Dansco Album Discoloring My Coins?!

[astrostu]

Last summer, I bought a Roosevelt dime Dansco album (7125) to see how I liked the Dansco line. I transferred all my Roosevelts into it and I haven't looked at 'em in 6 months. I opened it today and all of my moderns (post-1964) have turned an ugly shade of yellow. It looks almost as if they've been dipped in fake microwave popcorn butter (though not quite as severe).

 

It's doing this to all the clad coins I have in these albums (also Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Anthony).

 

Um, has anyone had this happen before? I always heard Dansco was great, and I NEVER had this issue with my Whitman folders.

 

And more importantly, what do I do about this? I'm kinda really ticked at the moment.

 

And if you need this to answer my question: These have just been stored, upright (like a book), on a shelf, in my apartment, no where near the Sun. Temperature averages 65-80 deg and humidity is generally dry (it's Colorado).

[JRocco]

Albums tone coins. Some like this and some don't The paper/cardboard usually has some degree of chemicals, be it sulfur or many others, that can have an effect on the metal content of coins. Some albums more than others and even one Dansco vs another Dansco. The yellow or some might say gold tone is usually the first to develop. If you want to keep your coins blast white then album storage is not the right storage medium. Put them in air-tights or another brand of plastic that limits the coins exposure to the atmosphere,

Hope this helps.

[bsshog40]

Not to take away from this post but are these albums used alot for uncirculated coins? I only use albums (whitmans) for circulated coins I collect. I wouldn't think they would be that protective for keeping uncirculated coins in an uncirculated condition as to AT like stated in the original question.

[astrostu]

The Roosevelts are all from circulation, but, over the last 10 years, they're practically MS. Same with Kennedies except for the last few years. Ikes are circulated, and SBAs are from circulation, as well. But they're all EF or better. I'm a fan of blast white for moderns and opening the album to see these sunflower-colored coins almost made me cry.

[TomB]

Dansco albums have a history of toning clad coinage a spectrum of light yellow gold through silver blue. I have seen this on scores of coins from many albums and some folks on these boards have discussed this issue in the past.

[astrostu]

Dansco albums have a history of toning clad coinage a spectrum of light yellow gold through silver blue. I have seen this on scores of coins from many albums and some folks on these boards have discussed this issue in the past.

 

I did a search for anything with "Dancso" in it for the past year and in 450+ results, nothing really about toning except for a thread I started back in April '06 (http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=cointangents&Number=1194754&Searchpage=5&Main=1194754&Words=dansco&topic=&Search=true#Post1194754) where I was told that only the older albums really will tone your coins. Looks like I shouldn't've gone for "cheap" and just bought a bunch of AirTites.

[astrostu]

Can I dunk these quickly in acetone to return them to how they're "supposed" to look, or will that do any damage?

[pendragon1998]

Acetone will work for PVC damage, but unless that's what the coins have on them (and in a Dansco, I doubt that's what it is) I don't think acetone would help. Someone pipe up if I'm wrong.

[TomB]

I guess you had to be on these forums longer than you have been in order to know the history of these albums and the discussions we have had about them. Both jom and I have written about these albums and how we call it "Dansco-type" toning as it is fairly well known. I also just did a search and, since I knew what I was looking for, found several old posts that wrote about what you have seen.

[astrostu]

I guess you had to be on these forums longer than you have been in order to know the history of these albums and the discussions we have had about them. Both jom and I have written about these albums and how we call it "Dansco-type" toning as it is fairly well known. I also just did a search and, since I knew what I was looking for, found several old posts that wrote about what you have seen.

 

Could you let me know what you searched for or PM me some of those threads? I'm still not finding anything.

[123cents]

Maybe you should try one of the Intercept Shield Albums. I have heard they are very good.

[michael]

tomb is 100% absolutely correct and he does know what he is talking about

 

to have someone on these boards not only willing to share advanced not easily found knowledge but it to be totally correct is unusual

 

and again from my limited experiences in the coin game these albums in consideration with the way and where they are stored and also if they have held oltder coins before will tone the coins just as tomb as said not only have i heard this from reputable sources but have seen it many many hundreds of times

 

but again this is just from my limited experiences in the coin game from a small collector stand point

[astrostu]

tomb is 100% absolutely correct and he does know what he is talking about

 

to have someone on these boards not only willing to share advanced not easily found knowledge but it to be totally correct is unusual

 

If you somehow inferred or I implied I didn't believe what he was saying, this was not my intent. I was mearly saying that I could not find the threads to which he was referring, probably for the reason he stated that he knows exactly what he's looking for. I tried various searches and didn't come up with anything, which is why I requested he point me in the right direction.

