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Author Topic: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?  (Read 5224 times)

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Offline Heliodromus

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Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« on: April 24, 2021, 04:49:11 pm »
I'm still trying to decide the best way to store my growing collection. I want a way to store a largeish collection (currently ~1200 coins) in a compact way while retaining ease of access and ability to quickly locate and remove coins for photos/etc. I used to use albums with flips in pocket pages (1.5" flips, 1.5" pockets), which worked well enough, but my collection has grown to the point where the number of albums needed would be inconvenient. As a result, while half my collection still is in albums, the other half is not stored in any useful way at all!

What I do like about albums is that you can group/arrange the coins in meaningful ways then page thru them and see them at a glance. What I don't like about flips-in-pockets is that they can, and do, slide out if you're not careful turning pages/etc. Also, the more pages you have the less they lie flat due to varied contents.

My dream storage solution would be a large coin cabinet where the coins can be permanently arranged and viewed, but I'm not comfortable with the security issue of having my whole collection out in the open like that.

So... the solution I'm considering is having the collection in envelopes, of some sort, in 2x2 slide/coin boxes, probably grouped by mint (else date), with the envelopes labelled and ordered for quick location by reference number or type. I could possibly then combine this with a small desktop cabinet to store a selection of ~100 coins which could be rotated from time to time.

I was originally thinking of paper envelopes, but am now wondering about plastic ones instead which would seem to allow for faster visual selection, and allow me to play with groupings without even taking them out of the envelope. I wonder if anyone has tried this combination - plastic envelopes in boxes? I see some recent posts with plastic flips, but really prefer something the coins can't fall out of, yet can be easily be taken out of (for photography, weighing, etc) and returned as needed.

There's a German company Kobra that has some interesting clear resealable plastic envelopes, which they suggest using in slide boxes, but I'm guessing they're too flexible to stand up on edge which would be necessary to easily flip though the labels and locate coins.

https://www.kobra.de/en/Coins/Coin-Pockets/Coin-Pockets.html

Has anyone tried plastic envelopes in boxes ? Any other suggestions for compact storage while retaining accessibility/view-ability ?

Ben

Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Offline Enodia

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2021, 05:33:31 pm »
I use the archival plastic flips, which hold the coin and its tag, and then put them in safe plastic pages which I keep in a binder. Not particularly classy but safe and condensed while still allowing ease of access.

- Peter

Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2021, 05:37:04 pm »
Quote
Good idea, but why not buy from FORVM?

I was referring to the resealable "Coin pockets" (pic below), not the flips ... but as I said they don't appear stiff enough to stand upright in boxes.

Ben

Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2021, 05:48:39 pm »
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I use the archival plastic flips, which hold the coin and its tag, and then put them in safe plastic pages which I keep in a binder. Not particularly classy but safe and condensed while still allowing ease of access.

Yes - that's my current solution. It's an enjoyable way to organize/view them. But, with what I'm guessing is only 1/2 my collection stored that way I'm already up to 4 albums, so would be looking at 8+ for the full collection, and the flips (or information cards I sometimes put in) falling out of pockets when moved around is a real annoyance.

That same Kobra company has an interesting alternative type of pages where the coins go into half-page "carriers" rather than flips, which might be an improvement.

https://www.kobra.de/en/Coins/Coin-Albums/Coin-Pages.html

I'd really prefer a more compact storage solution where I can put them in safe or even just hide them someplace. Lots of albums becomes rather bulky.

Ben

Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2021, 05:50:58 pm »
I was referring to the resealable "Coin pockets"

Ok. By why not flips. They are stiff enought to stand in box and coin can hardly fall out from them. Tested.
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Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2021, 06:07:43 pm »
Quote
Ok. By why not flips. They are stiff enough to stand in box and coin can hardly fall out from them. Tested.

I havn't ruled it out, but two things I don't like about that:

1) Non-PVC flips are brittle and tend to split if opened and closed more than a few times. I've had to replace quite a few. Not a dealbreaker, but a bit annoying.

2) Those "coin pockets" seem very clear, and lie flat, so I could imagine being able to leave coins in them while "playing" with them on the table/etc

Just considering the alternatives here. Got to do something, but at N minutes per coin to rehouse and relabel I want to get it right first time!

