2 by 2's, albums, Intercept Shields...oh my! Here's the deal, I have stored and displayed my coins in everything from Whitman folders to professionally graded/certified slabs stored in an atmospherically favorable envirmonment (there's a mouth full!). Getting all of my coins slabbed is ridiculous, but I want to display them in a way so I can individually take them out (so Whitmans and Dansco albums are out). Protection is a must so that my coins keep and stay their colors...even in Southern heat and humidity. So I went to cardboard 2x2's like everybody else. I even printed up Avery Labels (.5 by 1.75", 80 per sheet) detailing the year and mint in #12 bold font on line #1, with the mintage in #8 regular font on line #2, all neatly centered on the label. I used to put the grade, but then it became a matter of opinion, so edition #2 of these Avery labels just dealt with the year, mint and mintage numbers. Who wants to show a collection when somebody would say, "I have the same coin in MS65", as he looks at your label with a MS64 notation. Worst yet, who wants to deal with somebody that will tell you, "That's not AU58, it is more like AU55!". I must admit, they looked great in a three ring binder, but then I had to deal with the cardboard dust/shavings from the edges and the fact that mylar wasn't as strong as I would want. I even saw some of my old, old coins with staples turning to rust! Not good! To combat this, I took some new cardboard 2x2's, cut out the mylar and replaced them with PVC-free "flip" hard plastic (inert material). My thought process was that the rigid plastic window is stronger and more durable than the flimsy thin mylar. I even used a heavy duty stapler where I used flat pliers to squeeze the staples even tighter. Afterwards, I taped the edges to "seal" the cardbord (and staples). It was as strong as you can make a 2 by 2! One dealer who I sold some of my dups to barked out, as he was cutting the coin out with household scissors, "What the hell did you do to this 2X2?" I explained my "process" and he told me that I was just wasting my time. I call it, "enjoying my hobby". Still I wasn't happy. Then I started looking at the Snap Tites and those plastic 2x2's with the Intercept Shield protection. The trouble is how to display them in a book/album format. Finally, I found an album that will hold plastic 2x2's and the Intercept Shield 2x2's! I still use the Avery labels that detail year, mint and mintage, but I think I found something that offers the ease of looking at my coins individually along with presentation and protection. I found this album at: http://www.brent-krueger.com/eagleh...tml#ACCESSORIES It cost me about a $1 per coin extra, but all of my pennies from 1909 to 1950 are now stored in either Snap-Tites or Intercept Shield 2x2's. The coins actually look better with the black background...so score one for presentation! I can't find anything better to protect coins than the Intercept Shield without resorting to sonically sealed slabs (and even that has no guarantees!). For a $1 per coin, it looks better and it is better protected. Maybe someday I will add the grade and start my own grading service...until then, NOT!
I, too, have recently removed some of my coins from the Mylar 2X2's to the snap tite's, and am pleased with the results. While I don't have a book to display them in, I do keep them in a tray for ease in pulling them out of the safe. Yes, these will take up more room, but I think the end result is worth it. I was having some problems with staples rusting as well, and the Mylars really look cheap compared to the hard plastic. Hmmmm...maybe because they are! I doubt that I will convert all of my coins, but my nicer ones I sure will.
Sounds like alot of extra work to me, especially if they are also going to be in pages. As for the tape, BAD idea. I have doen it myself in the past, but while you seal out the air, you also seal in some nasty chemicals in the tape's adhesive (most 2x2s if properly stapled will be airtight, though). Yes, the cardboard 2x2 mylar is thinm but it is the most inert material there is, and it holds the coin like a glove due to the tight fit and soft plastic. Thicker plastic could scratch the coin maybe?
wow! now I feel bad. I don't put nearly that much effort into my storage. I slap everything into a 2x2 (I actually use 1.5x1.5s because I think it looks slicker), and every few months I review my entire collection for atrophy. The only exception is gold. I store my gold coins in either soft flips or airtights in some cases. I think the hard flips are a little too tough on the surface.
Storage and accessibility are always an issue. Balancing what is easy and what works best is a hard compromise. Personally I recommend to my clients that they use AirTites and a good quality album such as those protected by intercept. Silica gel is highly recommended as an added protection. Also taking good quality photos so that you can use for them quick displays to family and friends.
