So I've been pondering for a long time on how to display/store my ancients while making it more eye appealing. I went ahead and purchased some Abafil cases since they have good "Italian" velvet lining and use natural materials (wood, silk ect.) I decided on the 2x2 celled size and the 1" mini-diplomat cases becuase of the advantage of displaying my coins securely within my Guardhouse 2x2 flips I would just leave the coins out on top of the coin flips (since I'm afraid even the velvet lining could possibly wear out the reverses overtime), strictly leaving the coins in the 2x2 flips would also mean I won't be able to handle and examine the coins more closely between my fingers. Now the problem I've been having with the smaller thinner and flatter coins like Roman Denarii is that they tend to slip out of their current cell and hop over to the next one. It happens when the case is closed and I move the case around a little bit even if I keep the tray horizontally flat while moving it. This could also be due to the fact that the cells are quite large (to fit 2x2) which gives the coin more chances to shift around near the gap between the cells. I finally think I'm ready to get another Abafil case with smaller cells so I can store more coins and keep the collection looking more compact and uniform, do any of you experience you Denarii slipping into other cells on your abafil cases (smaller cell version)? If so, what could I do to prevent this if I want to travel with these cases if I were to bring them in a backpack ect. ?
I would recommend Lighthouse Quadrum capsules, if you want an alternative to the flips: https://www.leuchtturm.com/square-coin-capsules-quadrum.html
@ArtDeco It looks like you have the Abafil cases, which can hold 2 trays per case, if the trays are the normal depth trays. 1 thing you can do, to try to prevent the coins from moving outside of the compartments, is put a piece of foam and/or fabric (perhaps velvet fabric), on top of each tray. You would want to put enough foam and/or fabric, to close the gap between the 2 trays, and to close the gap between the top tray and the top of the case.
P.S. : Or, if you remove the 2x2 flips and pieces of paper, and just have the coins in the trays, with nothing else in the trays, then that would allow the coins to sit at the bottom of each compartment, which may decrease the probability of a coin moving outside of its compartment. That's what I do. I read somewhere in a CoinTalk thread, that the Abafil velvet trays are unlikely to cause any wear on the coins, if the coins are occasionally moved on the velvet.
Actually I have two 1" Mini-Diplomat cases (one red and one blue) which have only one tray built in, I'm planing to buy the bigger full size 2" Diplomat case which can hold 2 trays. I'm also thinking about getting velvet strips that match the lining color of the trays I will buy and try to stick them on those shorter end of the cell rows to fill in those gaps. Not so far apart from your idea! Thanks!
P.P.S. : (See my P.S. reply above, regarding removing the 2x2 flips and pieces of paper) Another idea, is to buy an Abafil case, which can hold 2 normal depth trays, or 1 deep tray. Then, you could buy a deep tray. A deep tray may be better, at preventing coins from moving outside of their compartments.
P.P.P.S. : The only disadvantage of a deep tray, is that it makes the coins more difficult to see, because you have to look over the compartment walls, unless you are directly above the tray. But, if you have the coins on top of things, such as pieces of paper and 2x2 flips, then that may not be a problem.
@sand Thanks for the suggestions. I have just purchased a full size Abafil Diplomat case that holds 2 trays, this time I opted for 40 cells per tray ( 1-3/8" x 1-3/8") which should give enough clearance for a hemiobol all the way to a tetradrachm, I purchased velvet sheets which are self adhessive on the back and should match the Red and Blue velvet trays I have chosen for the case. This should seal up those "gaps" and I can even line the bottom of the top tray with velvet for the coins on the second tray. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D5MLW2D/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AVJPLU36BXHT5&th=1 Now my only problem is making smaller attribution inserts and plastic to go over those paper inserts. I will probably continue using 2x2 coin flips only when I'm bringing a few coins somewhere at a time. These multiple tray cases are quite good becuase as you can see in the photos on the Edward J. Waddell site, there is a gap on the right side of the case where the 2 trays edges are exposed, you can then stick sillica gel packs in there or anti-tarnish strips for more protection for your openly exposed coins within the case.
