2x2 Flip Pet Peeves

Does anyone else have pet peeves with 2x2 flips? I know some of them have PVC and a lot of them are now PVC-free, but how about some others?

A couple pet peeves are:

- The standard flips that have double pockets. Whenever I extract coins from those flips, I sometimes get the coin to contact the outer edge of the other pocket. I worry that it will scratch the coin. Wouldn't a one-pocket flip be better (the ones with one pocket and the other side is a thick(er) pocket-less cover)? I can see how inserting a piece of paper to ID the coin is helpful, but even if you're submitting the coin, TPGs seem to want you to add sticker labels to the flip to ensure that the label doesn't fall out/off. I think I'll be using one-pocket flips moving forward.

- The hard and brittle ones that tend to crack at the folded area, and the uber soft ones like those of BCW. (Which brand is the right balance?)

 

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I usually get the Cowens mylar cardboard flips from Wizard coin supply. They work just fine for me!! Of course I'm not putting rare or BU/MS coins in them.

 

I prefer the Saflip "saddlebags".

@iPen
Here's a tip for removing coins from them. Fold the empty part all the way back if you're worried about scratching a coin.

Chris

 

@iPen

Here is another tip. Use a scissors on the bottom of the flip.

Try this experiment to put your mind to rest...try scratching a coin with a plastic flip. I just took a BU Presidential dollar and put the pointed end of a hard flip and pushed the point back and forth several times until I pushed so hard that the point bent. No damage to the coin's surface at 15X.

This BS about slide marks on coins from coin folders is 99% nonsense. We have tried this in seminars. Will it ever happen sooner or later - well yes as anything is possible. Perhaps some grit settles out of the air or off a hand and gets trapped on the inside of the slide. Perhaps a bit of hard (pressed in as made) included debris pushed out of the cheap cardboard. I've only seen it happen ONCE leaving a very tiny, little hairline.

 

If you want to scratch a coin try removing a coin from those cardboard flips with the staples, one bad move and you have damaged a nice coin.

 

Same here. from Wizard, and I've never had trouble with the inserts falling out. In fact, it can be quite hard to get them out sometimes.

 

Try this very, very old method: Use a very thin, sharpened safety pin filed down on the sides to make it thinner. A diamond nail file is good for this but don't let the wife catch you! Poke the pin into the clear plastic space (2X2 hole) between the coin and edge of the cardboard being VERY CAREFUL not to touch the side or rim of the coin (as you can put a thin fresh mark on the edge if you get metal to metal contact). Once the pin is through, move it along the arc of the cardboard a tiny bit. This is usually enough to pop the coin out and on to a soft velvet pad without touching the coin with your fingers or risking a staple scratch.

 

I should mention that I use Quadrums for my coin collection. The 2x2 flips I usually get from sellers whom I buy from. So, I get a variety of different flips. The worse part is when they staple it shut. The staples I can remove, but the stapled holes jut out, too and that is a serious potential for scratching a coin (another pet peeve).

I'll try folding the flip all the way over @cpm9ball.

And, if the flips are in nice shape, I like to reuse them to submit my lower grade but rarer coins. Though, new ones are the way to go in general, especially for higher grade AU to MS coins. The flips are quite cheap, so there really is no excuse. Maybe I'll start reusing flips for culls.

I'll have to look into Cowens - I've heard a lot about them. Which reminds me of top brands for archival pages... but that's for another topic.

 

Do you or anyone here know if NGC is actually against using paper inserts for the other pocket? I know NGC tells you to use sticker labels, but are there really issues with paper falling out? Will they send them back or accept them anyway? I feel like I could simply use double sided tape on the paper insert and that'll definitely keep it from falling out.

 

I admire how careful you are with your coins...So you should not watch dealers package up their holdings or removing coins from flips and folders or you might have a heart attack. IMO, you would not wish to see coins professionally graded either.

Now, I just took a stapled, cardboard 2X2 and pushed the pointed corners into another (fresh from a roll BU) Presidential dollar coin with enough pressure to bend the corners. Looking at the coin's surface I saw a 1/16th inch smudge on the surface. It came right off with a Q-tip leaving a perfect original surface matching the rest of the coin. No scratches or hairlines. Pushed up staple holes in 2X2's do not scratch coins!

Relax. Go to the bank and get a few BU half dollars and presidential dollars. Carefully examine each one. Now practice throwing them at walls in your house and dropping them on the floor. I am convinced that you will be amazed at how difficult it is to ruin a coin. Now don't rub a tissue on the surface of a proof quarter or I'll be very embarrassed.

 

I've accidentally done this before, years ago. It can be heartbreaking to leave a staple scratch on a nice coin.

 

All my coins, medals, tokens, etc....go into airtites. G4 or AG3 into cardboard holders, unless it is valuable even at those grades. About 25% of my collection was purchased slabbed. Only my casino chips go into double pocket plastic flips.

 

I would love to see pictures of how all of you keep your coins, whether they are high grade or no grade. Let's see them!

 

Mine are loose under the mattress getting nice and toned! I'd take a photo but lifting the mattress would let all the stale air out and slow down the process.

 

Here are some of mine, at least of what can fit in a 5" binder.

They're mostly in Quadrums then in 2.5" pocket pages.

It's funny to look at, but it's heavy and cumbersome.

 

Interesting! Do you find it best to keep all of the coins in order by date & denomination or does it matter if they are placed under the mattress in a random order? If you should run out of mattress space, do you move on to the next bedroom? Do you trust that your children and/or houseguests will not play with your coins?

Chris

 

An X-acto knife works best for cutting around the perimeter of the mylar window to extract the coin.

Chris

 

I would use my P-Touch label machine to make stickers to apply to the insert, thus, identifying each coin by line #/date/mintmark/denomination. I've used this method for submissions as few as 5 coins and as many as 75 coins, and NGC never said a word when I submitted them in person at the FUN Show. I have never ever had an insert fall out. The pockets are very tight unless you choose to use a worn-out flip that formerly held a thick coin or medal.

Chris

 

I do the same as you guys. Something tiny and sharp works every time.

 

Doh! And here I have been wrestling with those darned staples!