If you are collecting AU or higher grade of coins how do you store them? I started by collecting just bullion silver American Eagles, bars, rounds and 90% silver coins about a year ago. The volume is manageable. Then I got hooked on some of the Silver Proof/Reverse quarters (America the Beautiful - mainly) and moved into CLAD versions of these. For the .999 silver and above I store in Air-Tight capsules and then in a coin envelope where I right the details. These are then stored in portable fire proof locking boxes. That is possible because of the low volume. With a couple thousands CLAD and 90%-40% silver coins, it’s not possible to have that many Air-Tight capsules and fire proof boxes. Most are in coin envelopes with the detail written on them and numbered for inventory/insurance and in boxes. What do you file your coins in?
I have way too much of what is typically referred to as “junk silver” and such. I used to roll them in paper rolls and stack them in Tupperware type boxes. Over the years I would find I may need a date for a book or a friends book and I would start tearing apart paper rolls. I finally wised up and started using the clear plastic tubes. So anyway that’s my method. Clear plastic tubes stacked in Tupperware boxes. Seems to work OK.
I would strongly suggest that you stop using coin envelopes at all ! The paper they are made of is laden with sulfur and it can be quite harmful to coins - often resulting in ugly toning and or permanent corrosion damage. To read about proper storage techniques simply use the Search function. Use "proper storage" as your key words and put my user name in the Posted By Member box. You'll find more threads on the subject than you care to read.
In Air-Tite holders, stored in plastic boxes with silica packs (not Tupperware, but Tupperware style). I keep the plastic boxes in my office closet, which has a dedicated HVAC vent so temps and humidity remain relatively stable. Be careful with 'fireproof' metal boxes. Some that are double wall construction with a fire resistant agent in between can produce high humidity inside the box (been there, done that, so I know). Make sure yours aren't this type. A simple way to test is to store some paper documents in one for a month or two. I strongly second this.
With over 2k coins buying individual plastic air tights is a bit pricey. I'm not sure how much protection flip coin holders offer with the coins rubbing against the plastic and they are not sealed. I know toning is an is an issue, but in some cases it's sought after. I use Sentury Safe boxes right now. I live in S. Az so high humdity isn't much of a problem. All of my silver coins/bars/rounds are in air-tights and most of my 90% silver coins are too as most of my proofs clads. Thanks for all the information.
I'm assuming you mean Sentry Safe boxes ? Similar to or one of these ? https://www.sentrysafe.com/products/cash-boxes To the best of my knowledge they are not fireproof so they don't present the humidity problem mentioned in a post above. But, you might want to be aware, that the Sentry brand safes, that are fireproof, they are notorious for the humidity issue as the fireproofing material they use in them puts off huge amounts of humidity inside the safes. That's just an FIY. The only other thing I'll say is to repeat my earlier advice - do the search for proper storage and read what you find. And I say that because all coin holder products, with the exception of the hard plastic kind - all of them have problems and are harmful to coins in one way or another and often several ways. So you should at least become aware of what the problems are. After that, make your own choices. As for expense, well that's a choice for sure. But the choice is, spend the money or probably end up with coins you don't want in your collection any more. The way I put is this. If a coin is worthy of being in your collection to begin with, is that coin not worth the 50 cents it cost (per coin) to protect it to the best of your ability ?
I always look at cost of the coin. They are investments as well a fun to collected. For example; I have collected the Presidential dollar coins. Depending on popularity the coins are going for 29.00 a roll. With coin protection you are looking at $1.66 per coin (that doesn't include original shipping cost). If you were to turn them around in a few months you have to get over $2.00 a coin. There isn't much difference that much difference percentage wise dealing in 90% silver or .999+ silver. Just to be clear I haven't sold a single coin, that's not something I do yet, but I still buy with the dealers eye. Thanks Tim
Then I'd have to say you're only making matters worse for yourself because even Sentry themselves issues a warning about severe humidity problems inside their fireproof products. It is of course your choice to continue using them. All I'm trying to do is to make you aware of the problems so that you can make an informed choice.
Used to have one of those — not for coins, just important documents. After a few months, they felt like they had been stored in a damp basement. I suspect mildew would have formed if I left the docs in there much longer. The Sentry took a one-way trip to the junk yard.
Sorry to necropost a little, but I figured I'd try. I realize safes differ by manufacturer and there really isnt a catch-all answer, but is there a particular brand of safe that people would GENERALLY consider good for coins. I realize that all safes have various inherent risks ranging from theft problems to humidity, but in general for storage and protection of coins, is there a brand that people prefer over another. My current setup is a sentry safe which I know is bad for humidity, but its all I have at the moment. I have a 200g desiccant pack that I rotate through it to keep humidity down and any safe I plan to buy for storage I would put desiccants in to keep humidity at bay as much as possible. I'm asking mainly since we're around the holidays and if there are deals on safes, I'd like to try and look at them now. Any help is appreciated.
Alrighty. I'll look into those. I just wanted something sturdy that I can use to store coins in with desiccant packs. Thanks!
