Storage for coins??

[MintWorth]

I was wondering if there were special drawers/closed compartments that would help preserve coins and protect them from the air/humidity which we could purchase? What do you use to store your coins in to preserve them?

 

Looking for something like maybe a very large plastic tupaware container that seals shut and doesn't allow air in.

 

Anyone know of any specific storage containers for coins?

[coinman1794]

I would start with Intercept Sheild boxes to absorb reactive gasses, and then seal those into something inert and airtight, along with soem silica gel canisters to absorb moister. Restricting airflow is only half the battle, you have to make sure you deal with the air that's sealed inside.

[MintWorth]

I would start with Intercept Sheild boxes to absorb reactive gasses, and then seal those into something inert and airtight, along with soem silica gel canisters to absorb moister. Restricting airflow is only half the battle, you have to make sure you deal with the air that's sealed inside.

 

tell me about it. I didn't realize this until about 2 years ago where I had a safe about the size of a backpack. i opened it up after about 6 months of being closed and mold hold grown inside because i guess i didn't place any silica gel inside. luckily the safe was only holding keys and documents and not my coins. will putting silica gel inside the sealed storage be enough to prevent mold and keep the coins protected???

[coinman1794]

Intercept shield material supposedly kills mold, so the combination of that and silica should be all you need. If you are using a fire safe, use extra silica and make sure the coin boxes are sealed in airtight containers or bags, as fire safes are constructed of a moister holding substance, and leak moister into the safe.

[jwalterholland]

All this talk of coin conservation and layering brings up an important question ... at least to me. If we have all of our coins triple bagged and locked away, how are we supposed to enjoy them? I don't know about you guys, but I like to take my coins out from time to time and appreciate them. Isn't it a hassle when you have to remove them from three layers of bags? And then, when you do so, aren't you letting a whole new environment into those bags thus damaging your coins? I mean, have we gone a little overboard here?

 

I guess my real question is, how many years does it take for moisture/oxygen in the air to damage a coin? After all, I collect buffalos and I am a huge fan of beautiful toning. I guess it depends if you have a lot of copper? I don't know, I mean I REALLY want my coins to stay at the condition they are in, but I also want to enjoy them. Where's the balance?

[Star City Homer]

This was an old thread. Intercept doesn't seem to exist anymore, but there is a new company (Coin Armor...and no, I have no affiliation, just have bought their stuff). They have a two step protection. A box, but also little baggies. The baggies are easy enough to see through on one side, and placing them in a clear storage box would give easy access I suppose.

 

I went overseas for 4 years and had placed my coins in either a fireproof safe in my in-law's basement. Those were in Intercept (double protection boxes or row boxes if slabbed, or in the 2x2 boxes). I threw in a ton of silica, but the safe stayed closed for 4 years. No problems, no unusual toning on anything.

 

My other stuff went into military storage and I put them in airtight plastic boxes, also with silica, and also in Intercept branded stuff. Again, no access at all for 4 years and no changes.

 

Oh, and one box of Intercept double protection box in an SDB...also 4 years and also no problems.

 

Anyway, if you go to the Coin Armor website, they have a section on how the things work. There is also an article out there from one of the coin magazines where someone basically did an experiment with the baggies/boxes and artificially elevated contamination that demonstrated the effects and the protectiveness of the products. I'll try to find that but basically the stuff from Intercept (and now Coin Armor) was effective including using just the baggies (less so with the single sided ones, but still good).

 

I happen to like the new Coin Armor boxes and use them and just pull them open if I want to look at something in particular. I just make sure to label them well. I don't have anything particularly valuable, but I still want to keep a red coin red, and other coins stable.

[Coin Armour]

Here is a link to our website. There is a lot of excellent information and research available. There is also a link to our store:

 

Coin Armour

 

Coin Armour Store

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

 

thanks,

Chris

[coinman1794]

All this talk of coin conservation and layering brings up an important question ... at least to me. If we have all of our coins triple bagged and locked away, how are we supposed to enjoy them? I don't know about you guys, but I like to take my coins out from time to time and appreciate them. Isn't it a hassle when you have to remove them from three layers of bags? And then, when you do so, aren't you letting a whole new environment into those bags thus damaging your coins? I mean, have we gone a little overboard here?

 

I guess my real question is, how many years does it take for moisture/oxygen in the air to damage a coin? After all, I collect buffalos and I am a huge fan of beautiful toning. I guess it depends if you have a lot of copper? I don't know, I mean I REALLY want my coins to stay at the condition they are in, but I also want to enjoy them. Where's the balance?

 

It can take days and not years for harmful gasses in the air to react with coins, in the right conditions.

 

The reactants inside a sealed container are a tiny fraction of what is in the open air. Letting a new puff of air inside a container is far better than leaving them exposed to the open air. Restricting airflow is an essential part of long-term preservation.

 

Locking your coins away, and preferably in bank vaults, is an essential step in preventing theft.

 

 

[letssail]

Prevention is good however what does one do when coins start to turn black with corrosion or unwanted toneing. I would love to put this to another collector,

but there is no coin club within 70 miles of my home. Have been collecting for the past 8 years on the fly with little guidance.

[KD]

If you have valuable coins turning black, I mean a dark crusty black close to the edge, I would suggest you send them in to NCS as soon as you can. Depending on the severity of this condition and how long it has been going on, they may be able to save your coins. If it is severe enough the black will come off but a yellowish residual substance (corrosion??) will be left behind. I am guessing that this substance can not be removed without damage to the coin. I am not sure if it can even be stabilized.

 

I bought a 1952 proof set that was in the black crusty stage. My friend, and long time coin dealer got the black off but could not get the yellowish substance off. He had never seen this stuff before. So I sent the coins to NCS for conservation and they would not even attempt to remove whatever it is. They also offered no explanation why they could do nothing, even though there was a $10 per coin evaluation charge.

 

I have researched the condition but have not been able to find any information on it. NO ONE, and I mean know one, is even willing to talk about what it is, what it could be or what causes it.

 

The only thing I can come up with is that it is a form of tarnish or toning (corrosion?) that begins when a coin is stored in the old cardboard display pages with the clear plastic that slides over the slots front and back. Like the type made by Wayte Raymond Inc.. The paper in these cardboard holders has a very high sulfur content. Combine that with heat and high humidity and you have an ideal petrie dish for growing whatever that black stuff is. When let go long enough, you get that non removable yellowish stuff under the black stuff. That's not good!

 

Again this is just my theory. Maybe there is someone out there who knows about this condition, willing to shed some light on this seemingly taboo subject.