jamesGoddard

With .999 gold, you can do what you like with it just don't make the mistake of putting gold in an Oak case that is kept in your (unvented) safe with vulnerable items for the long term, this includes silver paper and card.  916 is a little more vulnerable but there would need to be a significant issue to release enough gas to effect such a tiny amount of copper
Having worked in product design and manufacturing for 25 years, I can assure you that outgassing is real. I can also assure you that it is vastly overstated in many cases. Green timbers i.e undried will out gas and ruin silver extremely quickly but I'm yet to meet a furniture maker/cabinet maker working with unseasoned timber. Out of the kiln, timber is circa 10% moisture it is much more likely to draw in air and moisture to equalise with the atmosphere than expel anything. In addition, your coin is in an unvented capsule which will not encourage air to flow into it so compounds must try and pass through it which some can however, that would only occur if the gas had nowhere else to go, like water, it will always take the easiest route.
Personally, I'm much more worried about cheap plastic and an unstable environment. If the humidity in your room varies wildly so will the moisture content in the wood and that gives any chemical compounds an easy ride out of there as it breathes. Poor ventilation will compound that even further. High temperatures and direct sunlight are also no-nos because they tend to excite and expand things.
Buy your box of choice place it in the storage location, opened, for a minimum of 48 hours before placing coins and keep your environment stable. A good rule of thumb (but by no means foolproof) is to use your nose. if you can smell the wood without working it, forget it, no matter what the wood is. Beech at the extreme can appear perfectly dry with almost no taint, it's pretty, quite tough, and cheap, PERFECT for boxes but then you pair the board down and hit a vein of pure sap which is full of sugars, terpenes, tannins, and a bunch of other stuff. 
I don't see the problem with an oak holder that is cared for properly and placed adequately. A closed box is a bit more dangerous for obvious reasons but you could line it with other woods in particular the stuff used in humidors. I forget the name, but it's renowned for controlling internal atmospheres.

You need to be very careful when it comes to "collectables" of any description.
As a buyer your up against the scalpers who wipe out the mint in short order before moving onto affiliated suppliers. This causes a price spike due to demand outstripping supply so traders see big margins for a short period before things return to normal and the depreciation kicks in. 
The Westminster coins are double risky, they are not official sets just an arrangement put together by somebody who like to use words and phrases like limited addition and exclusive. Its an expensive first class stamp in a decent holder but id bet £10 the 50p if not both coins would sell for more on ebay if you broke it open and sourced a Royal mint box and certificate which will turn up soon enough
If you like them buy them and admire them that's fine but as an investment your friend is just burning money.

With .999 gold, you can do what you like with it just don't make the mistake of putting gold in an Oak case that is kept in your (unvented) safe with vulnerable items for the long term, this includes silver paper and card.  916 is a little more vulnerable but there would need to be a significant issue to release enough gas to effect such a tiny amount of copper
Having worked in product design and manufacturing for 25 years, I can assure you that outgassing is real. I can also assure you that it is vastly overstated in many cases. Green timbers i.e undried will out gas and ruin silver extremely quickly but I'm yet to meet a furniture maker/cabinet maker working with unseasoned timber. Out of the kiln, timber is circa 10% moisture it is much more likely to draw in air and moisture to equalise with the atmosphere than expel anything. In addition, your coin is in an unvented capsule which will not encourage air to flow into it so compounds must try and pass through it which some can however, that would only occur if the gas had nowhere else to go, like water, it will always take the easiest route.
Personally, I'm much more worried about cheap plastic and an unstable environment. If the humidity in your room varies wildly so will the moisture content in the wood and that gives any chemical compounds an easy ride out of there as it breathes. Poor ventilation will compound that even further. High temperatures and direct sunlight are also no-nos because they tend to excite and expand things.
Buy your box of choice place it in the storage location, opened, for a minimum of 48 hours before placing coins and keep your environment stable. A good rule of thumb (but by no means foolproof) is to use your nose. if you can smell the wood without working it, forget it, no matter what the wood is. Beech at the extreme can appear perfectly dry with almost no taint, it's pretty, quite tough, and cheap, PERFECT for boxes but then you pair the board down and hit a vein of pure sap which is full of sugars, terpenes, tannins, and a bunch of other stuff. 
I don't see the problem with an oak holder that is cared for properly and placed adequately. A closed box is a bit more dangerous for obvious reasons but you could line it with other woods in particular the stuff used in humidors. I forget the name, but it's renowned for controlling internal atmospheres.

