I've read a couple stories online of silver coins (Silver American Eagles, for example) tarnishing while remaining right in their original US Mint containers. One of the responses said that, in order to prevent tarnishing, the coin should be stored in an airtight container, in a climate-controlled area, and silica packets should be used to absorb moisture. Does this sound like a good suggestion? And would something as simple as a Ziploc bag work? Should the silica packet be placed right inside each airtight container along with the coin?
I would say storing them in airtites and in a dry climate with silicagel packets would slow down toning. I can't say if the OGP will cause toning. There is no known way to stop toning entirely but there are many ways to slow it down.
I think when the pearson to store them in airtite holders he meant the hard plastic holders of individual coins under the brand name Airtite , I always recommended Intercept Shield 2X 2s but they're no longer being made I've been told though you can still buy them at Wizards in sizes they have left . Actually any hard 2 X 2 is good then store in a box with sillica gel containers inside the box . I store by coins in IS boxes in a Safety deposit box , storing your coins in SDB at a bank you really need sillica gel containers because most banks keep their vaults at a humidity that is good for paper not coins . Even 2X2 cardboard holders will help stop toning if kept in a dry place .
If by original containers you mean the hard plastic capsules, yes that would be fine. Mostly correct, but there is no such thing as an airtight container. A sealed or closed container like a safe or a Tupperware container is good enough. And yes a Ziploc would work. The idea is to restrict air flow and control humidity as much as possible. And don't reuse silica packets that come packed in pill bottles or with electronic devices. In the first place, by the time you get them, they are no good anymore. In the second place they may have contaminants on the outside that could be harmful to coins. What you want to use are products like these - http://www.jpscorner.com/silica-gel-humidity-control.html I always recommend the 40 gram rechargeable for most folks. It's big enough to do the job and you only have to buy it once. Absolutely not ! Those little tiny packets are worthless (as noted above) and if placed next to or on the coin they may even scratch the coins. Put your coins, that are already in slabs or hard plastic coin holders, in the Ziploc or other container, and put the silica pack in the container as well.
Agree with the Tupperware tubs. For brilliant white coins, keep them either in the original mint capsule, or an airtite. The tubs are good, as there is plenty of room to spread them out. In terms of room storage, if you have a heated, air-conditioned closet, that is best.
I have wheat pennies and a few silver coins I am looking to store but am having a hard time deciding on what is safe to use. I recently bought these http://www.amazon.com/500-CLEAR-Reclosable-Zipper-Bag/dp/B002EDINF0 but have not used them yet because they do not say anything about storing coins. However, they appear to be the same as http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/product.php?productid=2369 I went to a local dealer and he said the ones I bought off of amazon should be fine (but he didn't sound very confident). Any thoughts on if they would be okay for me to use, or should I try to order the ones from wizard coin?
Typically speaking, do newer fire-rated safes still use the same moisturizing system as the older safes? If so, the silica gel might be a violation of the warranty.
I would not recommend using either of those as they might contain PVC. I do not know for a fact that they do, but I suspect that they do. Ziploc is a brand name, and Ziploc bags are safe to use for coin storage. That is because bags that are intended for food storage are not permitted to contain PVC, by law. But rather obviously those little 2x2 vinyl bags are not intended for food storage. Open a package of them, smell it. If it smells like a new shower curtain, throw them away.
Thanks GDJMSP, that is great advice. I will check them as soon as I get home. If there is no smell to them do you think they would be safe then or would you still recommend going with something else?
I like toning, so I keep all of my coins on top of the radiator. Wait a minute! I live in south Florida. I don't have a radiator! Chris
I keep all my bullion coins in CoinSafe tubes. I can get them for $0.45 each at my local coin store. When you consider that 23 ASE's will fit in one tube, and they each cost about $36 right now, the tube costs .05% as much as the coins inside the tube. A truly insignificant amount. If you really want to keep them in baggies, and you're really concerned about toning, just ask yourself "How much does a box of Ziploc bags cost?" If you keep them in quality tubes or in Ziplocs, your coins should be fine as long as you exercise good handling techniques from the start. I've seen some pretty nasty looking fingerprints on Silver Eagles.
Here is one more option I have been thinking about. Does anyone have thoughts on using these: http://www.jpscorner.com/cardboard-coin-holders.html
Another thing to consider is "sacrificial" metal. Put fresh silver, like rounds, and maybe some new cents in the same box. These will tone before your coins in the plastic will, and will give you a good sign if something is wrong. Open up the box and see toning on these you know you need to refresh the silica, and buy new sacrificial silver. Since the silver is just rounds, you can trade them for fresh ones from the dealer for little money, or keep them and buy new fresh silver.
I don't recommend them for ASEs. The mylar tears easy when you use them on thick or heavy coins (and ASEs are both thick and heavy). It's also easy to scratch the surface of one coin with the staples from another coin when you have them stacked or when you're moving them around. It's also easy to scratch the coin when you're removing it from the 2x2. That's three strikes against using 2x2's for ASEs.
I checked the bags. The ones I bought from amazon don't smell any different then a ziploc bag and they did not smell like a shower curtain (there wasn't really any kind of smell). Funny thing is I then smelled the plastic flips a local coin dealer gave me that he said I should use and they smelled a lot like a shower curtain.
I've seen coins tone in original government packaging; they do seem to tone slower, but it won't actually stop toning. They're not perfectly airtight.
Then they might be OK, stress might be. Those are not OK. Most all dealers use flips that do contain PVC. Most of them do this for several reasons, but the flips they use are only intended to be used for very short terms. Most of them know this and will tell you so if you ask. But there may be some who do not know it. Either way, you don't want to use them. Bottom line, there is no substitute for a good quality, hard plastic coin holder. All flips, all 2x2s, all bags, all coin envelopes - everything else has its own drawbacks and reasons they should not be used for coin storage. My advice is and always has been - use good quality hard plastic coin holders. Period.