In this month's issue of "The Numismatist" there appears a Letter To The Editor that I thought would be of interest to many chipboard readers.

HOLDERS IN FLAMES
"Don Bosner's "Collectors Edge" column for November, 2004 ("PVC, Polybags and Slabs", p.101) raised the question of how to test for PVC (polyvinyl chloride) in coin and currency holders. The reader described the"Beilstein test", in which a copper wire is heated red-hot and touched to the material in question. After checking a holder he was sure contained PVC, and geting a green flare indicating PVC was present, he tried it again with a flip he was sure would be safe, but still got the green flare.
Here is my comment: You must make sure that, after your last test, you completely burn off any possible residue on the copper wire. If you fail to do so, some remaining PVC will affect the results of your next test.

I consider this test the easiest way to check for PVC. Only be careful when heating the copper wire!"

Christof Zellweger

(Caution; when performing this test do not hold copper wire between fingers as copper conducts heat and you'll get burned. Hold the copper wire with long nose pliers. On subsequent tests, use a fresh pice of copper wire by clipping off the portion of the wire that was used in the previous test.)