What is your opinion of leaving the coins in the cello packaging from the mint , to store coins in over a long time period? Would it be better to put these in 2x2s , or into a safety flip or some other type of holder? Following is a 1956 Jefferson that looks quite good 60 years old that is still in the mint plastic. I have pennies ,nickels ,dimes , quarters etc. Some of them I have 3 or 4 hundred all different years.
Thanks for your help. I used to deal and these are a lot of what is left from breaking down sets and selling off some of the coins so people , looking for certain coins , could acquire what they wanted and not to have to buy the complete set .The coins look good in the cello but was not sure of really long term storage.
Don't store coins in mint cello even short term. Remove them, soak them in acetone or 91% alcohol, and put them in anything else. the '68 to '84 are worst but probably all them are bad before '85 and a few after. '66 and '67 might be OK.
Thank you ,I have some from the 50s and 60s which look good but was not sure of long term . I have so many that sounds like a big job but if that will save especially the best years and mints I will attempt to get this done or the next year or so. Thank You for your reply !
I'm not a big fan of changing holders unless it needs to be done. If the coins still look good after 60 years, why mess with them.
A lot of the pre-'64 mint sets aren't as bad. There are some sets that are bad but coins stored under good conditions in that cello are often OK. It's principally the '68 to '84. All these coins will be lost before too much longer. Some of them like the '68-(P) cent are already nearly universally spotted. Even stored in very good conditions many are beyond repair now.
Bought these in 2007-2008-2010. Some not so nice toning started years ago BUT they are original. I think they averaged about $5 each. The Poor Man Liberty Spouse Set...
I'd never leave any coin in mint cello. The material was not inert, so unwanted toning, tarnish, corrosion, etc. can occur, especially on PF coins. Furthermore, over handling in cello can hairline the PF coins. Countless thousands of PF coins have been permanently ruined because of storage in mint cello. I always dip coins from cello packaging to remove oils, haze, etc. which may eventually cause spots, toning, or further hazing on PF coins. Never dip copper coins. Storage in some type of air-tite holder is a must for PF coins. Many will disagree with my technique, but it works well for me...Just my opinion.
Thank you for your time and information. I will do some research on the different types of storage containers for coins. I have a fair amount so I hope I can find a coin tube or some type of acid free container that I could store multiple coins in each ,rather then a single coin holder . I would like to buy all airtight type holders for each coin but that would be far to expensive for me. I will sort the most important ones out from the others and search for the right type of container. I agree that they have to come out of the cello . I will have to set up a mini factory for a few days incorporate the family and friends and get it done . I will see if there is such a thing as an airtight tube type holder ? Your method sounds very good and I agree with your information. thanks again !!
What is anyones opinion on 2x2 cardboard holders with the edges taped as opposed to staples, Will these help keep the coins in pristine condition , or does the plastic in the 2 x 2 present it's own issues.
I agree that mint cello can have problems. The cello is porous. However, I would rather leave them in the original packaging over stacking them in a tube. In a tube they will come into contact with other coins. I suggest not using tape to keep cardboard 2x2s closed. My momma did this with some coins many years ago- the tape loosens and will give the coins room to wiggle around. There are 2x2's with their own adhesive. Or.. use a flat staple stalpler. I, personally, carefully use a pair of pliers to give each staple extra indentation into the cardboard.
I was thinking of maybe using both the staples and the tape to help stop any intrusion of air? The self adhesive 2 x 2s sound like a great alternative depending on cost . Thanks for your input.. greatly appreciated!!
Funny thing... For years I thought mint sets from the 50’s and 60’s came in those Hard plastic Capitol holders. I rather like proof sets from that era as I have an affinity for Franklin halves.... Now that I know better I do have a collection of proof sets from that era that are in the mint issued plyofilm holder between cardboard sheets in the mint mailed envelopes. I haven’t noticed any problem but now that I read @chascat post I am a little worried.
I'm no expert but I staple my 2X2's then use pliers to flatten the staples same as noted above. I also have a handful of self sealing mylar 2X2's I got from Littleton Coin, I've yet to use them and wonder a bit about what's in the glue. They are marketed as coin safe though
I find the coin books that are for sale like a Dansco or other types do little to preserve coins . These are nice for putting a set together but personally am not impressed with the coins that have been in these type of holder for any length of time. I purchased a number of coin sets from auctions , and after receiving them I was not overly impressed by the coin condition. I would like to think companies like Whittman would have an acid free cardboard ? I ended taking all the coins out of these types of books , and putting them into 2 x 2s for now.
Back in '62, all my coins went into the blue Whitman press-in holders. When I took them out in 2011, I found too many cents, dimes and quarters to show fingerprints and environmental exposure. Nickels were unaffected, not sure why unless the metal is less susceptable. So I put all my Morgans and Peace into air-tites, left PFs in original packaging, and everything else into flips, 3 staples to the open sides, pliers to the staples to flatten and into 20-pocket pages in a binder. Not all are in flips, but all have protection of some sort. And, I never leave coins in tubes or rolls, too much risk of coin-to-coin rub damage. Mint sets from the '60s held up okay but showed toning, one case was cracked but coins not damaged. I try to leave coins in orig. pkg. Spark
I leave mine in the package it comes in I have been in this hobby since 1964 and never had one change they look the same as when I first bought them
