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Author Topic: How to display ancient coins?  (Read 28853 times)

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Future Man

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How to display ancient coins?
« on: December 06, 2009, 04:43:50 pm »
I can tell already that with my collector's gene this is going to get expensive for me, but what a worthy pursuit!  Everyone I mention the subject to is fascinated with the very idea, and cannot quite believe that genuine coins of such age are so affordable and readily available.   Anyway, how does one typically display ancient coins?  Framed en masse by type, with the approriate description, or in books similar to trading cards, or what?     

BTW, ordered my first coin today, from the Forvm, a Constantine the Great-era bronze beauty...

Offline areich

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2009, 04:57:20 pm »
I tried the thing with the binder and the plastic flips but found the coins were not easily accessible
and I didn't bother taking them out enough. Coins need to be touched and studied though, so I use the simple
and old-fashioned BEBA trays that are common here in Germany. I can just take out a tray and handle the coins,
I also don't use the flips that typically come with the coins.
The binders may be useful for transporting coins (with spare pages between if you have large and heavy coins.
For some reason I've not been able to find a simple cardboard box that is the correct size for the standard flips (and slides), else that would be my first choice.

For the beginning any small box (preferrably not a cigar box because of the fumes) would be enough if you don't rattle the coins too much.
Andreas Reich

Offline commodus

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2009, 02:00:00 am »
I used boxes for years but it became impractical. I now used binders in slipcases, the Dansco 7000 type to be precise. The pages hold 12 coins each in 2x2 flips. The binders will hold only 5 to 10 pages comfortably (depending upon what sort of coins are in them -- LRBs = 10 pages, sestertii = 4 or 5 pages), thus I have dozens of volumes, which gets pricey and time consuming in itself. One can do without the slipcases but they keep coins from slipping out and the binders stand on the shelves, masquerading as books, much better if the slipcases are used.
I agree with Andreas that it is ideal to handle the coins and it is true that the binders make that difficult but I take them out and do so anyway, cracking a few flips every time in the process. I now buy flips in packages of 100, several packs at a time (my flip cracking rate is astonishingly high). I only use hard flips with no PVCs, hence the breakage rate. However, this type of flip won't do any damage to the coins.
I like the trays but for me the binder route is more practical because of space.
Eric Brock (1966 - 2011)

Jon the Lecturer

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2009, 02:39:06 am »
I use  2x2  Mylar coin holders. I have coin albums each taking 60 coins. So I placed the coin holders in the pages. But accessing the coin is impossible with Mylar holders. Because in order to use them you need to stamp the holder from each side.It is like locking the coin forever.
So whenever I want to hold a coin I have to remove the stamps. But this is becoming more and more annoying. Try to put a thick Selevkos coin in a flip and insert it into the album and you'll see what I mean. I think flips like that are good for like uncirculated or proof coins. And they could be used for ancient coins.
best regards,

Jon

edit: I just realized that if you do not stamp the flips then you can access the coins as many time as you want. I got a revelation :) And another thing with flips, since they are made of cardboard one can easily write the ID of the coin.
I always write this information: The Name of the Emperor (Constantine the Great), the year when the coin was minted (AD 299), The type of the coin (Anonymous Folles or AE Antoninianus or Commemorative), and the mint (mint of Antioch, mint of Cyzicus etc.)

the flips : [liNK REMOVED BY ADMIN]
the album: [BROKEN LINK REMOVED BY ADMIN]

Offline Enodia

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2009, 02:59:31 am »
when i started collecting ancients 21 years ago i made a number of locking boxes with hinged lids. these have a felt lining across the bottom, and dividers which separate the box into 25 compartments, each 2.25 inches square, to hold my coins.

the coins themselves are placed into an inert plastic coin bag (you can easily buy these made specifically for coins), and then placed into pvc-free 2x2 flips (not the cardboard kind). this keeps them from suffering any friction while in the flip, and makes it quite easy to remove them. i like the flips because it keeps the coin and its' description together.
the descriptions are two-sided, with the coins' attribution on the one side and the dimensions, catalog information, and a brief history on the other. this has served me well for two decades now.

i bought an nice old 3-drawer coin cabinet way back when. it is very elegant looking but i have never used it because i don't like the way the coins slide around in the trays, and keeping the attributions with the coins is not practical. besides, i have little need to 'display' them as such, only to access them when i want to study them, show them off, or just satisfy the need to play with them (which is often).

