Howdy All, I am looking for some air-tite holders. I noticed that there are 2 different types...Direct Fit and Ring Type. Most of my uncirculated ASEs are in the Ring type. Is there an advantage to one type over the other, or os just simply looks?
hllywood, In my opinion its only looks. The only difference between the two designs is the size. The outside diameter of the ring type have to be larger to accomodate the ring width. Some people prefer the color borders, some (like me) prefer direct fit. I have used ring type air-tites for gold coins because I like the black ring contrasting the gold coin.
I have used both styles, but the colored ring seems to make the coins look better. Maybe it's just me, but that is my oppinion.:thumb:
Thank you all for the information. What I was thinking about doing was getting one of the Ait-Tite albums to display an entire set. After reading a bit more carefully, I think the only ones that I can use with the Air-Tite albums is the direct fit.
The albums can hold either style Air-Tite, just need to match the size of your capsule to the right size pages.
I prefer the direct fit type as I found the others a bit fiddly to handle, I store mine in trays that can be stacked :smile De Orc :kewl:
At first I assumed that the ring-types were easier on the coins, because I was visualizing the coins sliding back and forth in the direct-fits, banging edges. I didn’t expect that to happen with ring-types, except to whatever extent the ring might compress from the weight of the coin if the holder was dropped on its edge.. Now I suspect it’s just the opposite. I haven’t tested it or looked too intently, but I suspect the direct-fits are gripping the coin “corners” (the 90 degree intersection between the coin face and edge) and preventing it from sliding to any degree, provided the direct-fit is the correct size for the coin. Appearance-wise, I also prefer the direct-fits.
I also use the ring type air-tites for gold coins for the same reasons. I store my air-tite coins not in an album but in the box that they sell. There is room enough between each space for the coins and if one wishes, the box can be stored in a safe deposit box.
I'm using Airtite's for the Buffalo nickels I'm collecting & I've decided to get a case of them to put my BU/Proof set of '38-'06 Jefferson's in (hopefully the Dansco album they're in hasn't wrecked any of them). Am I crazy for thinking about using them for my Lincoln's too? I mean all of my '59-'06 Lincolns are BU Red (except for some carbon spots), but aren't likely to ever be worth a ton. Some of the '09-'58 coins are worth a little bit, but very few are BU most being VG-XF. Part of me says it's a bit crazy (the holder will be worth more than some of the coins), but then I figure if I care about it enough to collect them in the first place then why not protect them a bit. ~Brian
Well Brian if you have the extra money I see no reason why not. After all don't they say that the frame is worth more then the picture for most art that is sold in malls and at street fairs yet there are millions of homes that buy the picture. As long as your coins bring you joy and you want to highlight and protect their condition and you have the disposable money then I say go for it.
Well, I'd rather buy more coins with the money of course. Right now the pennies are in 2x2 flips (no PVC) in pocket pages. IMO they look ugly in these. The flips are way to big (1.5x1.5's would be better, but still to big) and the coins move in them which will probably cause them to get wear over time. After reading about how Dansco's & others aren't a great idea (slide marks, the way coins are put into them) Airtite's seem like the next most affordable method. I guess even cardboard 2x2's would be better than the flips they're in now. Atleast the coins wouldn't slide around. I know the downsides to albums & flips, what are the downsided to good old cardboard 2x2's? ~Brian
HLLYWOOD J P's CORNER sells air-tite holders and they have a size chart for the coins in there pages. I think it is size H go to there web site for the chart listing . Very nice people there I buy all my supplies from them.:thumb:
Cheapest place I've found for Airtite's is a local shop here (valleycoin.com). $61.95 a case for Direct Fits & $76.44 for Ring Type's. Anyone know of a better deal? Thanks
How many are in the case ? The most expensive size is about 40 cents each at JP's Corner. But don't get me wrong about the 2x2s - you asked a question and I gave an honest answer. But you need to consider something for your own sake - what is the value of the coins you will be storing ? Personally, I always favored the idea somebody else mentioned - if I like the coin well enough to collect it then it's worth 40 or 50 cents to me to protect it. But that may not be suitable for everyone. So in some cases 2x2s are suitable. But I would never store any coin that was UNC, Proof or worth more than a few dollars in a 2x2 - it's just too easy for them to be damaged and then you're left with nothing.
