So I'm looking at Preston's binder pages today and I keep getting a whiff of shower curtain. I lean down and smell the binder pages they sold me and they reak of it. The brand is Edgar Marcus & Co. So now I'm on the hunt for non-PVC pages Suggestions?
I've always used these http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/polypropylene-20-pocket-2x2-pages.html I buy mine off of ebay, http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw=bcw 20 pocket&_sop=1 I've heard Cowens are pretty nice as well, never used them though. Edit: Good job on spotting the PVC, way to use the sniffer!
Thanks... I try lol Are the 2x2's also more common? the same inept person responsible for the PVC pages also sold us a bunch of 1.5 x 1.5 cards, which are too small for the coin boxes that we have. I realize you get 30 slots on the 1.5x1.5 page, but it makes it kind of difficult to, say, put all Canadian coins together on a page when the larger coins don't fit in the 1.5 x 1.5. UGH! Frustration!
The first thing you want to do is to get them holders out of the pages ASAP. You may even want to go as far as taking the coins out of the holders. For cardboard-mylar holders, you would want to use the 2x2 holders. The smaller ones are usually used by dealers to save cost and space. For pages you can use ones made by BCW which are easier to find. I like the UltraPro ones since I've been using their products since the early 90's, but their's are harder to find.
I order my pages from amosadvantage.com I think they are like .20 each? They also sell 2x2s for like 3.00 per 100
Thank you for that info! I will check out that website for supplies. I did find a site for BCW pages that has flat rate 6.99 shipping (and a $5 off any purchase coupon). I did have Preston take the coins out. I will probably try to take them back for a refund. We've had them maybe one week. We don't have many of the smaller ones and I won't be buying any more of those. All the cardboard holders were the same price (.05) I just didn't know what I was doing back then. I'm a little wiser now
2x2 is definitely the standard. I'm surprised that they would sell you such crummy stuff. Either (1) they don't know any better or (2) they needed to get rid of some stuff that wasn't selling and they were able to convince a new customer to take it off their hands. Storage is all about what you personally want out of a collection. Some folks like the 2x2 in a sheet that fits into a binder. Other folks (myself included) like putting the coins in 2x2's and leaving them loose so you can view the coins without having to deal with a binder and the extra layer of plastic a binder page presents. I put my loose coins that don't fit into a Dansco into 2x2s and write the date, mintmark, denomination, and year on the front and any coin-specific information on the back (silver content, gold content, whether it belonged to a relative or friend, ect). That way I can view them and handle them as a loose coin without worrying about fingerprints and what-not. They make boxes specific to 2x2 holders: http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/products/2x2-coin-boxes/
We do have one of those boxes (actually a member from here sent it to us full of Lincoln cents! You guys ROCK!) That is a good idea. I do like the pages for Preston though. For instance, he can put all his Canadian in pages and view it all at once. See the different dates/coins side by side.
Today Preston and I went back to the coin shop and took our PVC infested binder pages with us. It was much busier today than when we went in the middle of the week. I went to the counter and nicely told her that I was unhappy with the pages because they smelled like a shower curtain and therefore contained harmful chemicals that are not archival approved. She asked what I wanted her to do and I said I would like a refund or store credit. I wanted to get a few supplies so store credit was fine with me. I also wanted to share that while we were there someone asked a question and I answered it before she could Preston's mom can be taught lol On a side note: If you fellow collectors have a Hobby Lobby craft/hobby store they do have a (small) supply section with Whitmans, 2x2's, cowen pages, etc. You can get a coupon in the Sunday paper (or print one off their website: hobbylobby.com) and use it on supplies
The question was about the new proof sets and why they were so expensive for their face value. I said because those are silver coins from the "S" mint. She did refund my money in the form of product exchange (minus the tax). Better than being stuck with 6 sheets he would never use!
How about we add: (3) This is what they stock. As with any business, they would not be in business if they didn't provide whatever product their customers want as long as it's done profitably. PVC pages/flips are cheap, and regardless of personal feelings, they sell, so there is no reason to be surprised they sold such "crummy stuff". The last I knew, none of the B&Ms in my area sell saflips because they simply do not move, but all stock the same cheapie PVC flips. If you walked in and asked for flips without telling them PVC free, this is what you would get... no trying to pull a fast one on a new customer or ignorance on the dealer's part. To imply (to someone new) that this dealer was either ignorant or trying to take advantage of her - unless you frequent the same establishment - is not doing her any favors. A good local dealer, especially one willing to take the and educate young collectors, can be a valuable asset.
The dealer made it rite, and as said before, sadly PVC is still widely used in coin products. I would give the dealer another chance, after all they did stand behind what they sold.