~ Peter

Offline dougsmit

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2009, 08:38:33 am »
I like open trays allowing coins to breathe and be handled easily.  These can be stacked in little cases made to fit or generic cases with foam insets to prevent shifting.  There are many brands available including some as expensive as the coins.  The seller I used went out of the business so I bought a lifetime supply as long as I don't get carried away and buy too many coins.  I don't buy coins that would be injured by handling but some are recently cleaned and could be harmed by a build up of gasses from the process.  I generally have one tray for recent purchases and the rest stack (without cases) in the bank box (check your bank before buying trays to be sure they have the size box you need).  I keep ID tags (acid free paper) under the coins but prefered placing a tag in an adjacent hole when there was pace available.


Offline commodus

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2009, 12:59:47 pm »
I prefer the 2 x 2 flips (both sides are mylar -- the coin goes in one pocket and the descriptive label in the other), not the 2 x 2 cardboard holders that Jon descrfibed. They are impractical because of the staples. and they don't allow easy access to one's coins. Both types will fit in standard album pages, though. My problem with the mylar flips is that when I take them out to examine the coins I frequently crack the hinge where the flip ceases at top. The non PVC type break very easily, though I wouldn't touch the softer ones with a barge pole because of the long term damage they can do to the coins inside. It amazes me how many dealers use them, though. They are okay for extremely short term use such as shipping but any soft flips should be discarded in favor of non PVC types as soon as the coins arrive.
Eric Brock (1966 - 2011)

Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2009, 05:43:34 pm »
I use flips and scruffy folders. They may not be particularly convenient, but they're compact, and they won't attract the attention of a burglar.
Robert Brenchley

My gallery: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/index.php?cat=10405
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Offline Bud Stewart

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2010, 11:46:09 am »
I am always open to new storage/display ideas.  Right now I use cardboard 2x2’s that I store in hard plastic boxes made by Whitman.  Iin an attempt to better display my collection, I am in the process of moving these 2x2’s into binders (the kind you purchase in office supply stores).  One problem with the 2x2’s is that the coins rarely remain how I originally placed them. They often ‘roll’ within the holder and it is very difficult to re-align them.  I also found that the 2x2’s fit so snuggly into the album pages that I can’t easily rearrange my collection when I add a new specimen.  I am aware that some album ‘systems’ exist that don’t require the 2x2’s or any other holder.  Does anyone here use such systems?  If so, would you recommend these?

Offline areich

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2010, 11:58:04 am »
Bud, I found the binders were an obstacle to enjoying my coins. The best way for me is a tablet, where you can easily
see and touch your coins. It may seem little effort to take the coins out of the binder but I found that I didn't do so very often.
With a tablet it is much easier and I look at my coins much more often. And that's kind of the point of a coin collection.
I would strongly advise against the binders.
Andreas Reich

Offline crawforde

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2010, 12:29:48 pm »
What do you mean by tablet?  Is it another term for tray ar something completely different?
I am always looking for a better way.

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2010, 12:41:33 pm »
I think it's the same. They either come as trays as part of a bigger box or as single tablets that are also stackable.
These are a little more flexible.




Andreas Reich

Offline Jochen

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2010, 01:47:06 pm »
I use the same system. Under each coin the ticket with information.

Best regards

Offline crawforde

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #13 on: January 26, 2010, 05:03:21 pm »
Nice!
thanks for the clarification and pics, that looks like quite a collection.
Flips or envelopes in boxes,
flips in binders,
trays and tablets.
Almost as hard to choose a storage method as the coins :).   I have tried them all but trays so far.
Right now I keep the bulk in envelopes or flips put away in boxes.  Those I look at or refer to the most often are in binders in flips (that break).

Offline Enodia

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2010, 05:10:06 pm »
Those I look at or refer to the most often are in binders in flips (that break).

yeah, but that is actually a good thing. the softer flips are that way because of the use of polyvinyl chloride (pvc) in the plastic, a substance that can graetly harm the metal of your coins. the harder mylar flips don't have this and are virtually inert.

