Hello again, everyone:
In continuing to research the subject of verdigris, I have reached a few more conclusions which I thought I might pass along. They are based on my experience.
First, in doing lots of research in books, forums, and various online articles, and consulting with a number of collectors on the subject of verdigris, I have discovered that there is not a complete profile of knowledge about it. At best, it is a mixture of varying, often contradicting opinions about how contagious it is in a collection, how it is contracted, how it spreads, how quickly it progresses on an affected item, and how (if at all) it can be removed, prevented, and/or stabilized. There's talk of using olive oil or vineger to kill it and toothpicks for picking it off. There's others who swear that olive oil won't do a thing. Some say verdigris is an irreversible death sentence, while others report total success at permanently removing it (at least at whatever stage that it exists). The only thing I can really be sure about is that, if it does continue to develop, it will surely destroy the item which it affects, sooner or later.
I AM IN NO WAY SAYING THAT ANYBODY IS WRONG. I would be the last to do that. I only appreciate the knowledge that everyone contributes to figuring out and hopefully someday conquering all of these wierd metal diseases. I especially appreciate the perspectives of Paul R who posted some valuable info in my last thread. If we don't at least try to learn what can be learned about these collectible cancers, as they are, then someday we (and all future collectors) won't even have anything to collect.
My next observation about verdigris is at least hopeful to me, from my experiences, in the environment in which my collectibles occupy. Here's the facts:
I have had the verdigris affected SA Badge I mentioned in my earlier thread for just short of three years now. Just last night I remembered that I had photographed the badge, when I first aquired it. They are high resolution digital photographs which allowed me to verify that the item did, in fact, have the verdigris at the time it was purchased. So, it did not develop it in my care. Next, the verdigris, after nearly three years, has not changed, progressed, increased, or worsened in the most minute, observable amount. In other words, it looks EXACTLY the same as it did nearly three years ago. So, in the absence of any other information I've been able to find about verdigris, I can conclude that it is indeed EXTREMELY slow in its progression, if it is, in fact, still progressing at all on my badge. Or, I can at least conclude, as a fact, that it progresses that slow (or not at all) under the environmental/humidity conditions which I provide. I can even reasonably suggest that, based on this, it may even be possible to completely arrest or stabilize the verdigris under the right environmental conditions. As far as "the right" environmental conditions, I can only claim to provide low humidity and stable temperatures. It's nothing complicated at all. However, such a simple thing, in my case, may have stopped something that some believe cannot be stopped!
Since I can't find adequate information elsewhere about all this, I'm happy that I can use information from my own experiences to answer a little more of it. I'm not in any way minimizing the concerns over verdigris. I just thought I'd at least pass along some hopeful experiences of my own to anyone else who might be interested. If you have similar experiences with verdigris being completely stopped or stabilized, let me know. I was just previously under the impression that once verdigris has begun, it is a certain death sentence, progressing with noticeable speed, with no way to stop it. My experiences suggest otherwise. If verdigris is, in fact, progressing on even a microscpopic level, on the badge I mentioned, then I would predict that I will be long dead myself, before the badge dies of verdigris.
As another observation, I believe that verdigris is much more common than it is even thought to be by many people. Often it's there, but there in such small amounts that it's not even noticed by most people. Most dealers don't even mention it when it's on a piece for sale. Furthermore, it only makes sense that a natural reaction of copper and bronze with the environment to produce verdigris would more than likely have occured to some extent (minute or overt) over the previous 80+ years, more or less. My guess is that there's a lot more verdigris out there than is even talked about or noticed by lots of collectors. I wouldn't be surprised if a closer inspection of anyone's collection (perhaps with a magnifying glass) doesn't reveal a few unexpected patients of the disease. The good news here is that maybe, with the proper care, they can be saved.
Sincerely hopeful,
Chris
P.S. Please remember that I'm not looking to argue with anybody. I'm only offering my observations in an attempt to be helpful...