With .999 gold, you can do what you like with it just don't make the mistake of putting gold in an Oak case that is kept in your (unvented) safe with vulnerable items for the long term, this includes silver paper and card.  916 is a little more vulnerable but there would need to be a significant issue to release enough gas to effect such a tiny amount of copper
Having worked in product design and manufacturing for 25 years, I can assure you that outgassing is real. I can also assure you that it is vastly overstated in many cases. Green timbers i.e undried will out gas and ruin silver extremely quickly but I'm yet to meet a furniture maker/cabinet maker working with unseasoned timber. Out of the kiln, timber is circa 10% moisture it is much more likely to draw in air and moisture to equalise with the atmosphere than expel anything. In addition, your coin is in an unvented capsule which will not encourage air to flow into it so compounds must try and pass through it which some can however, that would only occur if the gas had nowhere else to go, like water, it will always take the easiest route.
Personally, I'm much more worried about cheap plastic and an unstable environment. If the humidity in your room varies wildly so will the moisture content in the wood and that gives any chemical compounds an easy ride out of there as it breathes. Poor ventilation will compound that even further. High temperatures and direct sunlight are also no-nos because they tend to excite and expand things.
Buy your box of choice place it in the storage location, opened, for a minimum of 48 hours before placing coins and keep your environment stable. A good rule of thumb (but by no means foolproof) is to use your nose. if you can smell the wood without working it, forget it, no matter what the wood is. Beech at the extreme can appear perfectly dry with almost no taint, it's pretty, quite tough, and cheap, PERFECT for boxes but then you pair the board down and hit a vein of pure sap which is full of sugars, terpenes, tannins, and a bunch of other stuff. 
I don't see the problem with an oak holder that is cared for properly and placed adequately. A closed box is a bit more dangerous for obvious reasons but you could line it with other woods in particular the stuff used in humidors. I forget the name, but it's renowned for controlling internal atmospheres.

With .999 gold, you can do what you like with it just don't make the mistake of putting gold in an Oak case that is kept in your (unvented) safe with vulnerable items for the long term, this includes silver paper and card.  916 is a little more vulnerable but there would need to be a significant issue to release enough gas to effect such a tiny amount of copper
Having worked in product design and manufacturing for 25 years, I can assure you that outgassing is real. I can also assure you that it is vastly overstated in many cases. Green timbers i.e undried will out gas and ruin silver extremely quickly but I'm yet to meet a furniture maker/cabinet maker working with unseasoned timber. Out of the kiln, timber is circa 10% moisture it is much more likely to draw in air and moisture to equalise with the atmosphere than expel anything. In addition, your coin is in an unvented capsule which will not encourage air to flow into it so compounds must try and pass through it which some can however, that would only occur if the gas had nowhere else to go, like water, it will always take the easiest route.
Personally, I'm much more worried about cheap plastic and an unstable environment. If the humidity in your room varies wildly so will the moisture content in the wood and that gives any chemical compounds an easy ride out of there as it breathes. Poor ventilation will compound that even further. High temperatures and direct sunlight are also no-nos because they tend to excite and expand things.
Buy your box of choice place it in the storage location, opened, for a minimum of 48 hours before placing coins and keep your environment stable. A good rule of thumb (but by no means foolproof) is to use your nose. if you can smell the wood without working it, forget it, no matter what the wood is. Beech at the extreme can appear perfectly dry with almost no taint, it's pretty, quite tough, and cheap, PERFECT for boxes but then you pair the board down and hit a vein of pure sap which is full of sugars, terpenes, tannins, and a bunch of other stuff. 
I don't see the problem with an oak holder that is cared for properly and placed adequately. A closed box is a bit more dangerous for obvious reasons but you could line it with other woods in particular the stuff used in humidors. I forget the name, but it's renowned for controlling internal atmospheres.

