Hello, I am brand new to coin collecting and have decided to start with a narrow focus on one specific collection. In regards to the attached photo, I am assuming there are only 56 of these quarters in the set since silver proofs for the states series were only minted in San Francisco? Also, I would like to display these coins in a binder so I can see the front and the back and be able to show them conveniently. Do they make sheets that will hold coins that are slabbed? Will any binder considered sturdy be sufficient? Any advice would be appreciated.
Welcome to cointalk. You muse be including the DC/territories in that count. I think lighthouse makes slab binders, others correct me if I'm wrong. You may get some friendly criticism about collecting state quarters here, but theyou are the silver proof set ones. I would suggest looking into collecting the silver proof national park quarters. Pretty low mintage (comparatively ) on them. And the designs are much better than the state quarters.
Yes lighthouse does make binders & pages specificly for slab bed coins. But ya have to be careful some slabs like PCGS & NGC don't mix, I forget the years they differ on.
I have a lighthouse one. It's pretty nice, sturdy. I don't know what previous comment means about not mixing different slabs. The pages in my lighthouse book work fine for all slabs I've tried. It was 20 I think at a coin show. 4 pages, so 36 total. You'd need two books then.
I've never used the Lighthouse pages, but if they are anything like the Eagle pages, they are not worth the cost. They aren't cheap, and they are subject to cracking at the ring holes. I know because I've had to throw a lot of them away. Chris
Let me ask you a question, do you like the way your coins look now ? And would you like it if they didn't look that way anymore ? Well, the odds are pretty high that in time they won't look that way anymore - unless you store them properly. The albums, I don't know if the pages and the binders are inert or not, but if they are not inert they can and will be harmful to the coins. And storing the coins out in the open on a table or bookshelf so you can show them off is equally as bad, and maybe even worse. Proper storage of coins involves putting them away in a cool, dark, place, in sealed containers so as to minimize air getting to the coins, along with silica gel packs so as to help control humidity. And if and when you want to show them off then you can go get them out, and do so. But then you have to put them back away again. Coins have several enemies - air (and all of the contaminants it contains), light, temperature changes, and humidity. And if you like the way your coins look, and want to keep them looking that way, then you must do everything you can to minimize all of those things as much as possible. And usually that means no albums, and doing as I suggested above. It is of course your choice.
I'm not a fan of slab & have a limited amount. I've read on other threads of people complaining there are certain years where the slabs are different sizes & the PCGS slabs didn't fit in NGC storage containers
Yes I like the airtites. You can't use the cheap knock offs they're equal to using nothing. With airtites you can get specific size containers for the size of airtites & they are easily stored & easily accessible to view your collection. JMHO.
Thank you all very much for the prompt and informative replies. I don't mind any criticism about collecting state quarters. My son is five years old and we both went to our first coin show and he really liked these particular quarters so I just went with it. Now that we have the bug we want to complete the entire set but my personal favorite are the Benjamin Franklin half dollars and I hope to start those soon. We do absolutely love the way the coins look now and would be disappointed if they were to change color or tone. For that reason we have placed them in our floor safe and I am working on finding some silica gel. The safe is small so in the near future we will have to find a larger storage container that will adequately address the threat of air, light, and humidity. Thanks again for being so helpful in your replies.
Awesome. I'm glad you caught the bug. I've had it for about five years now. My son is five too, but he has no interest in coins (and he makes it known!). I've tried showing him them, or just doing my coin stuff in front of him - nothing works. It's okay. Maybe when he's older. I think franklin halves are nice, and they're quite affordable even in unc grade. That's a doable set. I love US coins but also 20th century world coins
Don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. EBay there's a store called JPS corner. Great group of people, friendly they will help you with whatever you need. I get my storage stuff from them. They even sell the silica stuff. I haven't found anyone else who compares in service or quality.
but my personal favorite are the Benjamin Franklin half dollars and I hope to start those soon. [/QUOTE] Good choice
Let me say welcome to coin talk. It seems you've already have received some very good information. Even though GDJMSP and myself may have difference of opinions on certain issues, he is given you some very excellent advice, and at least that's one thing we agree on. I myself do not like coins that are slab. But that's just my preference, I enjoy feeling a coin in my hands not some piece of plastic. I recently came up with the same predicament that you're in. I wanted to protect my coins and be able to show them. I've recently started a new binder collection of homestead DDR's. And needed something to put them in that's easily accessible because with these quarters there is new ones being added every day. I found a three ring binder that will accomplish the task. The only problem with the basic three ring binders is that it has three open sides that allow light to get into the coins. Florescent light and UV light is known to damage coins over a period of time. So I found this zip up binder. It may cost a little more but I believe it's worth it. Now for the inserts holders I'm using the 2 inch non-PVC holders with that 2 inch non-PVC flaps that seems to do the job for my needs. Because I'm in that folder on a daily basis. But if you are only going to go in your folder once in a while to either add to your collection or to show your collection and you are worried about air contamination. There is a very easy and cheap way to solve that problem. Nowadays they have these vacuum baggies you can by. Put your folder in one of the baggies and suck all the air out, that way you do not have to worry about air contamination or humidity. A simple and cheap solution to that problem.Again welcome and enjoy the photos.
