Every coin I have from the Canadian mint has weird spots or other blemishes on them. I have a whole roll of maples and I remember when I first opened the tube about half had milk spots and the other half didn't and now I just checked and ALL of them have something or rather wrong with them a year on (i never touched the coins) i want to buy the new polar bar 1.5oz coin but being from the CRM i know straight from the mint or in a few months there is a damn good chance it will develop a F*&% up.. From one of the major world mints what do they do over there that makes their coins so crappy after a while. Private mints pump out cheap rounds that are perfect even months after I have been playing with them on my desk for a while...still perfect. I know that it's a government mint but if it were a private mint, it would be at the bottom of the quality scale for me.
It's caused by the planchet cleaning and preparation process, some residue crap gets baked in. The problem has pervaded for 25 years straight and despite the infamous markings, the Mint really doesn't care as they're still making record sales for SML's, 6.4m sold in just Q2 this year. Some Philharmonics, Ferns and Lunar coins also get the milk spots. Would love to buy a kilo Maple but not taking the chance of ending up with one that looks like a bird took a dump on it
I swapped all lose / single tubed Maples I had to 90% junk, and I never opened the 1 monsterbox of them I had. So I don't know and I don't wanna know. Milk spot? What milk spot? I don't drink milk. I'm talking bout silver not milk buddy!
Every 1 Oz Silver Maple Leaf that I own have small white marks on them... So I have stopped buying them. As even though I know silver is silver and they are minted specifically as bullion coins, if/when I try to sell them one day, I know that it's highly likely that the buyer would want me to knock something off of the price because of the white blemishes. (Which may get worse over time.) None of my other bullion coins - Philharmonics/US Eagles/Britannias - have these marks... so far anyway!
I always hear about mil spots and have seen them myself. I just dont seem to get them on my coins. I buy maples. wildlife and rcm bars when i get the chance. last i checked i had only three with milk spots (and no i dont only have three ). Seems to plague Canadian coins outside of Canada cause while having a couple i dont have anywhere near a majority on the milky side. cheers.
I read somewhere about someone getting some 2013's with some sort of blemishes on the upper lip, but I have several and they are all fine. Also I have yet to see any milk spots on mine. Is that something that is supposed to develop over a certain amount of time?
Maybe at quality control they pick out all the milk spotted ones and put them in the export pile ? :lol:
I do have some RCM coins...no visible milk spots as far as I can see (check the link for pics) http://www.flickr.com/photos/44807872@N04/sets/72157635361839602/
My silly theory was it had something to with freezing cold Canada and purity. I'd like to see a kilo maple, didn't know they existed - A plata snow mexican with freckles.
Milk spots are Free , the look suggested as its name Toning are natural oxidation, also sometimes known as Patina Can also be made by man, using chemical .
Both are a form of damage but they are structurally and chemically different. Toning / tarnish is corrosion to the surface of the coin. Milk spots are thought to be the result of tiny particles of detergent that is not washed away completely (after a mint's planchet cleaning process) and instead is baked onto the coin surface. At some point (days, weeks, or even years after the coin is minted) the chemical reaction between the baked in detergent particle and the silver is those spots which look like milk. Milk spots is a more difficult blemish to be able to remove successfully and the cleaned area not be visible to the naked eye. I believe one day someone will find a way to remove most milk spots so that even under 5 X magnification there will be no sign that a milk spot existed there. .
RCM doesnt care about its quality because so many Canadians buy them through patriotism same as Perth Mint for Aussies and Ase,s for Americans! they have got people hooked and its too late to have it changed.
