Bad idea for a few reasons. First there is the staple issue, about all that needs said on that. More worrisome is the cardboard issue. The cardboard is a problem for 2 reasons by itself. One is that cardboard contains sulphur - bad for coins. Two is that cardboard produces cardboard dust, also bad for coins. The dust can cause scratches/hairlines on the coin, and it can also cause spotting on the coin. Third is that the thin mylar provides little to no protection for the coin. Coins can be dinged or scratched right through that thin mylar window. So what I am saying is that a coin worth protecting needs actual protection. The hard plastic coin holders provide real protection. And they have no harmful effects of their own like albums, cardboard 2x2s and coin flips (PVC and non-PVC) have. It is estimated that 80% or more of all raw coins are problem coins. Do you know why most of them are problem coins ? It's because the majority of collectors used improper or bad storage methods and coin holders. And what's worse is - they still do.
This Means I have too redo my thinking on how I store my coins. Hard plastic coin holders I guess is the way I should go. Thanks for your response to my question. I always read your replies and threads you initiate. I greatly respect you for being open and and stating the way you see things. No patronizing intended. Thanks zeke
My 2-cents Sealed hard plastic containers are great for high value coins but you have to find a balance between technology, performance, and price. I mostly use cardboard 2x2s & store them in Dansco albums, 3-ring binders, and 2x2 boxes. Any storage product with excessive PVC (that is soft and/or smells like a new shower curtain) should be kept far away from my coins. If a coin is really special then it is my responsibility to preserve it for future generations and it might get slabbed or mounted in some other hard plastic container. Whitman folders & Dansco albums were fun to complete circulated & AU sets. I still have a bunch of the albums. However, the coins have definately gotten toned or just darkened over the years in these albums. I've removed some nicely toned coins from these albums. Fortunately I caught the toning before it had gone too far. For some coins the toning was not attractive.
One more thing- Whatever method you decide to use, keep your coins in a cool & dry location where the temperature does not change. Store them toward the center of your dwelling rather than in an attic or against an outside wall where the temperature may fluctuate.
"80% of all raw coins are problem coins"? I'm not sure what this statement means. Does "all raw coins" include all current circulating coins? We all know that uninformed people have a natural tendency to "shine up" tarnished metal of any sort. We also know that, in the past, even coin collectors thought coins should be cleaned. That naturally leads to a large population of cleaned coins. We've all seen other kinds of damage, too -- rim hits, scratches, and so forth. I'm sure that some of that damage is from improper storage, but it seems like that would be a tiny minority. I'd love to see a more detailed presentation of the "80%" figure.
If you say so. But to me, any coin that is worth having in my collection is certainly worth 50 cents it takes to protect it. Why would anybody want to put a coin, one of the coins in their collection, in a holder that they know for a fact can and likely will harm the coin ? I'm sorry, but that just doesn't make sense to me.
No, it doesn't, not per se. But it would include a whole lot of the current circulating coins. In general I am referring to collectible coins. And it's not some random number I just made up either. Any recognized expert in numismatics will give you the same figure, or thereabouts. Would it ? Improper or harsh cleaning was the "thing to do" with coins in your collection well into the 1960's. And for centuries before that. And for a whole lot of collectors, it still is. We see them every day here on the forum. Now consider what it was that caused that harsh cleaning to come about ? A coin tones, tarnishes, heavily because it was stored in a coin folder, album, or coin envelope. Or because it was just left in a jar, a cardboard box, or laying in some drawer. Then, how long have PVC flips been around and how many collectors used them in all those years ? For that matter they are still around today, every coin sold by a coin dealer is sold to you in a PVC flip. How many people know this ? And then how many know enough to make sure they remove the coin from that flip ? How many people use silica gel packs and keep their coins in a sealed container with those packs ? How many entire coin collections got pushed into the garage, the attic, or the basement over the years ? How many coins got scratched by a staple from being in cardboard 2x2 since the day they were invented ? How many are still being scratched by them today ? How many got scratched or dinged through the thin mylar window ? How many got spotted, corroded, or scratched from cardboard dust in those 2x2's ? How many coins got those rim dings from being stored in a jar or a box and just tossing the new additions in ? How many got rubbed or heavily tarnished from being in coin cabinets ? Now how many got improperly dipped in an effort to remove, those spots, that corrosion, that unsighlty toning, or any toning at all for that matter ? All of these things, and a whole lot more besides, are a direct result of improper storage. That percentage isn't so tiny anymore.
