Slab storage box size question

I have several of these. This one holds my father's birth year set.

 

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Very cool set!!!

 

Harbor Freight

 

That was my father's birth year also and, I've been gettin' no respect for 64 years! Born in 56....... Nice set!

 

But HOW harmful -- has there ever been studies done ?

I mean...gasses from cardboard and wood...are we talking microscopic levels that only Sandia Labs could measure ?

If I had a 7 or 6 or even 5-figure coin maybe I'd think twice about putting it anywhere near wood. But unless coins were near heavily-shellacked or painted wood products where you can smell the vapors/gasses....I just don't know, GD.

But I respect your opinion and knowledge on all things coins so I am going to read your PCS threads as you indicated, thanks.

 

GD, I found all the threads, thanks for the heads-up.

Without reading them yet....it does appear that most of the Q&A and threads deal with older methods of storage (i.e., Whitman cardboard albums) and DIRECT CONTACT....not TPG-sealed coins in proximity to wood (heck, there's a paper label inside the slab !!).

Wouldn't you agree direct contact with the methods we used to traditionally store coins involves a much higher degree of "contamination" than having a PCGS or NGC slab near a bunch of books (paper) or inside a Lighthouse wood/glass holder ?

 

I guess one could easily argue that no current method is perfect; it depends on ones definition of contamination. None of the slabbed coins are vacuum sealed in a gasless environment. I doubt if there's any plastic that doesn't leach out some sort of chemical; the rate varies among all types. Preservation methods today are superior to those a century ago but even with that said, many well preserved century old coins exist; usually with some sort of toning. I for one want to do my best to preserve coins in my collection but also have to weigh the costs in doing so and for how long.

 

FWIW, here are my criteria for storage of both slabbed and raw coins:

1) Paper labels and envelopes that are in CLOSE proximity to the coins are acid-free artist's paper. By "close", I mean zero or one degrees of separation. For example, for a TPG slabbed coin, the slab itself represents one degree of separation. For a raw coin with any kind of container where the label is inside the container, that is zero degrees of separation. For things like 3-ring binders with vinyl covers and cardboard, the one degree of separation rule is satisfied by the coin holder. More than one degree of separation doesn't require any special protection measures.

2) For raw copper coins that are red-brown or red, or brown but quite valuable, I take extra precautions. If the coin holder of choice is a cardboard 2 x 2, I use the Supersafe product which has an adhesive closure that is claimed to provide a more-or-less hermetic environment. How true that is may be a matter of debate but it's got to be better than a stapled 2x2. The Supersafe product provides one layer of separation from the cardboard and from anything else while a stapled 2x2 has zero layers of separation. Downsides are they are considerably more expensive and thinner than the stapled product. The thinness means that the surface of the coin sticks above the level of the cardboard to a greater degree than the stapled product. So more thoughtful means must be taken to protect the surface of the coin from inadvertent contact. For 3-ring binders, I insert a sheet of heavy acid-free paper between the sheets holding the 2x2s, and front/back covers.

3) Humidity control. I keep my coins in a de-humidified semi-hermetic space where the ambient humidity outside the coin storage space is kept fairly constant. So, the moisture "leakage" into the de-humidified coin storage space is reduced by virtue of the reduced vapor pressure potential.

4) Relatively constant temperature. By keeping the coin storage space at a relatively constant temperature that is the same as the temperature of the ambient space, there is reduced potential for the individual coin holder to "breathe" due to temperature fluctuations.

4) The coin storage space (safe, deposit box, etc.) should be "aired" on a regular basis to purge the build-up of any gases caused by the decomposition or out-gassing of the unavoidable materials that will do this over time. I recharge my dessicants about once a month and that is the perfect time to air things out. It's also a good excuse to visit your coins wherever they may be.

Just my take on the matter from a mechanical engineer who spent 45 years dealing with environmental control. Your mileage may vary.

 

Wow, a mechanical engineer that can't count to five! (Just kidding of course.)

 

For years, Susan Maltby, a museum conservator and expert on coin storage safety, ran articles in Coin World. There are links to a few years worth of her articles, but she has been a contributing author on coin conservation since 1989. I'm not sure if previous years' articles are available online anywhere.

https://www.coinworld.com/authors/susan-maltby.html

 

Hah! The old saying went "Yesterday I couldn't even spell 'angeneer', today I are one"

 

Thanks for sharing your comments. I guess what's inside the safe can vary significantly and frequently "airing" it out is a good practice. I realize that TPG slabs aren't perfectly air tight but wonder how much leaching would occur if the safe air wasn't "aired" out. Of course, raw coins are a different animal and how they are stored is significant.