~ Peter

Offline Bud Stewart

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #15 on: January 26, 2010, 06:20:14 pm »
The Tray Systems are very impressive.  As I am typing, I’m looking around the very cramp back bedroom that I call an office and I'm picturing where to place the cabinet(s).  I’ll have to rearrange some things, mostly books, but I can make it work;) Thanks for the advice and the photos.


Offline Bud Stewart

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #17 on: January 26, 2010, 07:37:40 pm »
Absolutely beautiful cmcdon0923.  You are a true craftsman.

Offline daverino

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #18 on: March 08, 2010, 12:58:53 pm »
I like to have my coins where I can see them. It helps to keep a theme in my collecting and also to keep track of just how much money I am spending on this hobby. So I frame them and put them around the house. Silver coins work best of course. The frames are simply photograph frames which I get at the Salvation Army for a buck or two. They have to be unusually deep to work with coins but I can always find them. Some green felt or other backing material and voila.

Here are some examples with silver antoniniani. Not a professional job but they look great at a distance.

Offline Bud Stewart

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #19 on: March 08, 2010, 01:45:05 pm »
Very creative.  The bottom line is; if this adds to your enjoyment of collecting then you have done very well indeed.

Pseudolous

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #20 on: March 08, 2010, 04:25:54 pm »
I do exhibits for postal history clients and have used combinations of coins and letters on album pages for exhibits as well. These exhibits feature coins in custom-drilled Capital Plastics holders mounted with coin on a album page accompanied by enlarged images of both sides of the coin. I may get around to doing some of my Romans this way as I like to see enlargements (and both sides simultaneously). Very suitable for storage in protective sheet protectors or displayed on "A" frame hangers as shown second below (commonly used at stamp shows).

An exhibit I did for my collection of "Paying the Postage" is here: http://www.rfrajola.com/wash2006/wash2006frame1.htm.

A page example is below:


On display:

Offline mauseus

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #21 on: March 08, 2010, 05:12:59 pm »
Hi,

Not so much display as storage. six cabinets, five of them uniform 14 trays each with thirty recesses hold the Roman, the sixth, a tatty victorian cabinet by Lincoln of London, with a drop down front holding 12 uniform trays with 42 recesses each holding Greek, Byzantine, Indian, Islamic and mediaeval. There are other loose trays (eg Lidner plus others) holding some late Roman ("LRBC I" collection and barbarous radiates).


Finally there are trays for abstracting pieces for study such as the blue tray below holding the "three emperors" collection that I'm looking at again. These preformed trays can be rather harsh, particularly if there is no ticket underneath, so I don't like coins moving around too much in them.


Regards,

Mauseus

Pseudolous

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #22 on: March 14, 2010, 07:28:31 pm »
I just did a "trial" page, with quickie text, which is shown below. The rectangular size fits a two pocket "Safe Publication" page and binder. It is on archival paper, coin mounted in Capital plastics custom drilled holder.


Pseudolous

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #23 on: March 21, 2010, 02:29:15 pm »
I just finished a first page (8.5 by 11") for a small public display of Roman coins this Fall. Suggestions / corrections appreciated.

A full sized image is: http://www.rfrajola.com/roman/sabinus.jpg

Below is a thumbnail of it:


Offline Andrew McCabe

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Re: How to display ancient coins?
« Reply #24 on: March 21, 2010, 02:33:29 pm »
I just finished a first page (8.5 by 11") for a small public display of Roman coins this Fall. Suggestions / corrections appreciated.

A full sized image is: http://www.rfrajola.com/roman/sabinus.jpg

Below is a thumbnail of it:



Nice presentation. Dating: might as well use the more recognised Hersh and Walker dating (66BC) rather than the outdated Crawford dating (70BC), as explained here:

http://andrewmccabe.ancients.info/Hoards.html

The Hersh/Walker dating is shown in full in the following two sets, the first one preceding the Mesagne hoard, the second set post Mesagne:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/sets/72157615122910601/detail/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/sets/72157615951667731/detail/

 

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