Product Review: Poppin Storage Trays from the Container Store

Hello everyone!

Before I get started, I'd like to explicitly state that I am in no way employed or am I being compensated by Poppin or The Container Store - I just wanted to share my appreciation for a product that, so far, has met a dire need for me as a collector/dealer.

Now that that's been said, let's get started.

I love going to the Container Store. So much that I could absolutely never work there - my paycheck would just go toward organization/storage products. I'd be the most organized poor person there ever was. Last time I went in, they actually asked me to apply, and I stated as much. Anyway...

During my last visit, I saw a new product line and thought it might help me with a coin problem - how do I process large amounts of coins without:

*Covering every available flat surface with coins
*Allowing coins to sit out, uncovered, waiting to get damaged, knocked around, or covered in dust
*Having to stack coins on top of other coins (apologies to members of the Society For Putting Things On Top Of Other Things) creating a situation where coins can rub against each other and/or damage each other
*Being unable to see which coins I'd like to process first.

So, I bought a couple of the Large Dark Grey Poppin Accessory Trays and one in Medium size. The trays are made from ABS plastic which is also commonly used with 3D printing due to its property of melting when heated (not burning), making it suitable for injection and easier to recycle. I thought I'd try them out for a bit before deciding whether to buy more, or try another product.

Here is a shot of a large tray with a medium tray on the top left (slabs put in for size reference):



Well, the results have been great. I only have one relatively minor complaint so far (that two of the medium trays don't exactly cover the distance that a large tray covers.) Maybe two (one of the reds doesn't quite match the other reds...)



What I LOVE about these is how many coins they will hold - here's ONE tray filled with larger silver coins:




I also love how they stack to save space (the clearance is perfect for raw coins or coins in 2x2, but not for slabs):



They also sell a deeper version with is great for slabs, stuff still in OGP, etc (it's about 4 NGC slabs deep) and still stacks with the slimmer trays:



So, I enjoyed the product so much that I ended up buying a few more in red (to go with the color scheme from the University of Utah, where I earned my MFA):



In this photo you can see how the deeper tray is a bit lighter than the slim trays:



As I've used them, I've learned that filling even ONE tray with coins makes it heavy, so a stack of five trays can get pretty unwieldy (and I can't imagine what I'd do if I dropped the whole stack!) But for now, they seem to be a wonderful solution for my needs. Plus, the Container Store has excellent customer service: I ordered my second batch online, and the medium red tray arrived with a 6-inch scratch in it. I very politely notified them that I didn't think it was a huge deal (I didn't want to drive back across the river for a $5 item exchange, plus it's not all that deep, so the functionality of the tray is still great) - but I'd like a small coupon or dollar or two refund due to the damage. They immediately applied a $5 coupon to my account for my next visit - way more than I'd asked for.

So - if you are used to processing a bunch of coins, or have been looking for a sturdy, stackable tray to temporarily house coins, look no further. The medium trays are great for a smaller batch of coins (say, 20 or so that you plan to immediately work on) and are much easier to carry when full. I think they'd also be functional to use in an auction where "choice" lots are offered - with the ability to spread the coins out for people to look through them - but since my auctioneer boss didn't pay for them, I'm not bringing them to get scratched up.

Thanks, and have a great evening!

 

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No better testimonial than an unsolicited one.

 

Make some big unbreakable "rubber bands" with 1-inch wide sewing elastic, by tying the ends together. Don't create a 180° twist as you're tying. Don't pull the knot tight until you test it for size (knots are HARD to untie), don't order sight unseen, go inspect it, Michael's, Walmart, or Target, all sell it.

I use ½-inch elastic on cigar boxes of stamps, which are of course much lighter. End of advice.

Elastic on eBay seems quite expensive.

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About 100 to 300 years ago, collectors used coin cabinets with many shallow felt-lined trays as drawers. Frequent removing and returning the coins eventually caused slight wear, and this is the source of what you sometimes read in auction descriptions for vintage coins: "cabinet friction".



When Whitman and Wayte Raymond starting producing folders and albums after World War II, most of the cabinets were unceremoniously junked. They are rare and expensive, and nearly always mahogany.

