Coin tube storage question

I have certain years/types of coins that I'm keeping in "bulk", think rolls not boxes, lol. Anyway, I don't have any actual coin tubes yet and I do plan to buy some once I decide what I want and how many. In the meantime, I have coins stored in some old 35mm canisters (the plastic ones). It just hit me that some of these are "soft" plastic which got me thinking if they were soft PVC and harmful to the coins? I don't have anything of much value in there really but I'd like to keep them safe none the less. Do I need to get those coins out of my 35mm canisters ASAP?

 

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Good question! Maybe Jim, aka @desertgem would know.

Chris

 

Regardless of the value of your coins or not. PLEASE TAKE THEM OUTTA-THOSE inferior PVC 35mm film canisters RIGHT AWAY ! they do cause the metals to absorb the PVC contaminants as soon as you put the lids on! My Sister had some old coins in them as well and when she opened them 3 yrs later, they had milk-spots and some green-toning that wouldn't come-off with simple dishsoap and warm water. Same thing goes for any pictures stored in PVC plastic-covers or film-wraps... they just deteriorate the ink terribly ! Go to www.air-tites dot com and buy some non-PVC coin tubes OR cardboard 2x2 with crystal clear mylar ... you'll be happy you did the proper storage methods.

 

Yes, I use them for condiments and seed toppings in lunches.
https://www.wired.com/2011/08/kodak-film-canisters-are-fine-for-food-storage/

They are made of polyethylene and considered food safe. No plasticizers that are found in PVC plastics.
Jim

 

Just to add, they are coin safe as well. many prescription bottles ( tubular type ) are satisfactory also. the type of plastic can be determined by the stamp on the bottom.

 

Film cans have one drawback - an inappropriate diameter. It allows "rub". I do use coin-intended tubes - about half the clear ones with the screw-on cap, and about half the whitish, squarish ones with the pop-on cap.

As a former owner of a photo lab, we found all sorts of uses for film cans.

 

Thanks Jim.... I'm glad you clarified the safety of plasticizers within 35mm film canisters !

 

You could glue them to your heels for a hat dance when you successfully dipped a coin

 

The white ones from Fuji became water containers for spotting prints.
Small parts containers.
Projectiles to throw at each other.
Little hunks of silver from the recovery unit to show people.
Seed germination containers.
Camping matches.

 

I am sure you have an interesting closet. Catnip and other 'herbs' probably fit also. I have mentioned them to older folks for their daily pills if they go out for the day

 

The only thing I store in 35mm film canisters is gem and semi-precious stones. They are great to cut a slit in the top and push those sapphires through when digging in the field. If you knock the canister over the stones stay inside.

 

Kurt could cut a penny slot in the top to put all off the parking lot cents he finds in his walks

 

Yup, and then I secretly mail them to random people, tell them they're error coins, and give them the URL of this site.

 

Among many other uses for the plastic canisters I've tried over the years, we would poke a hole in the top of the metal ones to hold a stick of incense.
Guess what years that came from.

 

well I had a response all typed up last night, and right before I hit send our power went out and I lost internet connection

But I digress. I never intended the film containers to be permanent, but for some reason it hit me yesterday that even as a temporary solution while I wait for safe coin storage tubes to come I could be introducing PVC contaminants into the coins environment. Sounds like that's the case, so they're coming out and new containers will be on order very soon. Thanks for the help!

 

I use paper tubes for my date rolls. Partial dates in middle grades are in clear plastic tubes. I use the silver round opaque tubes with green caps for sorting and storing wooden nickels from coin clubs. They fit easily in my double row sales and trade boxes and permit me to help people fill their sets.

 

I prefer the "square" tubes to the "round" ones - less rattling when storing lots of tubes.

 

At least you should know that polyethylene film containers are a different organic molecule than Polyvinylchloride ( PVC). PVC is a hard plastic ( like the white PVC water pipes) that by ITSELF will not harm metal. But applications where it has to be transparent and flexible Plasticizers ( mainly esters) are added to do this. the plasticizers used can have different diffusion rates out of the PVC. Fast diffusion rate means it can form on enclosed metals as become corrosive ( this is what should be avoided with cheap PVC enclosures. The smell of the plasticizers is often called "shower curtain" smell. Some companies began to use PVC with low diffusion plasticizers that did not have that smell, but still could migrate over extended periods ( years). These were considered "safe". Then flexible plastics began to be used ( more expensive than PVC based) such as polyethylene ( mylar) and polyproplylene ( used for baseball cards, comics, etc).

The key is to plan to check occasionally for plasticizer gunk. It dissipates faster in moist hot climates to the sticky gel that reacts with coin metal. Acetone readily removes it without damage to the coin if used properly, and without damage to humans if handled properly.

Be aware that many dealers ship coins in PVC flips as they do not scratch or rub the coins in transition to you, and they should always be removed, coins rinsed in acetone, and then put into a long term holder. People may own and drive a safe car, but if the people act dangerously, damage will still occur. IMO Jim

 

Kurt. Have you ever been in space. Thinking you live life to its fullest