You have to define "damage". They DO promote toning, and some people think all toning is damage. The other risk is from plastic cover abrasions, especially on bigger higher relief coins.
Like rim damage, coin being to small and moving around, plastic cover leaving outlines or marks on the obverse
I have shared this image on CT before. It's a book that was started in 1960. If you looks at the 1945-D, 1945-S and several of the others in the top row you will see exactly what long term storage in a common off the shelf folder will do to your coins. These folders do cause toning. And thing is, you cannot predict what sort of toning will be promoted. Some toned coins have extra eye appeal. These do not. And I would suspect that the unappealing toning that I experienced on these dimes is more the norm. I learned the hard way. You don't have to.
Agreed. One example would be when toning progresses to the point when it destroys all luster and even later when it is causing corrosion. Another would be the slide marks you mentioned. Yet another would be the fingerprints that are often put on coins simply by people trying to push them into the album holes - fingerprints that usually become permanent. And lastly, sometimes coin fall out of albums and get damaged as a result of it. In regard to the OP's original question, which is what I think is what he really wants to find out - albums of almost any kind are arguably one of the worst storage methods there is for coins.
Good advice above. Depending upon your budget you could still use Dansco albums and pages but design your own using the correct mm slots for encapsulating the coins in air tite capsules and then inserting them in the slots in the album. This way you might not be able to use the slides as the air tites may be too thick. You could also use air tites and design an album with plastic pages and a three ring binder. Either way is a bit precarious, as if not handled properly the air tites may fall out of the pages. Expensive way to protect them but depends on how much value you place on your collection. Just some thoughts.
There are companies that make albums specially designed for that method. But it solves nothing and helps nothing. This is because Air-Tites are not airtight. So the damaging gasses that are put off by the cardboard, (which what damages the coins to begin with), still gets to the coins and does what it does.
Agreed - I purchased a silver Washington quarter set in an old blue Whitman folder - the obverse and reverse were ok, but every edge of each coin was tarnished black
So there is no perfect or near perfect way to protect any coin, at any time from weathering or toning, not even having any piece slabbed ?
Likely not. I have a 1953 Proof nickel that developed a spot after it was slabbed. It was high grade and now it's pretty much just another that would re-slabbed as details.
You are correct. There is nothing close to perfect. Slabs are quite gas-permeable, not air-tight at all.
pretty much. It's a constant fight against gasses, water vapor, and other airborne contaminants. capsules like air-tites help, and intercept shield boxes and albums help, but nothing developed yet is perfect.
What difference does it make, then, when some people use Whitman and another's use Dansco ? Seems like the argument that takes place when some people love toned coins and the other side doesn't. Yes ?
Would buying the pages that supposedly absorb the gasses help any? I've never purchased these and was wondering how they actually work. But yet again, adds costs.
I transferred from Whitman to Dansco but it does not cure any problems. It just is more attractive plus Dansco has slip cases to keep the albums protected and straight as does the Littleton albums.
They are impregnated with copper, i think. The idea is that any sulfides in the air will react with the copper in the pages before reacting with the coins.