Plastics have been in use widely and it seems it has been accepted throughout this hobby. Some people say that plastics made from oil (and the most common is Poly-Vinyl-Chloride or PVC) can harm or ruin the coins. But there is no specific report from the Numismatists Experts (NGC, ANACS, etc..) but what I can remember was that during the old days when there was no plastics, people use wood, cloth and paper. And the most popular container used was a little envelope made from Manila Paper. Wow, it used to be that coin collectors in the whole world knows about Manila Paper because of this small envelopes... as for the plastics, I do not know, and somebody should share very important information here.

actually there are a lot of articles in NGC about PVC damage. PVC residue is very difficult to remove and it will eat into the coin over time. i've read somewhere that PCGS will not grade any coin that has PVC residue. NGC however will grade provided you pass the coin through their coin conservation first so the PVC can be removed professionally.

Does anybody have a picture reference/links of a coin damaged by PVC?

http://www.australian-threepence.com/blog/2010/04/pvc-residue-and-pvc-damage-on-coins.html

Thanks for posting that information ericgo. Now I remember, an old timer once told me to better keep my coins in those Manila envelopes or better have it sent to the USA for slabbing or encapsulation if it is really a beautiful coin. But he never told me why it is better in those envelopes than in those albums.. Besides, we want the coins in an album to show it and look at it over without touching it. It is good for collectors to share information. Thanks again.

the link i posted earlier is an extreme case of pvc contamination. in early stages, the contamination appears as a light haze on coins and can be best seen by this example.



The left coin has PVC contamination (this is in the early stages) on the coin's surface and over time will turn into that green slime in the previous link i've posted. If you have a coin like this, look at the coin at an angle under any light and you will see a slightly green tint on the coin's surface.

an acetone bath then a rinse in distilled water is the best method for removing pvc contamination

yes. once acetone comes in contact with the milky white stuff, it comes off immediately

Distilled water?
OMG!

I guess I can be forgiven if I use tap water on my peso coins (1970s up) since they are not that expensive.

Thanks ericgo!!

i use tap water as well. just make sure to dry them properly

PVC, does it have any effect on bank notes?

My banknote album used to be those for pictures (with sticky pages).
My banknotes got "darker" compared to those inside my envelope.

i hope there will be someone here who can answer your question about pvc and banknotes. i unfortunately have no idea on the effects of pvc on banknotes

i am here right now in singapore and went to the "monetarium".. they are very friendly but they do not have any philippine coins, they told me that the next coming auction is tentatively set this october.. i ask for the coin albums and coin holders, he showed me the coin holders that are also available in greenhills (jc coins) and the big albums but pvc tyoes..he said they are out stock for the non pvc albums coming from germany,, ,, i looked around for the electronic weighing scale but found some too costly, double the price in manila.. they have nice coins also,,