 

As a broke kid trying to collect coins I found I could use the old cases made to hold slides for projectors. I could get them pretty cheap and the flip coin holders all fit perfect.

 

I like the idea for your slabbed coins - but the raw coins raise a bit of concern over what could be in the plastic and whether long term storage could cause problems with the coins.

I'd suggest looking into what the trays are composed of before committing raw coins to long term storage in them.

 

Now I remember using old "slide" cases occasionally - hadn't thought of that in decades.

 

I think I would agree with that - I've been using them to store coins that haven't been imaged yet, but will be soon (i.e., not long term). I should send the manufacturer an email asking for more info.

 

I have found manufacturers VERY tight-lipped about what chemicals are in their plastics, as any government-mandated change in formulation is very expensive, and also jeopardizes the demand from their present customers. Unless you can specify, does this product contain X, Y, or Z, the information is likely to be exceedingly vague about risks and reactions. Plus they are not accustomed to judging effects on coins - maybe food products or solvents, etc., but not coins.

But still, it's worth a try.

 

Even manufacturers of coin flips can be tight lipped and evasive. What really irks me is buying 4-5 figure coins from auction houses that send them out in the cheapest possible PVC flips. You have to plan on having non-PVC flips or capsules when you receive the coins.

 

What's the best alternative to PVC for long-term storage - what material?

 

Maybe a storage container made from...

(bum bum BUM)

...other coins???

 

I've had most of my coins I collected as a kid in old slide cases since the mid 80's. Granted the bulk are common wheat pennies and a hand full of old nickles, the amount of silver is pretty low so there is nothing of high value. I just recently opened some of the cases for the first time since the early 2000s and everything looks great. I did not notice any discoloration on anything that I have. The flip holders that I used back then were the seriously cheap part cardboard holders. The plastic cover was so thin I always questioned if they would really protect the coin at all. Mostly they seem to be a dust cover. Those flip holders all fit in the slide cases perfect for each denomination. They do not make for showing the coins well though as in the cases stldanceartist has.

 

Ive also been auditioning a pair of slide cases for 2x2s, and yes, they do fit perfectly PLUS you can read the top of your label, making quick retrieval much easier. Just need to find some more at yard sales.

Have you guys seen the old slide storage dressers? Not only do they have pull out trays on the side and bottom for storage of slides, but they have sliding display rows in the center (if you were using them with slides, there is a light behind them as well.) Like the coin cabinet described above, though, they are extremely expensive.

 

How to get more slide trays: run an ad in CraigsList. "Will pay $X cash for 10 old plastic?metal? slide trays, will pick up. Nothing rusty or broken, please; any brand."

Make them send an image before you drive over.

Somewhere out there is a granny with dozens of them, who has despaired of EVER selling them. Before you cart them away, you make a big finish, "Oh, I also buy coins for my albums, etc."

 

I like that, but having sold items on Craigslist the past year and a half, I've definitely lost my taste for that demographic of our population. Plus, no one reads the Items Wanted sections of that page except people like us. And I'm really, really tired of the insane death threats because I won't meet someone in downtown St. Louis at 1 am to sell a $600 item. But good idea, sort of

 

It's a type of merchandise that will ONLY sell on CraigsList, as they are way too expensive to ship in view of the low valuation. The seller will be a cranky 74 year old whose wife is always after him to downsize so they can move to that new condo project, Blissful Achers, er, Acres...

For $10 more, he will offer to throw in a 1956 movie camera, and if pressed, a grainy jittery rendition of Eisenhower's second term inauguration taken on a high school field trip.

 

You need a retired art teacher. Search her attic.

But to be honest I live near Penn State. Each college/university has a surplus store of some sort tucked back around the facility buildings where they sell all of their retired/used items. That is where I got most of mine. I never had the money or room for the large desk or dresser sized but I have seen them.

 

ChasPay gets it! I have bought tons of stuff at the Ohio State University surplus sales, and it was a prime source in the 1970s (pre-Internet) when I had a big Ford cargo van and could haul just about anything. But not many small items available.

I think colleges should award degrees in Flea Marketing. Before you graduate, you must take $500 in working capital and triple it (with documentation) in 30 days.

To graduate with distinction, you must borrow the $500 from your aged granny.