Any final prep before putting coins in flips/capsules?

I've gotten to the point where I needed to stop acquiring coins and start worrying about better storage of my collection at home.

I have purchased 2x2 cardboard/mylar window flips for most of my US circulated coinage (including "junk silver" coins) as well as 2x2 Quadrum capsules for silver bullion type coins.

My question is: Do I need to do something to these coins prior to putting them into the flips/capsules? Like wiping them off with a cotton cloth first to remove any surface dirt/dust. Or should I go as far as an acetone bath?

What do you do to your coins before putting them in flips/capsules?

Thanks for any insight, tips, ideas.

 

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NEVER wipe a coin off... with ANY cloth, or anything at all.

 

You could use some canned air from a distance - don't freeze them. And tap the 2x2 to remove any dust or fibers on it to prevent possible carbon spots or unattractive toning.

 

An acetone dip is good.
It will remove most of what isn't obvious.
Latent fingerprints, oily debris, etc.
Plus since it's a liquid fine particulates (dust, smoke, etc.) will get washed away.

But acetone is a PITA to use.
Toxic and flammable fumes; that sort of stuff.
And I think plastics don't like acetone.

 

NEVER use canned air to blow onto your coins. Even if you avoid spraying propellant directly onto the coin (which will create a frozen, then wet spot) you can still spray oils onto the coin that will create nasty spots.

Instead, invest in a small squeeze type air duster intended for photography. I use Giotto Rocket dusters. They are inexpensive, last forever (they pay for themselves fairly quickly vs air cans), and can't harm your coins. They even have more sophisticated versions with HEPA filters on the input, but I've never thought to go that far.

My process is:

Set 2x2 on table surface
Blow both sides inner surface of mylar with the Rocket duster
Blow obverse and reverse of coin with Rocket duster
Set coin onto 2x2
Do a final overall blow with the Rocket duster
Fold and staple

I have found that most long-term problems have been caused by dust particles from the paper 2x2's or from environmental dust getting onto the coins and causing spots. I have a few coins from long ago that I did not blow dust off of and they have spots where the paper dust particles are sitting on the coins. These are the only problems I've seen in 2x2 storage for 30 years so it is what I focus on when storing coins in 2x2s.

 

Making sure the 2x2 doesn't have any cardboard particulates stuck to the window is a little detail that many people forget.

I also like to do a quick acetone dip if it looks like there may be a chance of PVC residue (like the coin was in an old soft flip, or has the "PVC" appearance). It can't hurt dipping and rinsing everything to avoid PVC residue, especially if your in a humid part of the country. And as other have said, It's a chemical so do a little reading on the safe use procedures if you're not used to working in a chem lab.

 

This is why I always lick mine to make sure there’s no residue before I seal them up.

I’m probably worse than you as far as having many coins not put away. There are some good answers so far, not from me or Lord M but definitely don’t wipe them off. Junk silver I put in coin tubes for easier storage.

 

Make sure you use a GC or Optima grade of Acetone, or you risk leaving residue on the coins from impurities. Should show on the label it is 99.9% pure. Not something you can get from HomeDepot.

 

Thanks everyone for your input. Some great answers.

Honestly, I'm not convinced that I want to mess with acetone at all. Do many of you use an acetone dip or is that something I can skip?

Is that due to potential scratching or damaging the surface? Sorry not trying to sound dumb (inexperienced, yes), just trying to learn more.

Is an acetone dip preferred over not doing that at all? Or isn't it truly necessary?

Thanks for the suggestion of rocket dusters. I'll look into those. Great little step-by-step list. Much appreciated.

So you don't use acetone at all then? Just blow the dust off and put into 2x2?

I found a small bottle of "100% acetone" but it has an additional ingredient "denatonium benzoate" so not sure if that'll be OK or if I should look for what you mentioned.

Peanut butter? Seriously? I would have gone a different route, like Nutella or maybe Amish almond butter. Psssh. Peanut butter. What a noob.

 

This is a tad disturbing. I been plugging several high end Dansco books with uncirculated and proof coins. Always being extremely careful to handle a minimally as possible with cotton gloves.... And ummm.... a dusting off with a clean cotton cloth..... Is the concern that there may be some contamination on the surface causing microscopic scratching?

 

If the dust particle is hard, it could leave a light scratch, which could reduce the value of a high grade coin. It probably wouldn't be much of a concern on a common circulated coin, but it's best avoided to be safe

 

Numismatists in the area have taken to this new variety from the folks at the house of Pan. The demand is so high locally that one must secure several containers at a time since it is out of stock so often.

 

I've gone away from the 2x2 cardboard to non-PVC vinyl flips. I'm not sure if this is better but I like to use the second part of the flip to insert information about the coin.

 

This is something I'd been wondering about. I use 2x2s and have worried about trapping dust in them. Now I'm going to start following your suggestion.

 

I bought what I thought were Safe Flips to store
some of my coins. This was several years ago. I
checked on them the other day and there was some
green film forming. I now have several questions.
How do I remove the green film?
If I am to use acetone where do I buy the recommended
product?
How do I use the product ?
Where can I buy the correct flips?
Any info would greatly be appreciated!!
Thanks in advance!!

 

I use a little 'rubber' bulb that came with an ear cleaning kit to blow dust off my 2x2 and coin prior to stapling. As long as you never put any fluids in the bulb it should just be sending plain air at your surfaces. I used to wipe the mylar surfaces of the 2x2 with cotton cloth, but that just seemed to wrinkle the mylar and did not remove any more dust than the squeeze bulb treatment.

 

Even the cloth itself could leave very light hairline scratches.

 

As long as it's the creamy variety