[michael]

never inferred anything just stated my own opinions

 

just coin friends here

 

nothing earth shattering here

 

 

 

 

 

you are welcome to read anything you want to in it or not does not affect me and either way.........

[James_OldeTowne]

I've had coins in Dansco albums for twenty years, and frankly, was hoping some of them would tone. To the contrary, the doggoned Danscos are remarkably stubborn and resistant to toning . But a few of my coins have changed just slightly after two decades.

[Cannon Coins]

I have always kept any modern silver in Danscos. For an example, I'll use my Silver Eagle uncs. The earlier ones, 86 - 00 are starting to show a little of the Dansco golden toning around the edges but it is an attractive even, stronger at the edge and lighter as it moves in.For some reason one of the 03's is developing some scatered patches of light blue and light pink. I hope it keeps going !....but I personally like a nicely toned coin be it modern or not. As long as it's original.

 

I just ordered a couple Danscos from Amos Advantage and they now boast archival quality matierials treated with a chemical that inhibits toning. They also come with a sleeve that you put your album in that is also treated with the same stuff.You can also purchase just the sleeves that will fit any of your older Danscos.

 

Good luck with your coins, CC

[lkenefic]

I just bought a Dansco 7070 and intend to put all of my MS moderns in it as well as my circulated early type (VF-AU). I've seen 7070s filled with all MS coins and the presentation is nothing less than spectacular. One thing I did notice though, you mentioned that alot of your Rosies' were plucked from circulation but were still MS...perhaps there was some residue on them when you placed them in the album??? ...just a thought...L

[jgrinz]

For curiosity sake I just pulled out my Whitman BLUE binder for roosevelts and they all seem fine except for some silver coinage turn shades of blue

[bsshog40]

I like the blue!!!

[jgrinz]

I like the blue!!!

 

Look what the Whitmans did to my buffalo - Its rotting ohhh nooooo

 

 

 

[ldhair]

I'm really shocked that after just 6 months you are seeing toning. May I ask how the album is being stored. Could it be in high humidity or changes in temp? I'm thinking it's more than just the album.

[EZ_E]

The toning changes you are witnessing does seem very accelerated to me.

 

Here is a proof Liberty nickel that I had NCS conserve in December of 2004. In less than two years my Dansco 7070 toned it. However, I like the new toning. Other conserved silver coins and a conserved 1942 silver proof nickel have remained virtually unchanged in the exact same conditions for the same length of time. This kind of tells me that it has alot to do with the composition of the coin as well even though they are all (more or less) the same silver or nickel content. Yet, this line of reasoning does not apply to you, as you know. There has to be something unique where you live. Maybe it is a forgotten nuke dump, UFO landing site, old jet fuel depository, etc...

 

p.s. Once again, major kudos out to Bruce Lee who photographed my Dansco 7070 for me.

 

[astrostu]

Okay, so after a day to sitt here and mull things over, I did something smart and actually looked at the coins I have sitting in folders that hadn't toned in 10 years of sitting in a closet in Ohio. But they've been living here in Colorado with me for the last year. And the coins in folders are showing toning, as well. Not nearly as much as those that had been in the Dansco, but my state quarters from '99 are definitely showing a yellow tone when compared with new ones.

 

So first, I think I owe a semi-apology to Dansco.

 

Second, anyone have an idea about what could be causing this yellowing, and how to stop it from continuing? At the local coin club meeting tonight, the only suggestions that I heard that could still apply would be that the shelves they're sitting on are made of particle board which has formaldehyde in it and the vapors could be slowly toning them. Another one that someone suggested was new carpeting having the toning agents, but that's less likely because I specifically remember my security deposit being $25 less because I have old carpeting.

 

As I stated in my original post above, I keep my apartment around 65-75° in the Winter and up to 80° in the summer before the AC goes on, and I'm in Colorado so the humidity rarely goes above 60%. I also don't think weather-related stuff is an issue because coins I have in tubes either aren't toning or are toning so slowly I can't tell.

 

I'm racist with my modern coins -- blast whites only! I'd like to keep it that way and not be at the mercy of something I can't protect against.

[Quizno-migration]

a couple of years ago I sold a collection for a friend (his father in law had hundreds of coins). Many of the coins came from Dansco albums. I'd say maybe ten percent of the coins had the yellow toning. The toning was most notable on the Silver American Eagles and Morgan Dollars. I prefer Intercept Shield or Eagle Ultra if I want to keep a coin looking like it did when I put it in the album.