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I buy a lot of estates and collections, and they range from soup to nuts. One recent collection I bought had quite a few silver dollars. Unfortunately, some of those dollars were in PVC-laden flips that had deteriorated so much that the flips and the coins were extremely greasy. In fact, if they had been left in there a bit longer, the PVC might have started to leach into the coin. It took a lengthy effort to remove the PVC from the coins.
Here is how to make sure this doesn't happen to your coins: 1. Check your coins regularly. Examine them to see if there has been any damage. 2. Take all of your coins that are in PVC holders (with pliable plastic), remove them and check each one for PVC. One sign is that the coin's impression is on the holder after the coin has been removed, this coin probably has PVC and has a greasy feel to it. 3. Carefully !!! use PURE ACETONE to remove the PVC. Acetone is best applied outside, and once you have the coins in the acetone, cover the container so the acetone doesn't evaporate quickly. 4. Wash the coins off and let each one air dry on a towel. Do not wipe them. 5. Put your coins in non-PVC holders that are inert. The best holders for this are SAFLIPS, which are completely inert. Other flips marked safety or Safe-T are not inert and should not be used. 6. Make sure there are no rubber bands near your coins. These can make ugly streaks on a coin that are just about impossible to remove.
- - Rich Uhrich | 
