How do you protect your coins?

New, but going to post a second thread right away, 'cause this is a big question for me...
How do you store your coins? What is the best way to ensure that they are protected?
Flips seem awfully flimsy...
PVC things are just too clumsy to label (I hate stapling a piece of paper to them like I see so often)
Airtights are nice, but can't be labelled.
So, I have found two options I like:
1. I found these coin edge 2x2 holders which are far tougher than flips, have room for a small sticker, and let you see the edge (which I like) and they are not too expensive (about .20 each)
2. Slabs. Nice. I love slabs. But, they are spendy to buy, hard to insert coins in (especially those for dimes and pennies I find...) and take up tons of space.
So, I am buying more of the coin edge containers, as I like them best. But, what do the rest of you do and why?

 

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Well with the coins that go in my album I just put them in the card board 2x2's. They are typically 4 cents each at most coin stores but if you buy in bulk from the manufacturer directly you can get them for .2 cents each.

 

How will the flips perform over a ten year period? And what about high MS coins, or proofs, where surface preservation is critical?
(oh, and hi NOS! Nice to meet you)

 

Much depends on the value and importance of a coin. Very inexpensive uncs and circs can just go into coin tubes for medium term storage. Be sure to put a spacer et the top so the coins don't vibrate in the tube. Keys and very valuable coins should be slabbed if you want to sell them. If you want to keep them then just use any good holder or album (like Dansco). 2 x 2 holders are great for displaying coins in pages or for storage but look at them once in a while to be sure they're OK. Most mint and proof sets can stay in their mint holders for the short term but some of these are poor for long term storage. This especially applies to mint sets like the '68 - '70, '75- '78, and '84 sets. It might be wise to stabilize some of these in acetone and use other storage methods.

When your collection begins to have some significant value you'll also need to protect it from thieves. The safest means is a safety deposit box in a bank. A cheaper method is to have a home safe. Be sure that no one knows you have the safe and that it's well secured to the building. It can be very hazardous to have people know that you have a safe even if there's not a lot of value in it.

One of the most important things is to use storage methods and display methods that take into account what you collect and how this might change over time. It can be expensive to be constantly changing how you store coins. Many dealers sell used supplies and most of these are safe though you may want to wipe them with an alcohol soaked rag first.

 

I favor Air-Tites.

 

But how do you catalog or label them? Maybe only I am hooked on that, but I like to at least label with a index number tied to a spreadsheet where I can list the coins attributes and what I paid for it. Air tights are great for protecting and viewing, (I use them on my American Eagle Silver $'s) but not much for labelling potential...
Anyone else used the coin edge view holders? I bought several hundred and would love to hear any positive or negative experiences.

 

You can display the Air-Tites in either Air-Tite albums or Air-Tite storage boxes (using Air-Title display cards). Either way, you could label the display cards.

It would be a little messier with the albums because you would have half a dozen coins per card. With the storage boxes, you just have one card per Air-Tite.

 

RUN AWAY FROM THE PVC FLIPS RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FASTER RUN FASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So, let me see if I got this right...
You don't favor the pvc things

 

Nor does anyone else who doesn't want his/her coins to turn green and get slimy.

 

You mean that green slime is not 'attractive toning'? Damn, there goes the collection. Excuse me, I need to go change some ebay listings from 'attractively toned green' to 'minor pvc damage'...
I'll be back in a minute...
I never liked the PVC flips, and don't use them.

 

I have gone completely with the CoinEdge holders. They look nice, you can see the edge of the coin, and they are completely air-tight.

 

I like the ones I have, and am thinking of going fully to them also. Glad to hear someone else has even heard of them!

 

I found this description on the web of various types of coin holders:

Coin Holders Description

 

Museum Quality Coin Holders

PVC holders emit gases that leave a harsh residue on the coins surface. See an example of a PVC contaminated coin. SAFLIPS developed by E&T Kointainer Company are archivally safe coin flips are made of 100% pure mylar. These are available at www.canadiancointree.com an online dealer of Canadian coins, paper money and collector supplies.

 

Lemme see, 9" wide, 7" tall, wood.

 

I also find airtites decent too.

 

And not just any wood, but mahogany, right?