Another question...

As was apparent from my last post, I'm interesting in buying some coins just for bullion purpose. Well, I went and got a Maple Leaf (probably a bad choice) and an Australian Nugget (probably a good choice). I can't grade, but the Nugget looks very clean, and the Maple shows signs of handling.
The Nugget was sold in a small plastic circular container (I beleive it's called an "Airtite"?) but the Maple Leaf (already very prone to damage) was only sold in a thin plastic sleeve - not good.
I can't find another Airtite or similar hard container.

However, I found a leather holder which seems to have been used for rings or something sinilar- it's a very soft, thin, flexible leather (almost like chamois) about 15 x 15 cm, and on the sueded side it has one row of pockets along the edge that fit the coins exactly. The leather is simply folded over a few cm's, and sewn into pockets. The coins can be slipped in, and then the leather rolled itself over about 4 times to form a soft padded holder. It is closed with a press-stud. The coins can't move.
It seems like a good storage device, at least temporarily. And it looks nice.

So - my question - do any of you chemistry-minded people know if there is anything in leather (like tanning agents, chemical dyes, etc) which might affect the finish of the gold coins? Or is gold stable enough not to be affected? Both coins are 24 karat, .9999 gold.

Thanks for the advice...

IF!!! the coin is known to be 9999 gold, as for MOST bullion gold coins, leather should be ok although there are some compounds gold can react, particually in strong acids of chloride base, like hydrochloric acid and nitric acid.

I can't remember the process of leather tanning, but I suppose you can store in there for the moment. Stay away from chlorine at all costs!!!

Thanks...
what does chlorine do? Discolour? I'd better check what chemicals are used in tanning.

I assume it would be more risky with a 22 karat coin?

Depends. I guess in the short term impact, it shouldn't do much. But really, if it worries you, you can order airtites or myler flips over the net.

I believe Ageka has a better answer than I do.

I agree.

I found a list of chemicals that are used at different stages of the leather tanning process. I don't have any idea what most of them are, but they sound fierce...

- alkaline chemical such as sodium carbonate
- Water, lime and sulfide
- Carbon dioxide and ammonium salts
- Proteolytic enzymes
- Water, sulfuric acid and salt
- Chrome powder
- magnesium oxide

I know my materials science profs would kick me for not knowing the best answer to this question.

I know sulfer in pretty much any form is never good for most coins, so I imagine it will have some reactivity with gold.

Copper is usually found as copper sulfide, so for 22k, well you know you are genuinely in trouble

I though that 22k bullion coins were the most hassle-free, due to their hardness & resistance to scratching. But, given the instabilty of copper, it seems there are worries there as well.
24k problems are in the handling, 22k problems are in the storage. Or something like that...

I wouldn't worry much about it, gold is pretty much impervious to everything except aqua regia. You could dip a pure gold coin into sulphuric acid and it wouldn't even faze the coin.

But contrary to what many people believe, gold will tone, but that's about it. But since you say you want the coins for bullion only - it wouldn't matter if they did. But you can buy Air-Tite holders for less than a dollar if it concerns you.

If you mean with a platic flip a pouch with small flap or double pouch that folds over then leave it there
Those flips are plasticizer free and even if there were plasticiser a quick acetone dip will remove it
You can still put the flip in a small box

On the other hand gold can do very strange things mostly due to contamination on the gold blanks that were used to make the coin

My friend has a 9999 maple leaf with a fingerprint burned in
Theoretically this should be impossible
I have a 9999 coin full with microdots in red ( theoretically impossible too )

So I would not put the coin in leather

As to damage it depends who you sell to
If you sell to an exchange agent as long as the coin looks nice EF he can resell it
there is no problem
However a collector will hold a magnifying glass to the coin and there you can forget it because a maple leaf will look perfect with the naked eye but the polished queen portrait will look scarred under magnification

Even the Queen's head on my 2006 Australian Nugget has fine scratched under magnification.

And the Maple Leaf - scratches are visible with the naked eye, but I heard that's common with Maples. I read that dealers who buy Maples don't even look at them, they just put them aside for melting.

Thanks for the advice everybody.

The maple leaf is designed and struck with a lot of parallel lines in the fields
so that are not scratches but anything on the queen is

The nuggets come in custommade capsules ( I suppose in 2006 too )
But taking it out and wiping a fingerprint off is enough to permanently microscratsch it

That's incredible. This stuff is like butter.
Maybe 22 karat like Krugerrand or American Eagle is better - after all, it is nice to sometimes be able to handle your coins without ruining the finish.

the 24K Buffalo coins are each in plastic holders for this reason, they are very very easy to mar with finger prints, scratches etc. I like the AGE design better too.

what is AGE?

If you like to handle the coins you can buy at melt
sovereigns
20 FF Napoleons, Angels,Roosters
20 SF Vrenellis
20 Bf Baudewijn, Albert
10 Florins
These coins were made for circulation and most have circulated

AGE : I'm not sure, but I think it's American Gold Eagle.


About gold being inert to almost all chemicals, yes, but make sure you keep it away from mercury: that will definitely affect your coin

This thread scary me: I understand that gold coins are like the butter... and almost all chemicals agressed him... I think I will start collecting pure Nickel coins: strong, resistent and cheap...
Pure gold is one of the most resistant metals to corrosion. And looking at a coin with the microscope sounds stupid. How many collectors admire their coins at a microscope? I think is better to research the history around the coin than make a metalography...

The other thing is that 22k and 24 k gold is quite soft and I wonder if buy rolling the coins up you might actually bend them?

Mircea, please send your gold to a good home with me, I will send you all my nickels and hope you are not allergic to nickel.

I like those coins, but very hard to find in Dubai! The gold coin market here seems to be almost entirely bullion, which seems to mean 1 ounce coins only. And not even much choice there. I like the 1 ounce Britannica, but can't even find that.
It's Kruger, Aus Nugget and the occasional Maple Leaf.
Very sad.

I will not allow you to store my gold coins in your dog house!
For those who don't know, Dave is now hosted by his dog... due to his new avatar problems...

I think the only modern coin you can really bent is the 4 Austrian Ducats

yeah, that's a real thin one:


Composition: Gold
Purity: 0.9860
Diameter: 39.50 mm.
Weight: 13.96 g.

so it's larger than a double eagle, but weighs about a third of it....