there are alot of different coin holders... 2x2s, round tubes, square tubes, round tubes with squared edges, ect... I am looking for a container to store coins, but not a tube. The reason i am loking for something outside of the traditional 'tubes' is because I have coins from dozens of different countries, all ranging in shape, size ect. I do not want a dozen different tubes for each country when all i have for most countries is a dozen or so. I am looking for a container that can be closed that will be able to hold a couple of dozen or so coins of variable shape and size. I found this company that sells 'musuem' and 'archival' quality containers. The smaller container, the ww-pet202 is almost the perfect size. any ideas, or better products? thanks
Well, its not a tube but these boxes hold multiple coins in different sizes. I seen these work well. HERE
depending on your skills you could always make one? a small box wooden box isn't hard to make and then line with velvet to avoid the wood-coin contact and you can even make a spot for the silicongel packs :thumb: otherwise i'd suggest a small jewllery box they always have a ton of compartments, and you can find some rather nice ones at flea markets and yard sales some times
Those might work, but being unsure of the 'plastic' used, and i doubt they are for archival purposes, i would be afraid of what gases the plastic might give off and what possibly they would do to the coins. Plus the site said this about the container - What could that gas do to coins? True. The containers were not built for coins, but were designed by a museum to store items with the same intent i have for the coins. I understand your reluctance... but its the same fear of what might or could happen that has driven me to find safe alternatives to some common (IMHO questionable) methods. Looking at folks selling containers using PVC that we KNOW to be bad for coins, and the seller of course says they are 100% archive safe. At least with these cases, they were built from Mylar (PET), and are used by museums... or at least the Canadien Museum of Natural History. Maybe not for coins, but the gas byproducts in some products that could harm coins can also harm other other items the museum wants to protect. Also, Mylar is known to be inert with no gases released. I built some boxes out of basswood that fit perfectly in a case i bought, but even if lined with velvet to avoid direct contact withthe wood, gases could fill the air around the coins and potentially cause issues. I want to 'try' to avoid that. The containers i mentioned above snap shut. It may not be an airtight seal, but i think it would have to be better then having the coins sitting directly on some material that is giving off harmfull gases. I checked the website today to check on my order. It seems that even though when i placed my order the item was in stock. Even though when i got my confirmation email the item was in stock. It does seem, the company may model their ordering system after the US Mint.... i check today, and now the item i ordered is backorderd until March 13th..... Figures they would have to be the sole authorized distributor of the cases in the US.
So these boxes you want to use, am I correct in assuming that you are going to place numerous coins in each one, loose, so the coins bang around against each other ? That alone would be enough to stop me from using them.
I well know what you mean by coins of all different sizes from other countries. I don't collect them as a foreign coin collector but one place I used to work had people from all over the World. Every time I mentioned I collected coins I would be handed coins from thier country from wherever they came from. They used to go into a larg box. After a while I thought this is not to smart so at a coin show I found these little packages of plastic bags. They are ment for coins. An assortment came in about 5 different sizes. About 25 in each pile. These are real thin so when you put a coin in them you can just turn over the end, seal with tape, place in a cardboard box and they will be there until the end of time, maybe. The larger ones I put in one of those about one foot long red cardboard boxes with two rows ment for 2x2's. The other ones are just in a cardboard box. I have vertually thousands of the things. So many have things on them I have no idea of what they say, where they are from, nor the dates or almost anything. However, they were free so I keep them. Those little plasitic bags things are about 4 or 5 inches long and vary in width. Try a coin store for those. Some coins have been in them for many years now and no problems.
Yep, the coins will be in the boxes loose. Might not be the perfect solution for pricey coins, but the next best thing for average circulated world coins. The boxes, once loaded up with coins, will not be rolled, tumbled and otherwise knocked about. Will the coins suffer some minor wear as a result of being in the cases - yes, its probable. Will they suffer any more wear then that which they recieved from being in circulation and traveling half way around the globe - doubt it. I wont place any world proof coins or anything close in these boxes - be sure of that! The best possible solution for the long term storage (and i dont pretend to think this is the only solution) would be to buy 1000 tubes, and use a specific tube for each coin of any particular shape, size, and denomination for each country. This would keep the coins seperated and could be classified as the collector sees fit. I just dont have the amount of coins necessary for such an undertaking. Over time, as i do get more world coins, and possibly coins worth more then the exchange rate, its very possible this solution with these boxes wont work, or could easily be modified. I have seen the small plastic packages Just Carl mentioned, and slipping coins in those prior to being placed in the boxes is 1 possibility (if they are made from a safe material)- a slight added buffer of protection for each coin, although fewer coins would fit in the already small box. These boxes are made from a known safe material. They are an option in a hobby filled with options. Like collecting, certainly to each their own as to how their collections are stored
daggar get IS boxes and airtites and then stack them ull get the same effect and it will cause no damage
This may sound stupid but I've done it. I have vacuum sealed some of my most valuable copper coins, Morgans, quarters, etc. The material is polypropylene and okay for food and anything else. Takes a little work but the satisfaction of preserving them for a long time is rewarding. One drawback is one side is diamond shaped on the outside. So this distorts the view a lot. After sealing, trim to desired size and store in suitable container. Am I going overboard on this or what?
here is what wiki said about the chemical i might be a bit weary about using the plastic if chemicals are known to leak from it. But hey, i stack my coins loose in boxes
I would put the coins in 2x2 holders and then find a plastic container with an air tight lid to put the 2x2's in. You can label them by writing on the holders and even separate them into different containers for different series, countries, etc.
