Help with Storing Junk Silver and Silver Bars

Recently I have been buying Junk Silver. And I am looking at buying an old antique wooden chest to store the junk silver in, if I were to store the Silver bars in the chest should I have to worry about chemicals from the wood tarnishing the silver?

I am assuming there should not be any issue storing the Junk silver in it because well I bought it as junk silver so I would think the value can only be affected by the price of silver. If I am mistaken please inform me. Ill post the pics of the type of chest I am in search for below. I am a newbie so Any tips or advice is appreciated. *Note whatever I choose to store the junk silver in, the container will be placed in a safe. TIA

 

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That chest does not look old so outgassing might be a problem.

Chris

 

I agree. Honestly, a used plastic box like old NGC and PCGS boxes work pretty well and won't hurt the coins. If someone wanted one to "look cool" paint it to look like a treasure chest. Myself, I could give a crap, its just there so the junk isn't flying around my sdb willy nilly.

Another way to think about it, could you buy a couple of ounces of silver instead of that box? Which would you rather have long term?

 

Another way to think about it, could you buy a couple of ounces of silver instead of that box? Which would you rather have long term? [/QUOTE]

Very good point! Where does one go about to buy a old NGC or PCGS box? This is not the same box that you would store Coin slabs in would it?

 

Yeah, an old slab box. They are pretty sturdy and can store a ton of silver. Most dealers will have some laying around, or Ebay. Heck, if you lived nearby I would give you one or two.

 

Never would have thought about that. I spotted some NGC style ones at my local dealer shop last week, I will check out the prices next time I go in.

 

The picture I posted is not the exact box I am looking at but very similar in style. The one I was looking at is said to be from mid to late 70s. It shows wear but I have no way of knowing if it is actually 30+ years old. If it were 30+ years old would outgassing still be a problem?

 

APMEX, for one such dealer, sells empty Monster Boxes from the US Mint (green for ASE, blue for AtB coins) and a lot of "stackers" like to store bullion in them. They are heavy duty plastic and built to withstand the weight of precious metals in bulk. Other boxes or their handles can be cumbersome or give way and fall apart if you handle them too much when heavy contents are inside. Monster box cost is about $13-$15 per box (Green) (Blue). If you order from these online dealers anyway, just put one in a future order next time.

 

Just took a Look at these and I think I like them. Looks like as of now its between this and a slab box.

What about sealable food containers? Has anyone tired those. Would the plastic pose as an issue or do they make ones that are safe for coins.

 

Food safe containers should be fine. Just stay away from vinyl products. Just consider the weight of the coins and bullion add up fast and the box/container needs to be able to support that weight. A flimsy plastic box, such as a thin under the bed wardrobe box you might find in a discount store, would probably crack or shatter if you tried to lift it when full of precious metals bearing weight.

 

If you are worried about oxidation / toning of your silver you need to take into consideration your storage environment, the climate where you live and how much light and air (humidity) is present, circulating or being regulated with various products designed for this such as silicate packs , EvaDry, and the like.

 

I have all of my junk silver in old milk gallon jugs. I'm pretty sure that they are PVC, but who cares, it's junk silver. I do not recommend this method for any coin that you want to protect.

 

I agree, especially the weight. Its surprising how gosh dang HEAVY your stash will get in a very short time.

 

Right now I store everything in a fireproof safe. I actually just learned about the silica packs yesterday and plan on having one in my safe within the next week just for extra protection. I am not too concerned with the oxidation/toning of the junk silver as its junk and that shouldn't hurt its value. What does worry me is I would store that chest inside the safe and will the oxidation or outgas from the wood chest effect my coins sealed in air-tites and the slabs I have in NGC slab boxes?

 

The plastic of milk jugs are typically HDPE, High-Density Polyethylene and is one of the safest forms of plastic, though I don't know about how it effects silver coins in long term storage situations.

 

Yes, I think the wood will, over a very long time, particularly if the air isn't changed, affect other objects near it. Wood and the stains or pigments used on wood are not typically stable for archival storage. Coins in AirTites are not 'air tight' but they ARE good and safe holders to use, and coins in them can change over time because they are not vacuumed sealed. Similarly TPG holders are not 100% air tight and coin surfaces can change inside of holders over time, but perhaps at a slower rate than if in a flip or 2x2. I have some 5 ox ATB in PCGS holders that have started to tone slightly.

 

Like Krispy said, these jugs are safe for coins unless, of course, there is still milk in them.

Chris

 

You can find empty Monster Boxes online pretty cheap and some with empty roll holders with them. So you can stack round coins in the tubes and stick them in the box.

 

There are all sorts of plastic food storage containers on the market that can serve a variety of needs for storing silver. To my knowledge, none of the containers used for food storage contain PVC.

Chris

 

This would be my first choice if I didn't need something more complicated. The heavy duty freezer storage "zip-lock" type of bag. You can get different sizes , and squeeze the air out before sealing. If you want to "triple dog dare" * bag it, put a sealed bag inside another with a couple of sacrificial new copper cents and seal it. It will be more preventative than you can imagine.

* Yeah, Christmas story