Royal Canadian Mint's official position on "milk spots" on silver Maple Leaf coins

www.goldismoney2.com

The following is an email letter from a RCM distributor concerning the problem. To summarize, the RCM's position on "milk spots" on their silver coins is : "Don't like it? Buy something else."

Hello,

Here is the short explanation. We just had a meeting with the Mint about this 10 days ago.

The white stains (or "milk spots") result from the planchet (flan) cleaning and preparation process. Some Silver Maple Leaf coins have them (SMLs), some do not.

This is the Mint's official position: The coins are bullion coins. They are not collector coins. They are sold as one ounce of silver. The Mint knows that there is a problem. The problem has existed since 1988, when the SML coin was first introduced. The Mint says that there is nothing that they can do about the problem.

Our experience is that some SMLs have them and some do not. We do not know what we are going to get when we open the boxes of 500 ounces of silver that come from the Mint. We have to take what we get; we can not return them. We do not have the time to sort them, etc.

We ship out what we get. Per the terms of our invoices, we do charge a restocking fee for returned bullion items.

I am sorry about the problem, but we have no control over it.

I hope that this helps,

John
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Professur :
Maybe I'm strange, but I welcome seeing them. Sort of an unofficial authentication mark. After all, if you're going to fake Maples, you're going to want them as shiny and attractive as possible, no?

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LWK :
Another thing also, philharmonics get those spots too.

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www.coincommunity.com

When grading Proof ASE look for "milk" spots, they happen when some sort of condensation reaches the coin (such as sneezing). That will cause the "milk" spots and will hurt the grade.

silvergoldbull.com

What are milk spots?
Milk spots are very common on silver coins and bars; it happens when condensation reaches the silver. Depending on your luck, sometimes the whole bar or box comes out perfect. We take every precaution to ensure our bullion is shielded from the elements. We do not open mint sealed tubes when shipped whole. That spots sometimes appear on mint sealed items that we ship out is indicative of their natural occurrence and difficult prevention.

forums.silverseek.com

akak:
I have some 2009 Maples myself, but none of them have those "milk spots", so I cannot speak from experience. However, having been involved in the numismatic arena for over 30 years, I can just about guarantee you that you would end up doing far more damage to your coins, even if only esthetic, in your attempts to clean them. Cleaning any kind of coin properly, but especially uncirculated ones, is an extremely delicate procedure best left to professionals, and only to be done in the worst or most unusual cases. Any slight rubbing, buffing or wiping of any kind, for example, with ANY kind of material (no matter how soft it feels to you) will instantly and obviously mar the surface of an uncirculated coin.
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DaBrownsRPhat:
use toothpaste with a cotton ball, no water. Wipe clean. LOL

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goldminer:
One thing you might try is to dip the coins in the liquid "Revitalizing Silver Jewelry Cleaner" produced by "Connoisseurs". It come in a silver-gray plastic jar; cost is about 3 dollars, and it's available in the jewelry department at WalMart. Just follow the directions...dip item for no more then 10 seconds and then rinse thoroughly with water. Pat the coin dry with a soft cloth and let it finish drying in the air for a few minutes. If the item doesn't look the way you want it to the directions tell you to repeat the process.

The dip does not harm the surface of the coins. I've left .999 rounds, Eagles, and M/L's in the dip (was busy with something else & forgot 'em) for a minute or so and didn't notice any effect other than tarnish was removed.

搵到啦, 用洗銀水, 在銀飾舖有得賣, 十蚊一樽仔, 唔會留花痕在銀幣上 !


鬍鬚仔提到:
洗銀水對付污積一流,對付氧化白就冇乜功效, 最有效係用抺銀布.要注意含銀量 80% 以下既,都係唔用洗銀水為妙,一沖會變喑啞色,冇哂光澤,此時,妳又係要用抺銀布先攪得番.
用洗銀水,不能太長時間,一分鐘以內就要取出.