Ziploc bags don't prevent tarnish

[Bimetallic]

Hi all – I've talked about Ziploc bags as effective storage for silver bullion, but I learned today that it's not working with some of my inventory. It seemed to work for a couple years, but I guess it just takes longer to tarnish in Ziploc bags compared to a no-enclosure situation. I knew that Ziploc bags were permeable, both through the main plastic bag sides and the zipper closure, but I assumed they were still effective compared to no enclosure – I was wrong about that.

Here's a photo of the tarnish on the obverse of a silver Kangaroo (9999 fine), and on the left is a privately minted Hunter round from the Mason Mint (999 fine). They're both year 2017, and I've probably had them for 3+ years.

Below that one is a shot of another Mason Mint round, and a Highland Mint bar, both 999 fine.

Last is a bag that shows no tarnish. It's a 10 oz house bar from SilverGoldBull, and a couple of SD Bullion house rounds, both 999 fine. (By "house" I mean their own branded bullion. They're both big online dealers, not mints, and such dealers usually offer their own branded house bullion, made by some private mint they contract with. House bullion typically has the lowest premiums.)

So it's not a consistent pattern. Not all the bagged silver is tarnished, but I'd say at least 60% is. The average time-in-bag is likely 3 years, but I didn't track it by bag. You'll notice the desiccant packs, which seem to be useless in preventing tarnish. I should've used specialized anti-tarnish strips, like the 3M brand strips on Amazon, instead of generic desiccants. The strips deal with sulfur directly, and they seem to work.

It's possible that Ziploc bags + anti-tarnish strips work, and I'll probably test it with a couple of samples. But the bags don't work with desiccant pouches. A lot of this might come down to your local atmospheric environment, but I don't think anyone has researched it. Localized air pollution has dropped dramatically over the past three decades in developed countries because of much cleaner-burning car engines and industrial processes, but apparently there's enough sulfur to tarnish silver. Maybe there's enough sulfur in natural, unpolluted air – I'm not sure.

 

[sovereignsteve]

@Bimetallic

Best storage for silver coins is to stick them in an airtite capsule (the proper ones).

All your flips and bags seem to be PVC, generally regarded as not a good idea.

[GoldStandardPartyUK]

Is mylar better? I got some saflip ones I think they are mylar

[sovereignsteve]

2 hours ago, GoldStandardPartyUK said:

Is mylar better? I got some saflip ones I think they are mylar

yes they are supposed to be safe

[dicker]

I use this for shotguns.  Currently trying with a Maple 1oz to see what happens.  I will let you all know!
 

https://www.napieruk.com/products/super-vp90-corrosion-inhibitor

[Bimetallic]

On 24/10/2021 at 15:01, sovereignsteve said:

@Bimetallic

Best storage for silver coins is to stick them in an airtite capsule (the proper ones).

All your flips and bags seem to be PVC, generally regarded as not a good idea.

Ziplocs are LDPE, not PVC. Capsules are too expensive for silver – I like tubes these days since they seal and are free.

[Bimetallic]

On 26/10/2021 at 11:30, GoldStandardPartyUK said:

Is mylar better? I got some saflip ones I think they are mylar

Mylar is used by professional archivists for documents, photos, and other materials, and seems to be a known safe and inert material. I think PVC is the only identified problem material in the polymer category. And acidic paper was a problem in both documents and the enclosures used for them (sleeves, boxes, envelopes). But acid-free paper is pervasive now, so it seems like PVC is the only problem material.

[Centauri167]

If it's correct or not, but I watched a video were they said that nothing can stop tarnish on silver, it's just a natural proces with silver ... ?

Some conditions can let it come faster or slower but at the end it will always happen ?

Don't know of it's true, what do the experts say ?

