Do Interceptor coin holders and Interceptor individual boxes for certified coins protect rare coins?

Some of my coins have started developing tarnish and discoloring and someone else suggested getting Interceptor coin holders for individual coins and individual boxes for slabbed coins. Are these any good for protecting rare coins? From what I understand there are also copper-colored pages that can be put in books for storing coins that will draw impurities out of the air; are these any good also? I am not sure what name they go by.

 

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I suspect you will get this from mostly everyone here...there is no absolute, fool proof way to protect any coins absolutely. The pages you mention and sold by Littleton and Dansco are helpful but also just a band aid. The best you can do is to properly store them in a dry environment. Intercept holders will help but are also not fool proof.

 

A quick question because it happened to me.... You don’t happen to store your coins in a safe with firearms do you? The fumes from firearm cleaning chemicals are absolutely caustic to our coins.

 

The coins are not stored in a safe with firearms but I do live in a split-entry house on the bottom floor and I wonder if the humidity could be affecting my coins.

 

Try a food saver machine and bag. I have never had my coins toned for the last 30 years

 

Yes sir. Humidity is our enemy. I live in the Deep South and live in high humidity. I keep my better coins in zip lock bags and put that inside a Tupperware box.

 

This is a good idea too

 

It sounds like a good idea if I use it on the uncertified coins but I may have a hard time sealing shut the holders that the dollar coins are in since the dollar coins are rather big and spread the opening of the holder wide open.

 

What kind of a food saver do you use? Do you seal up individual coins in extra-big holders so the holder completely seals-up?

 

check @Robert91791's posts. He seals up all kinds of things!

 

For a fellow that left school much too early to enter the working world I struggle sometimes with the simple things. How would I know that the Ziplock bag I have my slabs in and the Tupperware container that I put that Ziplock bag into are in fact inert? Or any other item I choose to store my coins in. Is that something noted on a product label? Or is it up to me to research prior to purchasing my chosen storage method?

 

If it is for food storage it should be safe.

Also, take 5-10 newer zincolns with 100% copper plate, check for rarities if one likes, scratch the copper badly a bright color and toss them into the bag. If they start to turn brown, gases are getting into your bag, so change. if they stay bright, all is OK chemically. They are sacrificed for the safety of their better. The idea behind "Intercept" type of protection. Jim

 

I store each of my uncertified coins in the rigid flips that don't have pvc in them. Many of my uncertified Morgan dollars especially the higher-condition coins I have in Kointains in addition to storing them in the flips. The one thing I don't like about the flips is after a while they break apart where they are folded. I store all of the loose coins in clear, plastic tool boxes from the hardware store. I don't like using the containers from the hardware store since I don't know if the plastic they are made of is gassing off but I am not sure what else to use. I don't want to put the coins in an open container since some of the coins may be damaged. I live in a split entry downstairs where it is cool and the coins are stored in a cabinet with a cover that closes.

Where would I find rechargeable silica gel packs that are safe for coins? How long do they last and are they very expensive? What do they do for the coins?

I was considering using a safe to store my coins but someone told me that they retain humidity which can be bad for coins. I am also afraid to use ziplocks for the same reason plus I am also afraid the chemicals in the plastic might be bad for the coins even if the coins are not in direct contact with the plastic.

I have heard different things about paper and toning. I have heard that paper can be bad for coins but then I have also heard that some coins have gotten attractive toning from the cardboard in coin albums. There is one coin that I have bought that has toning on it that the seller said is caused from the coin being stored in an envelope. I had the coin checked out by a coin dealer who said there isn't any damage on the coin from being stored in an envelope.

 

This is what I keep in my safe. It does a really good job as long as I keep it recharged. When the crystals in the display window change color, take it out and plug it in the wall and in a few hours, you're good to go. I can usually keep the safe below 50% in the most trying times of the year and the majority of the year its around 38-40

 

There is a product called damp-rid that is made for putting under damp sinks and the like. I use it in my garage. Super cheap and available at any hardware store. Not as compact as a silica pack but does the job for a larger space.

 

How often do these have to be charged? When you refer to crystals are you referring to where it says "DRY-WET? Would getting the cheapest one still do the job?

 

I generally check once a week and it ends up that I recharge it every 2-3 weeks? Winter time is obviously less, summer more. I call the little things inside crystals. In the photo you see the little black piece below those words dry/wet, that is actually clear and you can see little crystals or balls in that window that change color when they need to be dried out/recharged. I have the smallest one and I have one of those 1.5 cubic foot safes. It has holes in the bottom to attach wheels to it but I didn't put those on and just covered them up with tape. It keeps it fairly dry in there.