I have a some coins in slightly over-sized airtites and quadrums, and am wondering about the probability of rubbing. Specifically, if the holders are basically level/flat, would the rims of the coins protect the designs, if there is no foreign matter in the holder? Or should I just go ahead and put them all in new airtites that fit correctly? Here are some examples: proof and MS Canadian quarters in U.S. quarter-size airtites, U.S. nickles in Quadrums (yeah, they don't fit right), Britannias in ASE-size Quadrums. Each can rattle a bit...although I don't play them like Maracas! But these are mostly MS and PF, so I want to care for the surfaces... This is curious to me, since I read the first year Peace dollars had a problem stacking (?), so I wondered if the design height was actually taller than the rim? Put another way, if the designs are lower than the height of the rims, do the rims basically protect the designs from rubbing? Is this the case with certain common series?
Defiantly put them in ones that fit. Air tight is supposed to be, well, air tight, so the basic idea is to minimize the amount of air in them. And rattling isn't good either. I had a large cent once in a loose air tight. I dropped it, and the relief banged against the walls of the airtight. As you can imagine, I saw some undesirably red metal as a result.
No, they are not airtight. And the idea is to reduce the flow of air in and out of the holder, not the amount of air in the holder. Air-Tites do what they are supposed to do, and they do it quite well. That includes holding the coin without the coin rattling around inside the holder. But you do need to use the correct size for them to do that. And since some coins are slightly larger or smaller than their brethren, I always found it best to use the ring type. They ensure that there is never any movement of the coin inside the holder. And Clint, yes, some coins do have devices that are as high or higher than the rims. That is why wear usually shows up on the high points first.
For absolute proof, check out ancient Greek coinage. If you call any modern coins "high relief", then the only applicable term for greek coinage would be 3d relief. Some romans are the same way. It is very much a problem for ancient collectors. I have an athenian tet in a flip, and its about 3/8th of an inch thick.