[GoldStandardPartyUK]

On 26/10/2021 at 21:32, sovereignsteve said:

yes they are supposed to be safe

Oh my God I just worked out why they're called saflip! It's a safe flip! Can't believe it took me this long

[Superslo]

I have some 10 oz bars from Sunshine mint. They come without a serial number, and I would like to put my own serial number on them but of course this would mean cutting open the plastic they came in. I've had these bars since 2013 and they have not tarnished. Should I just cut them open and punch a serial # then reseal the plastic it came in?

I would like to find what material they used so I can bag up other bars to prevent tarnish. Any suggestions are welcome, and thanks!

[Centauri167]

45 minutes ago, Superslo said:

I have some 10 oz bars from Sunshine mint. They come without a serial number, and I would like to put my own serial number on them but of course this would mean cutting open the plastic they came in. I've had these bars since 2013 and they have not tarnished. Should I just cut them open and punch a serial # then reseal the plastic it came in?

I would like to find what material they used so I can bag up other bars to prevent tarnish. Any suggestions are welcome, and thanks!

I think your idea is not so good for when you are going to sell them in the future ...

Why would you want to put a number on them ?

Just by opening them, you can have them go milkspotting or tarnishing, ( even when you keep them intact it may happen ) so that's a risk you will always have.

 

[Superslo]

5 minutes ago, Centauri167 said:

I think your idea is not so good for when you are going to sell them in the future ...

Why would you want to put a number on them ?

Just by opening them, you can have them go milkspotting or tarnishing, ( even when you keep them intact it may happen ) so that's a risk you will always have.

 

All these years I never really questioned why some bars have serial numbers, and some don't. But recently I have learned that the ones with serial numbers, those #'s are used for tracking the production of a run etc., but they do act as a unique identifier. Bars without serial numbers are left blank so that the end user can place a serial number on the bar. This allows the bar to be identified in case of theft. Without a unique ID, the police & insurance companies will say, "Sorry about your luck". I live in an area that is as close to the 'wild west' as it gets, and although I have good security someone pointing a gun to my wife's head will get everything I have. And, I know, coins don't have unique ID, and I have a few of them.....We do what we can and leave the rest to fate....

I haven't cut anything open yet.....

[Centauri167]

3 hours ago, Superslo said:

All these years I never really questioned why some bars have serial numbers, and some don't. But recently I have learned that the ones with serial numbers, those #'s are used for tracking the production of a run etc., but they do act as a unique identifier. Bars without serial numbers are left blank so that the end user can place a serial number on the bar. This allows the bar to be identified in case of theft. Without a unique ID, the police & insurance companies will say, "Sorry about your luck". I live in an area that is as close to the 'wild west' as it gets, and although I have good security someone pointing a gun to my wife's head will get everything I have. And, I know, coins don't have unique ID, and I have a few of them.....We do what we can and leave the rest to fate....

I haven't cut anything open yet.....

Ok, now I get it why you want to do it but you know there are also invisible markers on the market, you can mark your bars with a marker like that. If, and I say if, the police would find your bars, it's easy to proof that they belong to you without damaging them. Just an idea. 😀

[Superslo]

4 hours ago, Centauri167 said:

I think your idea is not so good for when you are going to sell them in the future ...

Why would you want to put a number on them ?

Just by opening them, you can have them go milkspotting or tarnishing, ( even when you keep them intact it may happen ) so that's a risk you will always have.

 

All these years I never really questioned why some bars have serial numbers, and some don't. But recently I have learned that the ones with serial numbers, those #'s are used for tracking the production of a run etc., but they do act as a unique identifier. Bars without serial numbers are left blank so that the end user can place a serial number on the bar. This allows the bar to be identified in case of theft. Without a unique ID, the police & insurance companies will say, "Sorry about your luck". I live in an area that is as close to the 'wild west' as it gets, and although I have good security someone pointing a gun to my wife's head will get everything I have. And, I know, coins don't have unique ID, and I have a few of them.....We do what we can and leave the rest to fate....

I haven't cut anything open yet.....

 

Either way I would be cutting into the sealed plastic package that has kept them untarnished for 8 years. So, back to my original question of how I replicate the packaging they came in?