloroethylene cleaners and silicones to give a glossy appearance to the coin's surface. One club member suggested that a combination of drycleaning fluid and the lubricant WD-40 might be combined for a comparable product.

Encrusted copper coins such as ancients often have verdigris, a green grungy coating. Mr. Smyth suggested a soaking in olive oil for a month or more (perhaps even a year --- "No rush on this!", he said), followed by ultrasonic cleaning. Perhaps if the coin is severely damaged, one may experiment with electrolysis (galvanic cleaning), using an electrical circuit between a stainless steel electrode and the coin in an electrolyte solution such as sodium sequicarbonate. He has had some success with this treatment of ancient coins, but the resulting surface is often in his experience corroded and has an affected patina --- though probably it was already damaged, and the cleaning only revealed the true state of the coin.

Mr. Smyth then discussed PVC, or polyvinyl chloride. This is a transparent plastic material commonly used for holders; it is cheap, flexible, and doesn't scratch the coins, but it is notorious for causing long-term damage. PVC breaks down from heat or ultraviolet light and can release hydrochloric acid (HCl). It also can contain plasticizers and stabilizers which damage coin surfaces. PVC damage comes as a blue-green slime, copper phthalate, on copper coins and on silver items which contain a copper alloy component. Proof silver coins can get a frosted appearance. The damaging effects of PVC have been known since at least 1925, according to Mr. Smyth. The best treatment is to use "Dissolve" or mineral spirits to remove the slime. It is important to do this because, if not removed, the coin will corrode further.

Mr. Smyth concluded with the following advice:

Mr. Smyth answered numerous questions from the audience, and when he ended his talk was thanked with a hearty round of applause. The MCCC membership concurred that it was an excellent, and extraordinarily helpful, presentation.


Acknowledgments


NumisRiddle Answer: "What color is a nickle?" --- Green! A "nickle" is a species of bird with green feathers. The 5-cent US coin is properly spelled "nickel".


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