Aren't saflips dangerous?

So, I have a several thousand coins I want/need to put in... something. I am mostly thinking Cowens 2x2 cardboard flips for the bulk of it, and something like the quadrum/lighthouse hard plastic 2x2 holders for anything "better" - better dates, awesome condition, etc.

While doing research, here and elsewhere, though, a lot of people seem to like saflips and other plastic-envelope type holders. I am leery of them, myself - it seems to me they do not hold the coins firmly, like cardboard flips do, and the coins can easily slip back and forth rubbing against the plastic, causing wear over time. Even for G04 coins, I do not want to see this happen! Let alone XF pieces. Every little bit of wear adds up...

Thoughts on this? Why is this not a major worry/problem? Just trying to understand the thoughts out there. Thanks!

Oh, yeah... PS - anyone have any suggestions on budget-yet-decent holders/storage for paper money?

 

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Another issue with the flexible plastic flips is that under certain conditions they can leave a PVC residue on coins. This PVC residue can then make hydrochloric acid which hurts the surface of the coins.

Edit: upon googling Saflips it appears they have no PVC, so that makes my point kind of moot. Guess I should have googled before posting....

 

I absolutely agree with you, for anything special, or worth anything over melt value - I'll be shelling out the extra for the hard plastic right now For A) stuff I've had simply sitting in bags for years, occasionally pouring them out and looking through them before pouring them back in, and B) a ton of "junk" silver I have right now, though, I can't afford the hard plastic cases - at least for now. Like I said, I have THOUSANDS of coins I need to do something with - at 50 cents a pop, or even 3-for-$1, that adds up to hundreds of $$$. Slowly over time, I can transition everything I keep to the good stuff, but for now, my urgency is to get it all out of bank bags and ziplocks, and into SOMETHING Even you must agree, a cardboard flip, especially as a temporary home, is infinitely better than a ziplock full of a hundred+ coins at a time, all in a box with other, similar ziplocks. Lol

But THANK YOU for confirming my thoughts on the saflips... glad to know I'm not just paranoid (or at least, that my paranoia is not unique lol)

 

No problem - thanks for reading and taking the time to reply I knew about PVC problems - but if I had not (and from my first post, you had no reason to assume I did know), this would have been very necessary info. And when someone else comes into this thread later, looking for information, your reply will let THEM know too

 

One additional question, real quick - is Wizard Coin Supply going to be the best value for my money, realistically? I've been looking around, and it's the best I've found... but I may have missed something, so figured I'd ask.

 

Soft flips are not always PVC - there are plenty of other plastics that can be used.

It's not the PVC that causes the problem, it's the plasticizer (softening agent). See http://www.pvc.org/en/p/plasticisers and lookup Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

 

Well, if you're going to be constantly handling your coin, a flip of any sort is not in your best interest. Saflips - my storage of choice for circulated coinage, for the record - are not for coins you want to touch on a weekly basis.

That's why they call it storage, not handling. A Saflip is as safe as any other non-hermetic storage solution, but you have to, you know, store the coin if you're going to use them.

Otherwise, hew to Doug's advice and utilize a solution which won't scrape the coin, if you can't keep your hands off it.

 

In regards to your question about Wizard Coin Supply; I have found them cheaper most of the time and another option of course is Ebay; believe it or not most of these big sellers are on Ebay also because of the broad exposure internationaly. One thing on Ebay you can do a completed listings search and see what people are paying and compare.

 

Well if you really want to protect your coins, I find airtites to be the best. However, once you put them in be prepared for a fight if you ever want to take them out. I put my regular coins in Saflips and into albums. I don't see them moving unless I drop the binder, or toss it across a table.

 

If you're a Prime member ( ), chances are Amazon is your cheapest outlet for coin supplies over the long run.

 

some of the older flips from the 1970s had HELLA PVC, leading to one of my 1921 morgans with a layer of pvc residue so thick you could scrape it off with a knife

 

I use them for my clay casino chips but nothing else.

 

Check the local Walmart store in the art/beads dept. They have packages of 100 small ziplock type bags up to silver dollar size @ 100/1.99 or Jo Ann stores @ 100/ 1.19 on sale. No PVC. One should make a habit of dipping coins in acetone after receiving them and replacing the holder if previous history is unknown as to storage.
The point about hard plastic holders being 'hard' should be taken well, if one is dropped on a hard surface, they tend to 'explode' and the coin tossed about ~ding. If the hard plastic is exposed to stress, fractures can damage the coin as well.

Handling and long term storage environment is as much or more important than the holder used, You get a coin from ebay, and quickly put into an air-tite (tm) without rinsing any plasticizer off with acetone, you have not helped yourself.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/100-Self-...fault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

 

Back in the 80's, I went the route of those hard plastic coin holders with my Washington Quarter Collection from 1932 to Date.

I used the Whitman holders which I found allowed the coins to rotate within the holder, which could impart wear, and it took 4 full Whitman boxes to store them in the SDB.

I saw absolutely no upside to continuing to use the holders so I busted them all out for 2x2's and then 1.5x1.5's simply for storage purposes.

The trick is not so much what media is used for storing your coins as much as it is the "Safe Handling" of your coins.

Suffing a box full of 2x2's so tight with coins is a disaster waiting to happen due to staple scratching while removing individual coins and putting them back. When boxes are being used, you need to leave enough room so that coins can effortlessly be removed.

As for Save Flips? These too require "Safe Handling" practices. Specifically, open the pocket of the flip and drop the coin in instead of "sliding" the coin in.

This is what the TPG's require when coins are submitted for grading. Safe Flips with the expectation that the submitter knows how to handle coins.

There are hundreds of ways to damage a coin including damage imparted by different storage methods but its up to the collector to "PAY ATTENTION" to what s/he is doing.

Seat Belts are of absolutely no use from a safety perspective if they are not worn or worn properly. The same is true with coin holders. If they are not used properly, they can damage the coin intended to be protected.

My Current method of storage for special coins, is a dusted 2x2 with crimped staples which is then inserted into a 2.5x2.5 Safe Flip.

BTW, .50 cents per coin can add up rather quickly.

 

Huh?

You "pour your coins out of the bags and then pour them back into the bags" and you're worried about the wear that a safe flip will impart to a coin?

 

I was always under the impression that PVC "was" the plasticizer?

 

Boy, you *really* dislike those cardboard 2x2s. Lol. You hold a grudge on them like they killed your parents, cussed at your kids, stole your spouse, and kicked your puppy on the way out the door ;P Every thread about storage I read in these forums, while I was researching prior to posting, if someone mentions them, you are "no no no no no!" on the subject lol.

I'll definitely consider your advice carefully while making my decision - I do have an impatient streak, and want to not only buy some sort of holders *now*, but want them to arrive TODAY so I can work on this lol. But I've learned to listen, instead, to the voice of reason over the years, and not be so impulsive in my actions, even if I cannot stop the desire itself from making me dance a jig going "I want it NOW!" I may still decide to use them, but know that it's not stubbornness, it's after considering not only your advice, and that of others, but also a careful weighing of risks, benefits, cost, utility, and purpose And not a decision I'll make today, but I'll give it a few days of thought.

Thank you for the advice, and for the sharing the benefit of your knowledge and experience