Strongly disagree, the Whitman blue folders are far worse than any shoe box would be. That's because the paper page that covers the bottom side of the holes - it's coated with glue. So you have that side of the coin in direct contact with glue - as well as all the sulfur laden cardboard. That glue, almost always results in ugly toning on at least that side of the coins, and sometimes corrosion. And yeah, I know, they're cheap, easy to get and easy to use, and yeah they hold the coins well. I probably had 20 or 30 of them when I was kid. And they ruined every single coin I ever put in them. 'Course I didn't know that because once in the folder - I never had reason to take 'em out. Then one day I did and saw what those blue folders had done to all my coins. That was over 50 years ago. And since then I've seen hundreds of people who joined this forum telling the very same story for the last 17 years now. Those things are infamous, and they always have been. But they still keep selling them like hotcakes because they're cheap and the folks buying them don't know about the downside that's built right into them. They simply aren't aware of it. So when I see them, I try to make them aware.
Yes, I had some like that with the glue exposed. Early on, the glue was put on the paper and then the paper put on the cardboard with the coin openings. That left the dry glue exposed to the coin. Later on they started putting the glue on the cardboard first. This allowed that the coins were not exposed to the glue directly. Those early models really caused damage to the side of the coin that was pressed against the glue.
Speaking of glue, guess what this is? As a young kid (10 or 11) I must have thought this was a good idea to keep the coins in. @Granbeck- Don't do that at house!
Looks almost as bad as my IHC folder. I'm going to pull my IHC's out and put them in something else. Would it be wise to soak them in Acetone before remounting them?
Gotta agree with Doug on this one. Long ago I used cheap folders for cheap coins. Finding some of them corroded and ugly toned some years later was upsetting. Didn't matter that they were cheap coins and wouldn't sell for much even in their original condition. There was my time and effort in collecting, researching, cataloging and storing them ... all this is worth something to me. Not all the coins deteriorated in a given album, and in some albums, none deteriorated. I live in a dry climate too ... and the albums were stored indoors in a dry place. If someone gets away with it long-term, they're just lucky. Putting coins next to cardboard or vinyl is chancy. You might get away with it and you might not. But if you really care about preserving your collection, even if it's inexpensive, get the coins into polyester (e.g. Saflip) or acrylic (e.g. Air-Tite). Little polyethylene (not vinyl!) zip-lock baggies are inert and cheap too. All of the above can be incorporated into albums or loose-leaf notebooks. Cal
I totally agree with GD JMSP. I would never put by coins in an album. If not certified, I keep most of my coins in the plastic tubes.
I love Caps Albums. A little spendy and take up more space but you get the safety and can display them.
I haven’t used acetone on copper because I’ve heard stories about it changing the color of the coins. I can’t confirm this though.
So if you were on a budget, tossing your wheaties and quarters into a shoe box is how you would store them. OK. Food for thought.
I think that proper storage should be part of your budget. Even someone on a tight budget should want to protect the coins they’ve invested that hard earned money into. Buying a coin you can’t afford to protect is just silly.
That's not what I said at all Corgi - and you know that. You know exactly what my point is, but you'd rather make comments like this than admit that I'm right. Because by admitting that I'm right you'd have to admit that you're wrong, and you just aint gonna do that ! That's what really gets me about these arguments, "discussions". Facts are facts folks - there is a right way and a wrong way to store coins - period. And the wrong way is always a bad idea - even when you're on a tight budget. But rather than simply admit that, people would rather argue the point seemingly forever. Looking for ways to justify the mistakes they're making. But none of it changes the fact that they ARE mistakes ! The bottom line is this - even if the coins are low cost or even free to you - if you're knowingly going to store your coins the wrong way, in a way that is harmful to them, and may well destroy them, what is the point of collecting them to begin with ?
I personally think...and this is just my opinion...that those coin damaging Whitman folders do have value in our hobby...I really do. I think that they are a wonderful way for kids to get interested. That's how I started, that's how a lot of us started. Someone gave us a blue Whitman folder...because they are cheap and easy to find...for us to scrounge Lincoln Cents out of circulation and "fill holes." If it wasn't for that childhood experience...for that joy of the hunt I had when I was 10...I probably never would have fell in love with numismatics. Now that I am an adult and am actually investing money into my collection and pursuing the study of numismatics...I understand that this is a poor storage method and should not be used. I understand that one must account for the proper storage of a coin and budget accordingly. But, to that 10 year old, those Whitman folders served a great purpose and helped me discover the joy of coin collecting.
Well, I've always practiced/tested my acetone methods on junk coins first. I have a sample of acetone and Verdi-Care on copper on this thread.. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1967p-clipped-planchet.351755/#post-3938954
This is why I think you are wrong to give such blanket advice... Yes you are right about how they damage coins, but Camaro says it all. These type of collectors have no budget for collecting coins, they get them from change and don't want to spend any more than they have to in order to display them proudly.
No. I said two very different things and you know that. In the first post of yours you quote me discussing blue Whitman folders as a great gateway for children who are becoming interested in coins. I clearly state that they do damage coins but for a child who doesn't know better with budding interest who are only picking cents out jars...who cares. That's about fun and developing the love of the hobby. The other post of mine you quote...I clearly note that if someone is investing their hard earned money into a collection...it is foolish the not also protect that investment. Those are two very different things. Furthermore, this is a hobby about learning. That 10 year old me with my Whitman folders didn't know any better...but I was learning and that's a good thing. It is a common known fact that these folders harms coins and thus their use should be discouraged as a general rule. Sure, if someone wants who is new to the hobby wants to dive through the change jar and fill the holes in one...and has fun doing it...then do it. But for ANY OTHER USE, using these folders are foolish.
I agree and I added the winking eye thingy to express the joking tone to my comment. And I agree with both comments. Which is why I don't agree with Doug's blanket comment that implies that any coin collected should be stored properly. Just be clear when you make comments that cause little Timmy to ask his mom to go buy $1 airtites for each of his wheaties found in change.
It's true. What we don't is to run people out of the hobby. I typically try and avoid blanket statements for that reason. But, we should be educating people in the facts...and the facts are that albums damage coins (even higher quality ones like Dansco). I love my Dansco and IS albums...because I want to be able to look at my collection. I also know that there are risks in using them. Little Timmy should understand that if he decides to start buying coins that are worth more than face value...he needs to plan to protect them so they maintain that value. He needs to understand what methods actually protect and which don't. I also believe that @GDJMSP would agree that Whitman folders are fine as a "Gateway Drug" for young kids to pull cents out of change and develop a love for this hobby. I wouldn't even be surprised if that's how he started...because they were probably around when he was a kid.
