After much consternation, I decided to move my better coins to the Coin World slabs. Mostly, this was so that I could have a consistent presentation along with any professionally graded coins. I know a lot of you guys are partial to the air-tights, but I have to say, these look fantastic. Definitely worth the extra $1 per coin.
I bought a few dozen of them a while back. I decided i wanted to put all my unc ASE's (the non W unc) in them for the same reason as you. Most of these eagles i have had for years, and all were still blazing white. after just a few months in the holders, every eagle is starting to tone. I am leaving that set in the holders, and will continue to put them there just for a full set, but i will never use those holders for anything else.
i have thought the my whole experience was just a series of unfortunate events that caused the toning at the exact time i placed them int he CW holders. The holders are 'supposed' to be made from inert materials....
You can look at SAEs funny and they'll tone. Are you sure you've not somehow otherwise changed their storage conditions?
IMHO coin edge holders are the absolute safest holder for coins.. period. sure there are some holders that have a sacraficial element that catches airborn pathagens and renders them inert. But eventually, this sacraficial element will deteriorate and become inert itself. Also, those products, while they do work, they DO NOT stop all airborn pathagens. there WILL be some that will make their way to the coins. Coinedge holders protect the coin in an airtight seal. Read the link in my sig to coin and currency holders. I heard direct from a very reliave source (and coinworld author) about coinedge. I cant remember the test that is used, but the coin edge holders pass this test that shows after such a time period, no gases penetrate the holder to the coin. have a read in that thread, you might be glad you did Leadfoot... for years i had my coins sitting in boxes in my closet. no toning. I put my coins in an airquality management safe .. for 2 years, no toning. i put the coins in coinworld holders... 2 months later.. toning. yes, could be a giant coincidence.. but one that convinced me to never use them again, except for my ASE's for that set
I like the airtites because they are (a) proven, (b) you can see the edge of the coin much better, and (c) you can store them in a much smaller area (i.e. takes less space in the safety deposit box). Cost was not a factor.
Thank you for that information. This is the first I've heard of this phenomenon. Tell me, was there any paper product in the holder? Were coins other than the ASE stored in these holders toned as well? Do you have any pics so I might see what the toning looked like? Just trying to find out more info. Thanks...>Mike
The only coins i put in the CW holders was my collection of (non W) ASE's. All i bought for that first purchase were 3 dozen of the ASE size. After seeing what they did, i dont think i will try any other coin. Nothign against toned coins.. but i prefer my coins rust free I dont find anything particularly 'wrong' with airtights! The qualities Leadfoot has mentioned are dead on. They do a good job of protecting coins. The 1 issues i have with them however, is they do not pass the 'Oddy Test' . This means containaments do and will come in contact with the coin in time. While the coinedge holders have passed this test, i have more faith in them. However, the coinedge holders are cheap IMHO. If i could get a cross between the Airtights and coinedge... i would put all my money on them!!! Also ... keep in mind .. with all the TIME you put into your collection ... with all the MONEY you put into your collection ... think of all the CARE you attend to when handling your collection. Keep all that in mind when buying items to protect your collection. Most often it is the cheaper items that will do the most harm. PVC is cheap because its possibly the worst material to use to store coins. Airtights are some of the most expensive .. and for a reason ... they are good! While i do understand the constraints of a very small budget i beg you to buy the best storage medium you can afford for the type of coin you are storing (rant over lol)
There is a simpler test than the Oddy to see if any holder is truly tight from contaminants. Put drops of a water soluble ink in the coin space and seal it. Submerge the holder in a clear container of water for a week. If the water has no tinge of color after that period is is arguably air tight also. I have done this with "airtite" and Coinsafe ( which I think is the same company as the coinedge) and both failed within 24 hrs. Yet mylar 2x2 that I heat sealed passed readily. Once you pay for the $40 heat sealer, the mylar 2x2 method is inexpensive and also if you sell coins by mail, it prevents tampering for bogus returns. Jim
I agree. Imagine this collector's surprise when he pulled out his 100% white ASE certified by PCI and saw this. LOL. I love this coin.
