bron.suchecki
Well-Known Member
"MINTSHIELD™ from the Royal Canadian Mint is the world's first and only proven solution for reducing white spots on silver bullion coins" http://www.mint.ca/store/campaign/Mintshield-7700022?lang=en_CA&rcmeid=van_mintshield
I think it is a little disingenuous to use the word "shield" and title your pdf "Solving the silver bullion white spot problem" when after a "four-year process of research and exploration" the best you can say is it only "significantly reducing the occurrence of white spots". I do not see the word "eliminate" or "prevent" anywhere.
The backyard chemists/minters who gave me grief many moons ago on this issue with Perth Mint I think will find it interesting that RCM looked to "identify the root cause of the spots ... considered every factor that could possibly play a role, including chemical, environmental, handling and storage conditions”
“We used the full range of tools at our disposal: image analysis system, X-Ray spectroscopy for compositional analyses,and surface microstructure and morphology examinations” and "collaborated with a local Canadian university to take advantage of its laboratories."
The conclusion: "no single cause of white spots. Multiple factors have an impact, including the way silver reacts with contaminants in processing, handling and storage" (my emphasis on "processing").
I note that the RCM "identified a way to reduce and contain white spots" only. I would read that the solution only addresses the "handling and storage" causes, not the processing, because the solution is a coating done after minting, so it does not address causes eminating from processing where the contaminant is embedded into the silver.
And here we get to the key conspiracy question as to why no real solution:
I think it is a little disingenuous to use the word "shield" and title your pdf "Solving the silver bullion white spot problem" when after a "four-year process of research and exploration" the best you can say is it only "significantly reducing the occurrence of white spots". I do not see the word "eliminate" or "prevent" anywhere.
The backyard chemists/minters who gave me grief many moons ago on this issue with Perth Mint I think will find it interesting that RCM looked to "identify the root cause of the spots ... considered every factor that could possibly play a role, including chemical, environmental, handling and storage conditions”
“We used the full range of tools at our disposal: image analysis system, X-Ray spectroscopy for compositional analyses,and surface microstructure and morphology examinations” and "collaborated with a local Canadian university to take advantage of its laboratories."
The conclusion: "no single cause of white spots. Multiple factors have an impact, including the way silver reacts with contaminants in processing, handling and storage" (my emphasis on "processing").
I note that the RCM "identified a way to reduce and contain white spots" only. I would read that the solution only addresses the "handling and storage" causes, not the processing, because the solution is a coating done after minting, so it does not address causes eminating from processing where the contaminant is embedded into the silver.
And here we get to the key conspiracy question as to why no real solution:
- They haven't been able to isolate the cause during processing
- They have identified the cause, but it is so costly to reduce that people will not pay the really high premium on the coin they would have to charge
- They have identified the cause and it is a cost to reduce, but they would rather not reduce their profit one bit (and can't increase premiums because the market is competitive and/or they think people just won't pay more).
