The highest attendance ever for an educational seminar at the Houston Money Show occurred on Dec. 6 with a presentation on the topic of “Smart Coin Conservation.”

The show, sponsored by the Greater Houston Coin Club, welcomed Alvin L. Stern, AM, a 30-year certified American Society of Appraisers numismatic appraiser, to discuss techniques and products used to clean coins during the last century.

Stern covered not only the do’s and don’ts of cleaning, but also the chemical concerns of past and present products.

Before concluding the program, a crowd of 40 attendees gathered around a table where Stern demonstrated the use of a new “safe” coin solvent called “Conserv™”. The solvent rinses off PVC and contaminants without any alteration to the coin’s original surface.

Stern is also director of the Texas Money Museum - Rarities Room Auction in Houston, Texas.