FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board
Numismatic and History Discussion Forums => Coin Photography, Conservation and Storage => Topic started by: sejanus on January 19, 2005, 04:29:49 pm
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I have always wondered if there was one dominant method, although I would assume flips are most popular for ancients. :)
Sejanus
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I presently use flips in those blue plastic boxes, but I'm in the process of designing a cabinet that will use velvet trays.
All I'm waiting on is for the carpenter to get his hands on enough mahogany and cherry wood...
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Many woods will give off vapors for a considerable period of time, due to their natural characteristics or treatments to prevent rot. One of the reasons mahogany is so popular for coin cabinets is that it's very stabe and does not give off chemical vapors.
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Hi all,
I voted - then looked closely at the options - saw "slabbed" was an option and am going to have to go and lie down for a while . :o
Only joking ;D
-:Bacchus:-
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I suppose I'm in the minority here... I use the cardboard holders.
I collect denarii so I really don't want to handle them too much (fingerprints and such) and the cardboard holders are easy to store in an album.
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I agonized over this when I first started out. I began with flips, but found them to be unwieldy, and the coins slid around a lot, sometimes out of the flip itself. I settled on the cardboard holders. (See below)
The front has the rarity in the upper left corner, and my # system in the upper right. The obverse legend appears over the coin, and the rulers name below. The lower left has the ref. #. The reverse has the legend, mint, and date range. These are the most important things I want to see at a glance.
The holders go into a binder, in sheets holding 20 coins each. (Makes it easy for me to page through and admire the coins, and when I remove them they are still protected by the cardboard.)
Lastly there is a second binder corresponding by ruler and coin and number, which holds my Moneta data sheets.
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I’m apparently one of the very-few to have selected #4 “Other.”
I ‘store’ mine in open display in my private museum, all encased in glass cases. So I can see them all any time – and all the time – as can any of the few who are ever granted entrance.
I’ll try get a couple pics of what they look like if anyone might ever care to see.
Best – :)
Tia
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Hi
Ive of those Abafil Milanese velvet lined coin 'brief' cases - keeps coins in place and is very attractive. Being in Hong Kong though I have to keep case next to the silicia absorbtion packs inside my safe!
;D
Tia - post photo of your private museam please.
Tks
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Will do, Alex… :)
I’ll try to get a photo or two tomorrow after I wake.
I’m still able to do it this way – as I yet have fewer than 100 coins in all (76 by exact count).
For those with several hundred, or thousands – I can see the need for other methods of storing for sure.
Even pressing closer to 100 now, space begins to become a real problem of interior décor and engineering…
So far so well, tho’! :)
Best –
Tia
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I have probelms occasionally with flips sliding out of albums, or coins out of flips. They're not perfect, but the 2x2's irritate me; I wouldn't want a sheet of plastic forever between me and the coin.
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I have, over the years, used all sorts.
There was an Abafil case with trays inside but as the case held the trays vertical and it got moved around there was abrasion on the high points of some coins.
I did use flips in an album but for the last 17 years I have used mahogany cabinets, now up to number five (fourteen trays per cabinet, thirty coins per tray). I like them for the look and also the convenience of arrangement of coins.
I also have two Lidner trays for the LRBC I part of my collection.
Mahogany is supposed to be inert, however I have seen concerns over modern mahogany that has not been properly seasoned as potentially causing problems.
Regards,
Mauseus
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I file the Saflip flips in 30" long archival storage boxes originally designed for 2X2 mounts of 35mm slides. A silica gel packet can go at either end and under the lid. They are extremely sturdy and hold a LOT. Also they fit in the Box at the Bank, perfectly. I got them from Adorama in NYC, which advertises in things like Popular Photography. So far, nearly six years, no problems. If I needed to send them somewhere else, they could go in these same storage boxes, inside a larger carton, to be sure.
Patricia Lawrence
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I use coin boxes from LINDNER. You can stack them and they look nice. It is easy to put the coins or the boxes in another order when needed. Each box has a Silica Gel desiccant on it.
Regards
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I started a thread this topic some time ago. I had my coins in trays and due to space constraints I was considering albums. I now have my coins in flips in 3 ring binders.
In that earlier discussion, though, somebody (I don't remeber who) made a very valid point which I think is worth repeating : If, God forbid, your house is ever burgled trays of shiny coins are far more likely to catch a thief's eye than 3-ring binders sitting on a shelf somewhere.
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A little note on silicagel:
The thing about silicagel is that it will soon become useless if your container is not airtight, and will soon require replacing. Some photography shops sell silicagel in sachets which are reusable in so far as you can reheat them on a hot radiator in order to lose the acquired moisture. Blue silicagel turns pink when it has acquired moisture (as does yellow silicagel I think). With most paper sachets of silicagel one cannot see the colour of the gel inside and should therefore assume that it will become useless after perhaps a few weeks - in which case it should be reheated (if the manufacturer says that it is possible to reheat) or replaced. The most effective use of silicagel (longer lasting) is to use it in an air- tight container like a large lunch box - not very nice for displaying coins though, although I believe some museums do use this method for storing rescued ancient metal artifacts and coins. :)
Apologies if I'm preaching to the converted!
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Dear Friends
I hate slabbed coins. As soon as I get a slabbed coin, I break it and liberate it from its prison. I dont know, but slabbing coins seems to be pretty popular in the USA, as I see many such coins for offer. It may have its benefits, but I have to be holding the coin in my hands.
I also do not like stapled cardboard flips. I usually destroy them immediately and get the coins out there as well. I cant have that.
