I have a Lincoln Cent collection I have been working since I was a kid ~30 years ago. I have hundreds of cents housed in Day self-sealing 2x2 holders. They seem to do well in those and the holders are supposed to stay sealed for 60+ years. I was thinking of taking the leap to something nicer for storage and display. Is there any advantage to the Air-Tites with rings vs. the close-fitting variety? I was considering creating my own display pages so density is a consideration, which is why I was looking at the close-fitting 19mm style without a ring. Any ideas or input on containers would be appreciated. This is a personal collection and I like to take it out and view the coins in a page/tray format, front and rear. But I also want them to stay nice and not degrade. I am assuming from what I've read that the Air-Tites really do completely seal off the coin. Thanks. Grey
I am a big fan of Intercept Shields to protect and keep my Red Lincolns...well, red! I print small Avery labels on the outside listing the date, mint on one line (#12 arial font) and mintage numbers, nicely centered in #8 arial font for the second line. With the black background, the coins look great. Then, I put them (the 2x2's) into one of these Eagle Album holders: These holders hold the Intercept Shield nicely and nothing else (all things being equal assuming you are storing them in a room temperature, low humidity place) protects coins better...in my opinion. I do NOT like Eagle's 2x2 plastic holders as they are a pain to put together, but their pages work nicely. http://www.interceptshield.com/ I use Intercept Sheilds for all of my Lincolns older than 1945...There are pricy, but everything I have heard and read about, they work!
Welcome to the Forum Grayfang. I spent the summer in Seattle one afternoon several years ago. There are a lot of us who fear outgassing from the adhesive used on the 2x2s as a potential source of unpleasant tarnish and other surface damage. Personally I think that risk is greater than the risk of staple scratches from properly crimped regular 2x2s. Either Air-Tites or plastic 2x2s with intercept shield technology beat self-sealing 2x2s by a country mile.
Air-Tites are excellent long term storage mediums, but they can be bulky, especially if you have a lot of coins. I'm a fan of Kointains. They are a small clear 2 piece mylar capsule that secures the coin quite nicely. The coin will still fit in a flip or just about anything else. The downside is that they take a little practice to use and they cost about $25 per hundred. Used by the Smithsonian for it's numismatic teasures. The coins can still be displayed and the Kointain is nearly invisible. There are lots of places on the 'net to find them.
Great info but now I am in more of a dilema. When I saw the post from Grayfang I thought "great"....now I may have some opinions on ring or not but ha!!.....more info to ponder on other great products LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for all the prompt replies. I think after researching this all day I am going to try the Interceptor with the Eagle Holders. It will bulk up my collection a bit but anything with more depth than a mylar holder is going to do that... The cost is a bit steep, but Lincoln Cents are a lifelong hobby for me so I figure it's worth it. I don't plan on ever selling my collection anyway, but I want it to stay nice and look nice.
Remember, just get the Eagle sheets that hold the 2x2 plastic holders, not the book, labels, and 2x2 holders they sell as a kit for about $89.95. Their sheets will fit in 3 ring-binder (get a 3 inch notebook from Office Depot). As I stated, their 2x2 holders are a pain to put together and the Lincoln cent easily moves around (not good). Hence, I converted to the Intercepts which finally meets my needs and expectations.
For what its worth, I have the eagle notebook and the 2x2 pages and I'm not satisfied with them at all. After a couple of years the pages begin to crack at the edges and at the 3-ring binder holes. Also, putting the coin/holders in and out of the pages puts "slide marks" on the plastic that makes it difficult to view the coins.
Yes I was guessing with the weight they would wear fast. I ordered just the sheets and I plan on reinforcing the holes beforehand. Now I need to find some nice sleeved 3-ring-binders from an office supply store. I guess this will defeat my goal of a compact system. I have figured I will need 14 sheets for 1909~200X, so I hope I can fit 5 sheets in a 3.5" binder. I will wait until the stuff comes in before I order binders. I was going to check in to a label system that would print out a white on clear label from my computer/printer. Thanks again for tips. =Grey=
I found these archival albums - I'm thinking these would work nicely with the afforementioned setup. http://www.archivalusa.com/y-ca-123.html
Free Sample Hello Grey, Personally I wouldn't go with any of the systems I see in this thread. I use the Kointain double pocket flip. It's more informative and just as safe. You have a ability to display without taking up a whole lot of display space. Add to that its inexpensive. If you would like to see one of these I will send one free of charge. These are not something you buy but something you create. If you want peoples opinion, both JD & Doug amoung others have seen these. catman
