How do you organize your trays?

Oh so for our three-ring binder, we have them organized like this:

Greek
Roman (Includes everything up to Anastasius)
Roman Provincial
Byzantine (Everything Anastasius through the single trachy we have)
Near East/India
Chinese

We try to keep them roughly together by emperor(and wife where applicable) but as we acquire new coins, we run into the problem of having them at the last space in whichever category it belongs to. We've done a few reorganizations but they take a long time.

I'm sure it could be done much better...but for now, it works for us.

 

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I've never used display trays because...

1. I have a lotta untrustworthy acquaintances, and
2. I worry about environmental damage

Putting my poor character assessments aside, are there trays that are best at protecting against environmental damage? Those wooden trays look scary!

 

.ahaha...><..i know ya ain't talkin' to me...altho i do subscribe to the 'from kaos comes order' theory

 

I number my trays, video tape the contents, transfer to SD Card. Store one in our vault, another in our home safe. It's not as difficult as it sounds. I update the home SD periodically, take it to the vault, exchange cards, bring the other home and update it. There is always an update source available. Works for us.

 

I go chronologically by date of minting (although obviously this is uncertain in many cases so I have to take my best guess) and I don't mind mixing up coins from different realms or series. I don't mind shifting when I get a new coin as it gives me a reason to look through my collection.

 

I have a pricey collection of mainly NewStyles and I never worry about environmental problems or handling with gloves and tweezers. They will last another 2000+ years I'm sure while I'm not so sure about myself!

 

I organize the trays thematically, like tetrarchic coins from Carthage, Constantine coins from London, CONSERVATOR AVGG code coins from Siscia, 4th century unofficial, and so on with an assorted tray for coins that don't have their own specific tray. If a tray fills up, just start a new one. I also use binders chronologically for Emperors.

 

I sort them chronologically in Abafil trays, for the most part, i.e. Roman (RR and Imperial) and provincial, trying to leave some space just in case of a new arrival.
The sub-collections have their own tray(s) : Divi series, Syro phoenician tetradrachms, Alexandrians.

Here's an example with the Alexandrians :




Q

 

I only have 29 coins (all Greek) in total. I keep them in two abafil trays. Both are the deeper versions which suit the thicker coins better. Both trays fit 24 coins, doubt I'll fill them all, unless I purchase some cheaper stuff.

Anyway, I keep them in a random order. Usually in order of my favourites. Sometimes in order of value/importance. This changes regularly of course, which is ok cause I enjoy rearranging them.

Tried doing it by chronology/region etc, but always ended up with my favourite coins somewhere in the tray I didn't want them. Like my own order better.

 

Those are some great looking tetradrachms!

 

I always enjoy seeing your excellent cabinet. Your wife needs to come hang out with my wife and talk about how much fun it is to buy your husband coin furniture

Now that you mention it I suppose it does make a lot of sense to have any special sub-collection in its own tray(s). For you it is shield coins but mine could be Nerva Antonine... I’ll have to think on that. Thanks for sharing brother.

Ha! The upside is you’re unlikely to run out of room with trays like that

Your homemade cabinet is top notch all the way around. Thank you for the detailed explanation of your system! I especially like the way you have each slot numbered.

I also like that you have expanded your cabinet to include space for a small bookshelf. I will be doing something similar for books that I want to make sure are understood to go with my collection (catalogs, primary references, etc.). Do you keep some of your coin books in your cabinet? Either way looks nice.

Great coin and thanks for the explanation of your system!

Thanks for the explanation Donna. I have been on the fence about where to draw the line on dividing by Roman / Imperial / Greek Classical / Hellenistic etc. In fact I was leaning toward just grouping by size irrespective of historical era but now I am less sure. There are some groups of coins that just look right together as you mention with your provincials.

Beautiful!

That is a very elegant display! If your looking for 24/7 display and not just storage this is a really nice way to go. If I ever visited someone with a display like that I’d end up spending the first hour I was there with my head poked into the shelves trying to ID all the coins

You exactly illustrate many of the questions that I have had when trying to decide what is best for me. The engineer in me wants to group them by diameter into trays of similar size coins and then arrange them based on when I bought them. That way no coin would ever have to be moved!

Of course you lose out on the coherence of a unified sub-collection. As to your specific questions for your collection I think it would make sense to put husbands and wives together and arrange by when the person lived... but there are drawbacks there as well. Thanks for the post!

Nice tray!

That is also an incredibly elegant method of display! I like how the wood is well matched. Did you build this whole table for the purpose or did you add the boxes to an existing table?

Do you have them organized in the trays in any particular order?

 

Thanks!
Funny thing is though, hardly anyone cares and almost nobody notices the coins

 

I make my own trays, A4 or A5 in size, out of plywood and beading, with coloured 'funkey foam' lining and dividers. They keep being re-organised all the time. Part of the fun. Every tray is different, but they do follow 'themes'. Most trays are stacked in an 'office safe'

 

purdy kool man!

 

I have Leuchtturm trays, so I have to sort in diameters - usually denominations. Otherwise it is chronological. Things are mixed up a bit from time to time. I'm spending a lot of time sorting, numbering, putting the coins in a catalog and occasionally putting in some prose for whom it may concern. These remarks may be derived from my CoinTalk or WorldofCoins contributions.



I enjoy a well-filled tray of coins the same size and color, so the designs are standing out to max effect.



Part of a well-organized dirham tray. All of these were issued between 1200 and 1336.


Cosy Greek corner of a tray of small diameters, some wise men visiting from the East.



A corner of mixed coins, as it happens they all were minted between 300 and 650 AD.

 

I store my coins in fifteen ten-drawer Beba boxes chronologically. Each coin has a card with catalog number and my own registration number which is unique. I have divided time into categories like: 1 = Celtic and Greek, 2 = Roman Republican etc. In excel sheets I register all information about the coins. The numbers there correspond to the tickets in the trays. Oh,yes, there is of course a large photofile of all the coins (well, quite a few lacking...) All in all, a heck of a lot of work to keep administration in order

 

Yes, or even fire/flood depending where you live, but indeed theft is more likely by odds. My one comment about the SDB is that I've read in a few places, if not recently that the environments for SDB may be somewhat hazardous to coins...something with artificial/recirculating "air", temperatures, moisture, etc. My first thoughts back then were just the opposite...that it should be better than at home somewhere/anywhere. Any thoughts, experiences...?

 

I like the Beba boxes (I have four, two of ten-drawer and two eight-drawer) but find they are almost unknown in North America. Not sure why. They are darn convenient.

SC

 

After this question (and replies) about organizing trays, and particularly as a newer member rather sheltered most of my collecting life with US coins, I can't help but comment on how many "ancient" coin collectors there are out there: Wow...!

 

I've not heard about those issues with the banks. The best solution might be a gun safe. Just don't lose the combination and/or keys. Me personally I've had coins in the SDB for 40+years with no issues.