Ben

Offline Anaximander

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2021, 08:24:31 am »
That same Kobra company has an interesting alternative type of pages where the coins go into half-page "carriers" rather than flips, which might be an improvement.

https://www.kobra.de/en/Coins/Coin-Albums/Coin-Pages.html

I'd really prefer a more compact storage solution where I can put them in safe or even just hide them someplace. Lots of albums becomes rather bulky.

I've never used coin capsules or envelopes.  The one seems too rigid, the other too flimsy; but that's just me.  For my modern coins, I use the Leuchtturm (aka Lighthouse) version of the "carriers," something I picked up at the London Coinex.  In the USA, you can get them from Wizard. They're a convenient size for bookshelf or safe, and the pages can hold different sizes of coins. The binders are sturdy enough, but can get heavy, which is why I'm grateful for the solid slipcovers holding everything in place.

For my ancients and medieval coins, I use 2x2 archival flips in double-row boxes (10 inches long, 25 cm) that seem made for safe deposit boxes and safes. I cannot think of a more compact system. I rather like the two-part flips that let me keep coin tags on one side and the coin on the other. Still nothing beats the ease of 'visibility' of the ring binders, where you can easily view both sides of a slew of coins.

Both systems work well, and each has its strengths.


Offline SC

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2021, 09:33:54 am »
I have a lot of coin trays and cabinets.  But not enough for my whole collection so I still have some stuff - mainly "moderns" and Asian cash - in binders.

I use the same leuchturm/lighthouse binders as shown in Anaximander's picture.  I use 2x2 flips in binder pages.  That provides for 20 coins per page.  At 10 pages per binder that is 200 coins per binder.  I actually get in more as you can easily store more than one coin per flip - i.e. duplicates.  In fact without duplicates - which are very common with Asian cash - I could probably fit well over ten pages per binder.

Anyway, that means 1200 coins are only 6 binders (if full).  Even in the slip cases that is less than 2 linear feet of shelf space.

SC


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Offline Stkp

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2021, 03:06:33 pm »
My "system" is mixed. At one time I had all of my coins in coin flips (20 to a page) in binders. I still keep most of my oriental cash that way -- and one of the binders dates back to high school in the 1970s. I have gravitated my medieval Hungarian coins and some other select series to Nova coin trays. A photo of a tray containing most of my Hungarian Angevin dynasty coins is attached. I am now gravitating the non-oriental coins and all newer miscellaneous acquisitions out of the binders into non-PVC flips. Stkp

Offline Virgil H

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2021, 10:54:21 pm »
I use Leuchtturn coin cases that each hold four trays. I use trays that will hold the 2" x 2" archival coin flips I get from Joe (each tray holds 15 coins, thus 60 per tray). I want the tags and coins together. There are Italian coin cases that are much more expensive, but I find the Leuchtturn cases a good value and nice for the price. I have used albums and hated them for many reasons. Coins are hard to see on both sides, holding tags is more problematic, and they are a royal pain to take coins out of and put back in. With the cases and flips, I can read the tags on two sides (I put coin info on one side and historical information on the back (actually I use two small sheets of paper)). I can see both sides of the coin easily and can remove and replace the coins easily. I like to hold the coins, so that is a big plus. I would never store coins in trays without identification that could get lost or move because I do not have them all memorized. My collection of ancients is not huge, but I am now needing to find a solution for my modern coins I have kept from my travels and, while I don't collect these, I keep them. My ancients keep displacing those modern coins.

Virgil

Offline Anaximander

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2021, 09:08:05 am »
I use Leuchtturn coin cases that each hold four trays. I use trays that will hold the 2" x 2" archival coin flips I get from Joe (each tray holds 15 coins, thus 60 per tray).

Leuchturm has so many products and variants, it would make sense to download their catalog.

Virgil: I gather you are using the Leuchtturm "L" style case. Looks light and stackable, with a choice of tray sizes, including the square 2"x2" (50mm). This layout could be useful for daily handing, but to store 1200 or so coins, as Heliodromus is planning to do, we're looking at 20 cases -at something like €40 each- which may end up being a little too bulky, but impressive.

Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2021, 10:02:40 am »
Thanks for all the replies so far. Some nice solutions there!

As Anaximander says, number of coins is a major factor. An "everything on display" solution unfortunately doesn't work so well for larger numbers of coins unless you're wiling to accept some type of bulk in terms of albums/cases or a cabinet.

The Lindner/Lighthouse line does seem very extensive with a good range of options. Of their albums I like the clean look of their "Optima Pur" (below), although I don't think it'd really work for me other than perhaps for a small selected part of my collection; I'd really prefer a single long-term storage method though. The trays are nice too, for a combination of compactness and group coin display.

I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that maybe what's going to be best for me is good old-fashioned 2x2 paper envelopes in Whitman plastic boxes, with a mini-cabinet of some type for an "on display" selection that I could rotate from time to time. I'm not sure that using plastic flips in boxes is really any improvement, for me, over paper envelopes since I'm going to want to take the coins out loose for photography/rotation/etc.

My immediate problem is making the roughly 1/2 of my collection that is currently unceremoniously stored in ziploc bags (awaiting resolution of this storage decision) easily searchable and accessible, for which I'm planning to use this paper envelope in Whitman boxes (sturdy for stacking, moving, etc) method, with quick handwritten labels on the envelopes (given sheer numbers to deal with, I want to do something that'll be very quick per coin). Slightly longer term I may use a color laser printer to print nice labels on stick-on label sheets which I can put on the envelopes, and would allow for color coding, photos on labels (to help rapid selection), even bar code or QR-code if useful. I thought about the small thermal label printers too, but thermal labels fade withing a few years, so that wouldn't work. The color and high-resolution possibilities of laser printer labels seems very attractive.

For a mini cabinet, I'm currently considering a Walmart solution! (for our non-US members, Walmart is a horrible low-end department store). They have a surprisingly nice looking and inexpensive beechwood artists storage box for only $34.93, which I think could be adapted. It seems the drawer dividers could be removed, and Lighthouse trays put in instead. The Lighthouse trays meant for their attache cases are roughly the right size, and could be trimmed to fit.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/7-Elements-Beechwood-Artist-Storage-Supply-Box-for-Pastels-Pencils-Pens-Markers-Brushes-Tools/793419609

Please keep the suggestions coming though - always interesting to see what other people are doing, and pick up various ideas.

Ben

Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #13 on: April 27, 2021, 01:49:19 pm »
For a mini cabinet, I'm currently considering a Walmart solution! (for our non-US members, Walmart is a horrible low-end department store).

Looks quite nice but the quality of drawers could be a pain. They should move easily and smoothly. Consider also quality of materials. I mean: possibility of chemical reaction with coins.

PS. Note in brackets is probably not necessary - Walmart is famous.
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Offline Jay GT4

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #14 on: April 27, 2021, 06:40:09 pm »
I used to keep my coins in boxes with 3 trays in each but the coins slid around a lot. It was also a pain to keep shifting them over one spot when I'd add a new coin to keep them all in order by RIC number.  There was also no way of easily keeping the old tags together with the coins.

Now I keep them in 2x2 flips standing up in a plastic box with lid. I have 5 boxes total. Makes it easy to access and organize and the tags stay with the coins.  Each box is specific.  The boxes are stackable and take up very little space.

Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2021, 03:37:48 pm »
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Looks quite nice but the quality of drawers could be a pain.

You are of course right! Reviews are not good. It was Walmart, after all.

I've found a much better choice though.

Given that I've already decided on my bulk storage option, what's really missing is a complementary display option to be able to enjoy a select group of coins. Some alternatives such as cabinets, trays and albums combine both functions of storage and display, but for a pure display I don't think this Vecchi display case can be beat. At $100 + shipping it's quite reasonable given Vecchi's high quality of craftmanship and materials.

