Hey Coin Lovers & Aficionados, Coin storage question here: I read that the best storage for pennies is in tubes. So I got myself some tubes. Obviously I want to preserve the state of my coins as much as possible. My question comes down to mixing different quality coins. If I have 10 red or red brown pennies and 20 average circulated condition, is it fine to keep them all in the same tube? My assumption is that having those cruddy coins in with the choice coins won't make a difference. But I could be wrong, and if so, please enlighten me. Today is the day I will be trying to tackle the organization/storage process of my coins so any tips/wisdom you have will be much appreciated.
This is one of those answers that hard to give as all of us do not have the same environment. How much moisture is in our house, are the tube tight or not. When I test a seal or capsule, I put food coloring inside a test sample ( no coin) and seal it. If I can hold it upside down and shake ( not like a ice drink shaker), and no color leaks, it is safe enough for air storage. Close to air tight will prevent problems. If they are all valuable circulated ( like a tube of 1922 D) then I would then put the tube in a zip lock bag and seal it with as little air as possible. The rims tend to prevent the devices of the coins from interacting, so I have never had any problems. Yes I have some in old tubes for 40+years, seldom opened, but when checked no problems. If some of the coins have green or blue on them, one can rinse them in acetone and let them air dry first. This will remove any active corrosion agents that are organic. Jim
Short answer: Coins won't tone each other, although gunk on the coins (removable with acetone) should be removed. The long answer will be different from everyone that has ever tried to organize a collection. It all depends on what you have and how you'd like to enjoy it.
I would only keep mint coins with mint coins because of possible contaminants on anything circulated or red-brown. Also, don't mix bronze with copper-plated zinc because the electromotive effects of mixing metals will corrode them.
Aside from all other considerations, some of which have already been mentioned, the problem with tubes is this - they allow the coins, you could even say force the coins, to wear against each other. Same thing goes for rolls of course. Every time the tube rolls over, every time the tube moves, or the container the tube is in is moved - the coins inside it move as well and they are moving against each other. By definition, this causes wear. So it is a problem not only for MS coins but for circulated coins as well.
The rims are the highest point on a coin, which protects the devices from rubbing on each other. A tube is a very safe place to store coins as long as they are kept dry and air tight.
Ya think ? Then please explain why the TPGs felt the need to come up with the concept of "roll friction" to explain wear on the devices of coins that they grade MS. Then you can try to explain how you can take an MS coin, lay it down on a perfectly flat countertop, rub it back and forth, and get wear on the devices. Yes, the rim is higher than most areas on the coin, just not all of it. And yes, the purpose of the rim is to try and protect the design of a coin so that it remains identifiable for a longer period of time thus increasing its usefulness. But you don't need to protect the entire design to do that - just enough of it. The high points of a coin are on the devices, not the rim.
What type of coin? I know that the rims are designed to be the highest point on a coin so that they will stack correctly, which was one of (not the most important) reason the UHR 1907 $20's were a problem - knifed rims. I've seen bag friction as a notation, but not roll friction - unless an idiot is taking coins out of a roll incorrectly and sliding them out on each other. Then the edge of one coin will slip over the edge of another and across the surface. That isn't from being in the roll, but from being taken out of one incorrectly.
