TeeGumes......A question to ponder...Some of the private keys are completely encapsulated inside a hologram with no air or light contact( especially if facing away from the hologram), would this extend the life of the paper and or ink compared to similar ones that are exposed? Also to ponder, would laminated priv keys extend the life of such ink and paper?
A good article on paper and ink and the effect of light
Photofading of Ballpoint Dyes Studied on Paper Let me preface my answer with the fact that I am not an expert in any field associated with ink or paper, just a guy with a microscope and an idea for a thread.
The first part of your question is exactly what we'll be testing here. Everything unpeeled should technically last longer than the peeled coins on display here. It really starts to come together when you have the data that we already have with the Casascius coins I currently have. 2011 | 2014 | 2020 peel dates and they all look like they were peeled yesterday. Mind you they were all stored in an "unpeeled state" with the private key insert facing the metal and the hologram loosely reapplied to the best of the once-peeled adhesive's ability to hold it down. I've been thinking about this and I have a 2013 Casascius Brass 1
BTC on its way to me in the mail right now. I am going to leave the insert and hologram facing upwards like you see in the third picture of each coin here just as a side project.. I believe the more data we have out in the open will benefit the whole Collectibles area. I might do this with a few popular duplicate items, have an "Outlier" section of this project.
Laminating could prove beneficial but there are always the different pros and cons with each new step added to making coins. You may extend the life yes, if you choose the right laminating material.. as we've seen with different top loading sleeves we never really know whats good and whats bad until something really bad happens. You don't want to be the coin maker to find out whats bad.
Also with laminating I feel like the dimensions of your paper insert now change. Thicker, taller, wider.. this now means less hologram to metal ratio which makes your coin more delicate and prone to a hologram coming off on its own. You solve this by making your paper insert smaller to compensate.. but now your private key or QR code is printed smaller and tighter.. more of a chance for the ink to bleed into an unrecognizable format.
There are just so many "what ifs" to think of, I think being a coin creator today you have to look back and just see "what works" and focus on increasing security rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
Now speaking of the wheel.. is it really a paper insert that relies on the lifespan of paper and ink? I'm already thinking about six months in the future when I pull all these coins out to throw under the microscope again.. the question already in the back of my mind is do I really have to scope the engraved coins**? Something to think about.
**of course I will
Side note: I'd be very interested in an experienced tattoo artists' opinion.