Ben

Offline Virgil H

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #16 on: April 29, 2021, 12:48:40 am »
Yes, these are what I use. I also agree that 1200 coins is a lot and far beyond my collection of "important coins." My moderns keep getting displaced as I add ancients. But, I still love these cases and will buy a couple for my moderns eventually. They store well, they keep my coins and their tags and info in one place. I don't have to keep them in a bookshelf. Even if I drop the case and they go everywhere, I am still going to be OK. When the time comes and my heirs need to know what they have in my collection, it is all there. I used to have albums and I just hated them, trying to remember which coin I wanted to see the reverse of after turning the page over was horrible and I couldn't have information in the slips if I also wanted to see both sides of a coin. Taking them out was a pain, etc. And so on. I think if I had 1200 coins, I still would use these. I have modern coins in 2 x 2 stapled cardboard holders that also fit in these cases, but my modern collection is limited to only those I have collected as pocket change over the years and not that important and that collection is not growing, although one is an 1875 Reich Mark I got in change once in Germany. I still haven't found a better solution than these cases.

Virgil

I use Leuchtturn coin cases that each hold four trays. I use trays that will hold the 2" x 2" archival coin flips I get from Joe (each tray holds 15 coins, thus 60 per tray).

Leuchturm has so many products and variants, it would make sense to download their catalog.

Virgil: I gather you are using the Leuchtturm "L" style case. Looks light and stackable, with a choice of tray sizes, including the square 2"x2" (50mm). This layout could be useful for daily handing, but to store 1200 or so coins, as Heliodromus is planning to do, we're looking at 20 cases -at something like €40 each- which may end up being a little too bulky, but impressive.


Offline Virgil H

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #17 on: April 29, 2021, 01:02:20 am »
I keep my excess modern coins like this, well maybe not this nice, but similar. But it would drive me crazy for coins I want to look at frequently or to show other people. I am totally sold on the 2 x 2 flips that I can put two small printed sheets from my template in (that I print and cut with scissors) while having the coin in its own separate compartment. But not this storage method unless I didn't look at them often. I also personally do not like the rotating display idea because I like all my coins readily available. Maybe if I had far more coins, I would feel differently. As it is, I like to open the cases and who knows what coin(s) I will select to pick up. I find the trays easy to add coins to and keep in order, even if it means moving a bunch of coins every time I add a new one. Sure beats doing that with albums.

Virgil

I used to keep my coins in boxes with 3 trays in each but the coins slid around a lot. It was also a pain to keep shifting them over one spot when I'd add a new coin to keep them all in order by RIC number.  There was also no way of easily keeping the old tags together with the coins.

Now I keep them in 2x2 flips standing up in a plastic box with lid. I have 5 boxes total. Makes it easy to access and organize and the tags stay with the coins.  Each box is specific.  The boxes are stackable and take up very little space.

Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #18 on: May 20, 2021, 08:09:24 am »
The great coin rehousing is now underway, per attached progress photos !

My ziploc'd bag "overflow" is all done, and now removing album pages a few at a time and working on those. Judging by my 2x2 envelope usage (bought two 500-count boxes) I'd say I've done 250-300, almost filling four Whitman boxes, with another 1000 to go. Seems like the full collection might take about 20 boxes if I pack them in, or a bit more if I partition by mint and there's some empty space "between mints". I initially bought an 8-pack of boxes, with another 8-pack on the way now.

I'm doing this a as a multi-step process. Initially just transferring the coins to envelopes with handwritten labels, with no attention to order. When I've transferred all the coins I'll then order them by mint/date/type, and finally I *might* come back and do nice laser-printed stick-on labels for the envelopes.

I'm keeping the labels real simple since I'm only intending them to serve as an index for rapidly locating coins. My label format is basically 4-line mint+date / reverse-type / emperor / attribution, and this is the way I'll order the coins when I'm done - first by mint, then date, then type, etc. In some cases I add additional information that might help in grouping/locating coins.

It's actually quite a pleasant process, despite the somewhat daunting numbers. I get to handle all my forgotten friends again and inspect them under a loupe. My process is to "stage" the label on a note pad by inspecting each coin and looking it up on the computer (where they are easily searchable), then copy the info onto an envelope. Due to the - by design - simplicity of this process it goes pretty fast. If I at least do 20 per evening it should be done in a couple of months, although I hope to do it a bit faster.

Ben

Offline SC

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Re: Plastic envelopes in boxes ?
« Reply #19 on: May 20, 2021, 02:17:40 pm »
Always nice to go through the collection again.  Also allows for a BD check.

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