With .999 gold, you can do what you like with it just don't make the mistake of putting gold in an Oak case that is kept in your (unvented) safe with vulnerable items for the long term, this includes silver paper and card.  916 is a little more vulnerable but there would need to be a significant issue to release enough gas to effect such a tiny amount of copper
Having worked in product design and manufacturing for 25 years, I can assure you that outgassing is real. I can also assure you that it is vastly overstated in many cases. Green timbers i.e undried will out gas and ruin silver extremely quickly but I'm yet to meet a furniture maker/cabinet maker working with unseasoned timber. Out of the kiln, timber is circa 10% moisture it is much more likely to draw in air and moisture to equalise with the atmosphere than expel anything. In addition, your coin is in an unvented capsule which will not encourage air to flow into it so compounds must try and pass through it which some can however, that would only occur if the gas had nowhere else to go, like water, it will always take the easiest route.
Personally, I'm much more worried about cheap plastic and an unstable environment. If the humidity in your room varies wildly so will the moisture content in the wood and that gives any chemical compounds an easy ride out of there as it breathes. Poor ventilation will compound that even further. High temperatures and direct sunlight are also no-nos because they tend to excite and expand things.
Buy your box of choice place it in the storage location, opened, for a minimum of 48 hours before placing coins and keep your environment stable. A good rule of thumb (but by no means foolproof) is to use your nose. if you can smell the wood without working it, forget it, no matter what the wood is. Beech at the extreme can appear perfectly dry with almost no taint, it's pretty, quite tough, and cheap, PERFECT for boxes but then you pair the board down and hit a vein of pure sap which is full of sugars, terpenes, tannins, and a bunch of other stuff. 
I don't see the problem with an oak holder that is cared for properly and placed adequately. A closed box is a bit more dangerous for obvious reasons but you could line it with other woods in particular the stuff used in humidors. I forget the name, but it's renowned for controlling internal atmospheres.

With .999 gold, you can do what you like with it just don't make the mistake of putting gold in an Oak case that is kept in your (unvented) safe with vulnerable items for the long term, this includes silver paper and card.  916 is a little more vulnerable but there would need to be a significant issue to release enough gas to effect such a tiny amount of copper
Having worked in product design and manufacturing for 25 years, I can assure you that outgassing is real. I can also assure you that it is vastly overstated in many cases. Green timbers i.e undried will out gas and ruin silver extremely quickly but I'm yet to meet a furniture maker/cabinet maker working with unseasoned timber. Out of the kiln, timber is circa 10% moisture it is much more likely to draw in air and moisture to equalise with the atmosphere than expel anything. In addition, your coin is in an unvented capsule which will not encourage air to flow into it so compounds must try and pass through it which some can however, that would only occur if the gas had nowhere else to go, like water, it will always take the easiest route.
Personally, I'm much more worried about cheap plastic and an unstable environment. If the humidity in your room varies wildly so will the moisture content in the wood and that gives any chemical compounds an easy ride out of there as it breathes. Poor ventilation will compound that even further. High temperatures and direct sunlight are also no-nos because they tend to excite and expand things.
Buy your box of choice place it in the storage location, opened, for a minimum of 48 hours before placing coins and keep your environment stable. A good rule of thumb (but by no means foolproof) is to use your nose. if you can smell the wood without working it, forget it, no matter what the wood is. Beech at the extreme can appear perfectly dry with almost no taint, it's pretty, quite tough, and cheap, PERFECT for boxes but then you pair the board down and hit a vein of pure sap which is full of sugars, terpenes, tannins, and a bunch of other stuff. 
I don't see the problem with an oak holder that is cared for properly and placed adequately. A closed box is a bit more dangerous for obvious reasons but you could line it with other woods in particular the stuff used in humidors. I forget the name, but it's renowned for controlling internal atmospheres.

