How much is too much humidity? Tips for cutting down humidity...?

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Wow yeah obviously don't keep coins outside.

Leaving them on a table in your living room is a vastly superior choice...

 

Thanks. Understand. I was a little surprised when I saw it. Not terrible, but not what I wanted to see. It's just bullion, so I'm not all that upset about it. I just thought I would share my experience.

When I bought the Intercept Box, it did mention having the shield become less effective over time.

 

I agree with your statement that I bolded and underlined. Agree too that you can only hope to mitigate it or retard it's progression.

The box I purchased would hold 2x2's. It has two rows.

Some of the silver bullion that I had in non-PVC plastic flips started toning. Others in the same flips did not. Most of the coins I had in the box were in air tites/plastic capsules. I used this box for misc. items. When I bought the box, I read the note that came with it. I was just sharing/paraphrasing what I read. I was also sharing my experience.

Just like you mentioned, there are thousands of variables. Why did some of the bullion pieces (from Canadian Royal Mint) start toning while others from the same mint did not? (rhetorical question) They were stored exactly the same way. No way to explain it. Maybe they were exposed to something prior to my putting them in the flips and Intercept box, who can know.

My main point was that you can still never be too careful.

 

I use an Eva dry in my safe and it will bring the humidity down to around 35 or so. Summer time is honestly a struggle. Stays around 50.

 

Would you or anyone happen to know if any Monster Boxes from any country are Air-Tight or close to Air-Tight? I'm trying to figure out a storage solution that helps protect from humidity, in addition to zip-lock bags.

I'm thinking food storage containers might be more Air-Tight than a Monster Box. What do you think?

I saw Provident has a nice, patented Monster Box that doesn't let water in, but the Purple color is much too garish and bright. I need a neutral color.

 

Thank you so much for explaining that!

As if the silver isn't heavy enough - Ball Jars! Talk about a workout!

I'm afraid I may be just a little too clumsy for being trusted with not turning glass jars into a pile of broken glass jars!

Okay, so, may I ask what the next best solution is for long term silver storage?

Although plastic isn't good for long term, how often do you think I would need to change the ziplock bags if I double-bagged them and threw in 3M anti-tarnish strips, or if I wrapped the air-tite capsules in something like anti-tarnish silver cloth, such as what they sell here and then put that into ziplocks and all that into a monster box and then putting the monster box into a plain old brown box:

https://smile.amazon.com/Anti-Tarni...SU/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

Would putting all that into a plain old brown packing box be detrimental in the long term even while it's wrapped in air-tite capsules, anti-tarnish cloth, double ziplocks and a monster box (or rubbermaid)?

 

Hi GDJMSP,

So, I did a search under your handle and "proper storage" and have been reading A LOT of what you've written over the years.

Some questions:

You wrote about some materials being inert and to keep everything non-inert away from coin storage.

1 - There are tubes for storing Air-tite capsules in. They are clear and have lids that are either red or black. They come in sizes A,T,H,I, etc. which corresponds with the sizes of the Air-tite capsules. Can I trust that these tubes AND their red and black lids are inert?

2 - Labeling The Tubes For Identification - Even just to label the tubes with numbers "Tube 1, Tube 2" etc. with separate list of what's each tube in another location.

2A - After reading your prior posts I learned that using paper is out of the question because it is not inert so I can't label the tubes using paper.

2B - What I've done in the past has been labeling the tubes using a Brother P-Touch Labeler with their Brother TZE Label Tapes. How can I find out if there is some component in those tapes that negatively affect the air in the ziplocks and/or container and/or jar? Chemistry was not my strong suit. I can't seem to figure out what I should be looking for on the Brother TZE Label Tapes "Product Safety Data Sheet":

https://www.ptouchdirect.com/content/MSDS-TZTAPES.pdf

Another description I found on the Brother TZE label tapes with very basic info describes them as containing PET Polyethylene and Acrylic. Do you know if those are inert?


2C - What about using a Sharpie marker on the tubes? Is the ink inert?


3a - Is the "Foam" that Air-Tites uses for its ring-capsules inert?

3b - Can said "Foam" be used as filler inside glass mason jars to prevent everything from jostling around?

That's all my questions for the moment.

Am now off to read more of what you wrote in the past about proper storage.

Thank you!

 

Somewhere on a container, there should be a little triangle with arrow points and a number like the one below.


Although 1,2,4,5 are considered safe, I would not use #4 because of its structural weakness and usually opaque. Most prefer #1 (trade name mylar), for sheet like use, (Flips, and such), but I wouldn't use if the coin will be frequently removed due to possible micro scratches. #2 is more rigid and used for stiffer ( usually colored) containers, and #5 is also considered chemically inert. Over time, if stored in harsher environments, such as large variations in temperature, most can deteriorate over long term. Some coin tubes I have are stiff mylar transparent bottoms with a HDPE flexible top. Any holder ( most) that has an opening ...flips, tubes or holders with a reversible seal , sonic seals if handled often ( slabs) , can develop problems from air entering microscopically....That is why desiccator devices to remove moisture from storage , ion scavengers such as the sacrificial zincolns , and multiple stage bagging with both are required for very long term storage. If you want more details on the various acronyms such as PETE, there are many sites and details on the web. IMO, Jim

p.s. It helps to live in a desert area

 

Wow! Fantastic info! Thank you very much!!!!

 

My containers are #5
Just checked a set
Thanks for the info @desertgem

 

I just moved from a dry environment to a very humid environment, been here eight months, what is the best way to keep coins protected from the humidity without keeping a dehumidifier plugged in day and night, silicon packages, a safety deposit box, a glass container in a very dark place, I’ll be mortified if my coins get ruined.

 

So you want to dehumidify, without using the tools to dehumidify?

move to a dry environment ?