Greetings!
First time post, long time reader of the
FORVM. A
bit of background - I've been assembling a
collection of each emperor beginning with
Augustus and ending with
Constantine XI for over twenty years. For many of these years I
had them in cabinet drawers but recently moved so I
had an opportunity to display them in my office.
I have around 200 coins each on a 10" x 10" square of neoprene foam that is covered by adhesive backed velvet. The panel sits on a book stand so it's slightly angled back for display. Each panel has 30 rulers - 5 x 6 with a total nine panels - 3 panels on 3 bookcase shelves. Each ruler is tacked to the panel using gold
plated pins - two on the bottom of the coin and one at the top (I
had used 4 pins in the past - which will be evident in the
Vitellius photo).
The issue is that I have seen corrosion where the pin touches the coin on one in particular (
Vitellius) and it was so bad I
had to replace it and not sure the coin has much value. I also noticed a
bit of discoloration on a
Julian II as
Caesar siliqua and repined it with a fresh pin. My assumption is two fold - these pins might not be well
plated so there could be bare steel touching the coin. I'm no chemist but I don't think it's a
good thing. Second, I only see this on coins that are 'sliver'. However, I think it's the composition of the silver that makes the coin susceptible to the corrosion. For example, I don't see this on any pre
Caracalla silver
denarii nor do I see it on any 3rd century
silvered folles. No issues with gold or bronze coins.
So - I'm at a loss, I love how my coins are displayed - I can enjoy them any time I'm in my office, but need to find a safer way to tack them to the panel. I've looked for inert pins (plastic or coated plastic) and can't locate any. I know museums display coins like this all the time and they pin them so there must be a solution. Your
help, advice and experience are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Craig