All the recent discussion about storage has me concerned about a set that is meaningful to me. This is a birth year proof set that was gifted to me by a friend that is no longer here. It was given to me in the original mint envelope which where I have always kept the set. With all the recent discussion about storage and knowing now that envelopes are detrimental to our coins, should I separate this set from its mint issue envelope?
That set is 59 years old, and I see no signs of toning or detrimental effects. I'd say you're safe. The key is to keep it in a cool, dry environment. Heat and humidity hasten the toning - but as long as the cellophane is well sealed, even that shouldn't bother it too much.
I've had my pre-65 proofs stored in a metal box (cool dry place) ever since I was a kid and over the years they've stayed pristine. There is a school of thought out there that advises separating the envelope from the pilofilm, though.......
As a younger man I fancied myself a proof set collector. I owned three sets. Funny how our perspective changes with time. For years I thought proof sets were issued in plastic Capital holders.
Randy here's the thing, that set may stay just as it is even if ya leave it alone. Or it may not, it could just as easily start changing. But the determination is made by a wide set of variables. For example, do you know how long your friend owned it, how he stored it, or even if someone else and maybe several others owned it and stored it ? And how long have you had it since he gave it to you ? And even if ya knew all the answers, is your home, your location, exactly the same as theirs in every way ? Do you heat your home the same way, is the paint on your walls the same as theirs ? Is the carpet the same, the foods you cook and how you cook them the same ? Is literally everything in your home the same as theirs ? Is the humidity, the temperature, etc etc etc - is it all the same ? All of those things and a whole lot more is what determines how and when coins tone, and how they tone. What I'm telling you is everything is an unknown, and there is no way for anyone to know it. It's all guesswork. So you can use the belt and suspenders approach or you can use one or the other or you can go without both. And even then ya still won't know what the future holds.
