New West Point pennies 0

[numisport]

Just received U.S. mint set and proof set for 2019. Short of submitting the cents which are not perfect, I assume these should immediately be removed from soft sleeve and get an acetone dip before storage in Intercept Shield holders. Certainly some consideration has already been given to conservation as I know I am not the first to receive these. Proof W cent looks superb and uncirculated W cent is fully prooflike. What action should be taken if any. I'm assuming these sleeves are PVC ridden.

[MAULEMALL]

What makes you think its pvc plastic? looks like food grade plastic to me.

Why would you remove them if you aren't going to send them in.

Original packaging may be important down the road.

Just some info on identifying different plastics.

https://owlcation.com/stem/How-plastic-is-really-recycled

 

Or...

Gyorgy Banhegyi

Medicontur Medical Engineering Ltd.

Take a copper wire, heat it up and touch the plastic. Then take the copper wire with the plastic residue into a flame. In the case of PVC you should see green color in the flame because copper chlorides are relatively volatile under such conditions. You even don't need a spectrometer. This is a calssical method for detecting organic chlorine.

 

Edited May 31, 2019 by MAULEMALL

[Revenant]

I don't think that plastic is going to damage the coins. I've pulled coins from mint sets after 30 years and they weren't corroded by PVC. If the mint didn't use PVC plastic 40 years ago I can't imagine why they'd switch to it now.

[Conder101]

Almost certainly NOT PVC.  Most likely polyethylene. 

[Mokiechan]

I still don't understand why they couldn't have popped them into a simple plastic capsule.  I understand that would entail buying the capsules, certainly more expensive than the baggies, and also paying for the extra time it takes to place the coin in the capsule vice throwing it into a bag.  In fact use both, the capsule and the same baggie.  The sets already seem a bit too expensive anyway. Why Not Mint?

[numisport]

Appreciate the insight. I just assumed that because the sleeves are soft they contained PVC. I think I will store them in the envelopes provided as well.