In continuing to research the subject of verdigris, I have reached a few more conclusions which I thought I might pass along. They are based on my experience.
First, in doing lots of research in books, forums, and various online articles, and consulting with a number of collectors on the subject of verdigris, I have discovered that there is not a complete profile of knowledge about it. At best, it is a mixture of varying, often contradicting opinions about how contagious it is in a collection, how it is contracted, how it spreads, how quickly it progresses on an affected item, and how (if at all) it can be removed, prevented, and/or stabilized. There's talk of using olive oil or vineger to kill it and toothpicks for picking it off. There's others who swear that olive oil won't do a thing. Some say verdigris is an irreversible death sentence, while others report total success at permanently removing it (at least at whatever stage that it exists). The only thing I can really be sure about is that, if it does continue to develop, it will surely destroy the item which it affects, sooner or later.
I AM IN NO WAY SAYING THAT ANYBODY IS WRONG. I would be the last to do that. I only appreciate the knowledge that everyone contributes to figuring out and hopefully someday conquering all of these wierd metal diseases. I especially appreciate the perspectives of Paul R who posted some valuable info in my last thread. If we don't at least try to learn what can be learned about these collectible cancers, as they are, then someday we (and all future collectors) won't even have anything to collect.
My next observation about verdigris is at least hopeful to me, from my experiences, in the environment in which my collectibles occupy. Here's the facts:
I have had the verdigris affected SA Badge I mentioned in my earlier thread for just short of three years now. Just last night I remembered that I had photographed the badge, when I first aquired it. They are high resolution digital photographs which allowed me to verify that the item did, in fact, have the verdigris at the time it was purchased. So, it did not develop it in my care. Next, the verdigris, after nearly three years, has not changed, progressed, increased, or worsened in the most minute, observable amount. In other words, it looks EXACTLY the same as it did nearly three years ago. So, in the absence of any other information I've been able to find about verdigris, I can conclude that it is indeed EXTREMELY slow in its progression, if it is, in fact, still progressing at all on my badge. Or, I can at least conclude, as a fact, that it progresses that slow (or not at all) under the environmental/humidity conditions which I provide. I can even reasonably suggest that, based on this, it may even be possible to completely arrest or stabilize the verdigris under the right environmental conditions. As far as "the right" environmental conditions, I can only claim to provide low humidity and stable temperatures. It's nothing complicated at all. However, such a simple thing, in my case, may have stopped something that some believe cannot be stopped!
Since I can't find adequate information elsewhere about all this, I'm happy that I can use information from my own experiences to answer a little more of it. I'm not in any way minimizing the concerns over verdigris. I just thought I'd at least pass along some hopeful experiences of my own to anyone else who might be interested. If you have similar experiences with verdigris being completely stopped or stabilized, let me know. I was just previously under the impression that once verdigris has begun, it is a certain death sentence, progressing with noticeable speed, with no way to stop it. My experiences suggest otherwise. If verdigris is, in fact, progressing on even a microscpopic level, on the badge I mentioned, then I would predict that I will be long dead myself, before the badge dies of verdigris.
As another observation, I believe that verdigris is much more common than it is even thought to be by many people. Often it's there, but there in such small amounts that it's not even noticed by most people. Most dealers don't even mention it when it's on a piece for sale. Furthermore, it only makes sense that a natural reaction of copper and bronze with the environment to produce verdigris would more than likely have occured to some extent (minute or overt) over the previous 80+ years, more or less. My guess is that there's a lot more verdigris out there than is even talked about or noticed by lots of collectors. I wouldn't be surprised if a closer inspection of anyone's collection (perhaps with a magnifying glass) doesn't reveal a few unexpected patients of the disease. The good news here is that maybe, with the proper care, they can be saved.
Sincerely hopeful,
Chris
P.S. Please remember that I'm not looking to argue with anybody. I'm only offering my observations in an attempt to be helpful...
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