With .999 gold, you can do what you like with it just don't make the mistake of putting gold in an Oak case that is kept in your (unvented) safe with vulnerable items for the long term, this includes silver paper and card.  916 is a little more vulnerable but there would need to be a significant issue to release enough gas to effect such a tiny amount of copper
Having worked in product design and manufacturing for 25 years, I can assure you that outgassing is real. I can also assure you that it is vastly overstated in many cases. Green timbers i.e undried will out gas and ruin silver extremely quickly but I'm yet to meet a furniture maker/cabinet maker working with unseasoned timber. Out of the kiln, timber is circa 10% moisture it is much more likely to draw in air and moisture to equalise with the atmosphere than expel anything. In addition, your coin is in an unvented capsule which will not encourage air to flow into it so compounds must try and pass through it which some can however, that would only occur if the gas had nowhere else to go, like water, it will always take the easiest route.
Personally, I'm much more worried about cheap plastic and an unstable environment. If the humidity in your room varies wildly so will the moisture content in the wood and that gives any chemical compounds an easy ride out of there as it breathes. Poor ventilation will compound that even further. High temperatures and direct sunlight are also no-nos because they tend to excite and expand things.
Buy your box of choice place it in the storage location, opened, for a minimum of 48 hours before placing coins and keep your environment stable. A good rule of thumb (but by no means foolproof) is to use your nose. if you can smell the wood without working it, forget it, no matter what the wood is. Beech at the extreme can appear perfectly dry with almost no taint, it's pretty, quite tough, and cheap, PERFECT for boxes but then you pair the board down and hit a vein of pure sap which is full of sugars, terpenes, tannins, and a bunch of other stuff. 
I don't see the problem with an oak holder that is cared for properly and placed adequately. A closed box is a bit more dangerous for obvious reasons but you could line it with other woods in particular the stuff used in humidors. I forget the name, but it's renowned for controlling internal atmospheres.

Ahhh the garden path approach. This dose work but he will work out you're leading him on eventually, he's sweetening the pot hoping for a score and you've nutmegged him.
I've gone for the back scratcher showing that I have X kilo's he can take 4% on if he gives me the stuff I want for + 4%.  We'r at the point now when ill get a phone call if he gets anything he thinks I'm into.
PM's have much greater buying power than cash if only I knew that 20 years ago

Your only real option is to build up a repour with a local jewellers.
This will usually involve taking a bit of a hit at first but when they work out your serious you might get lucky. It dose help if you can walk in and put half a kilo on the counter not the 0.5g of scrap that usually walks through their doors and ask them for a reason not to take it elsewhere
Unfortunately far too many doomsdayers walk into these places and pay £45/oz on silver  and £1800+ on gold Britannia's because when the world economy breaks PM's will apparently hold their value even though money no longer exists and there nothing to value PM against other than tins of beans

Try chlorine or Ammonia 
It'll take a while but the copper will react. I've seen copper aged with perfume too of all things but unsure as to what the ingredient is that performs the work

Try chlorine or Ammonia 
It'll take a while but the copper will react. I've seen copper aged with perfume too of all things but unsure as to what the ingredient is that performs the work

You need to be very careful when it comes to "collectables" of any description.
As a buyer your up against the scalpers who wipe out the mint in short order before moving onto affiliated suppliers. This causes a price spike due to demand outstripping supply so traders see big margins for a short period before things return to normal and the depreciation kicks in. 
The Westminster coins are double risky, they are not official sets just an arrangement put together by somebody who like to use words and phrases like limited addition and exclusive. Its an expensive first class stamp in a decent holder but id bet £10 the 50p if not both coins would sell for more on ebay if you broke it open and sourced a Royal mint box and certificate which will turn up soon enough
If you like them buy them and admire them that's fine but as an investment your friend is just burning money.