I use flips. On every flip (bottom right corner) there is a white sticker on which I my personalised number system. For example GRE0001, or OTT0928. Then I have a list that I update comstantly that explains these numbers with reference and that old chestnut. A full ID. As far as I can get. Each dynasty is organised in a unique fashion. Roman coins are in chronological order, Umayyad coins are ordered according to Jund, Ottoman coins are ordered according to the mint city and so on.
Sounds complicated, but if I need a coin, then I can snap it out easily.
I then use shoe boxes that I devided into sections for empires and order the coins by numbers ie GRE0001, GRE0002 etc.
Shoe boxes are pretty lame and the section deviders are not stable, so I hope to be ordering this one https://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/indexfrm.asp?vpar=611&pos=0
soon. I hope it can be shipped to the UK. Such things here are so expensive. This is at a bargain price for me.
I also use a little hand luggage type with velvet trays for my gold coins, again with the same label system, but instead of stickers I use a round card that I write on and put the coin on that.
For proof coins (I dont have many) I use these round plastic holders that you can open and close. Obviously I do not handle them, but I have to have the coins in my hands. Thats the way I enjoy my collection.
Best wishes,
Burak
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A the moment I keep them on velvet under glass but some are hard to see...I am always open to better ways :)
I dont like them hidden away, slabbed, etc...
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Hello,
I have just started this "hobby". It took some months to solve out how to store my coins. The requirements were that they are easy to look, take into my hand and present to my friends. Of course it also has to be a safe method.
This is my solution and I am quite happy with it. It also looks elegant.
Regards
Ilpo
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All woods give off vapors of some type, it cannot be stopped, as they are organic. The use of the new water based polyurethanes seems to be the best, and the matte types are virtually invisible after it has dried. Mahogany is very stable, it has a very low shrinkage or expansion rate, so it generally doesn't warp. Making the drawers is not easy and very time consuming, the basic cabinet is almost easier, and to make then look decent requires a couple days worth of work , if you have all the right tools, and those are not cheap.
I like the air-tite containers, as the coins are accessible, but are protected from sliding around loose in the trays.
Bruce
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i too like to have my coins accesible, and therefore i hate 'slabs'.
i got a good deal on a coin cabinet some years ago, with velvet-lined drawers. but the fact is it's not very convenient in the space i have now, and i don't like the way the coins can move around in their little compartments.
i use flips, but i put the coin in a coin grade poly bag first, which greatly reduces wear from friction. a small slip of index card in the back gives me room for all the information i need, and my catalog lets me expound if necessary.
these are then stored in velvet-lined wooden boxes of my own construction, devided into 2 1/4" compartments.
i am a little concerned about outgassing, but i have seen no ill effects from this in all the time they have been stored this way (about 20 years or so). still, i'm considering re-doing them soon using the same design but with a more inert material.
as temporary caretaker for these beautiful objects i consider it my solemn duty to pass them on as i found them.
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I can get a very nice deal on a display case. What's this about wood vapours? What will it do to my coins?
Certain woods give off vapors that can over a long enough period, affect the patina, and possibly even cause corrosion. I beloive that pine and oak may be especially noxious. That's why most quality cabinets are made of mahogany. I believe rosewood is also relatively safe. I'm not sure about any other species.
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I've been trying to come up with a good system. Right now my coins are in flips, but I am looking box a small wooden box/cabinet that could hold maybe 30-50 coins that is not so absurdly expensive as the ones I can find. Any suggestions?
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I prefer gray 29 x 29 cm plastic trays in boxes ("BEBA" - system), without partitions or sleazes, flips, blisters and all these awful coverings and surroundings some people may add (so not like the fillings of the depicted one).
They are sorted but all together in one big area and i have to take care when i move the tray.
Sometimes i create improvisional partitions by old pencils or flat pieces of wood to separate one or two groups of coins from the rest of the tray.
regards
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I have a plastic coin cabinet with 6 trays,4 trays hold 45 coins and 2 trays hold 135 coins.
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and a tray with 135 coins.
regards
Robert.
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I would be careful with paper envelopes. Another hobby of mine is telescope optics-I grind mirrors and lenses. Paper is used to polish lenses in les expensive commercial work. In short, paper polishes hard surfaces like glass and metal over time. This is the equivalent of putting wear on high spots
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Well, truth to be told, as long as the coin is able to slide around against something, it will leave wear on high points sooner or later. In modern MS-65 world, that would be horrible for coin value; so the rise of slabs....
In ancients, not as sensitive so valvet trays are tolerated :)
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i keep each of my coins in an inert polybag which is then slid into an inert flip. no friction, extra protection, and easily removable. a two-sided tag on the other side of the flip and i'm good.
i have had many of my coins stored like this for 20 years with no significant sign of change.
~ Peter
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I keep all my coins in "non-plasticized flips" stored inside a box i had made for me a few months ago. I attached a pic of it, the main box is Brazilian cherry with spalted Birch in the lid, and Oak slip feathers. The top tray is made of Birds-eye Maple and has ten divided sections. The box measures 19"x10"x10" and is perfect because i keep larger items beneath the top tray where i keep all my coins in their flips. I seem to be filling it quicker than i first thought and might have to put some of my more expensive coins in a safety deposit box now to make room.
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I use simple plastic sheets.
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I think it's largely a matter of personal opinion. Mahogany was/is the wood of choice for coin storage because of its chemical stability, aesthetics, and a long history/tradition of collectors using them. And while plastic would almost certainly be cheaper, to me personally it just seems to lack the "old world" charm of a mahogany cabinet.
Here's a link to my gallery, showing the one I built for myself: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=2458
PM me if you'd like more information.
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Seal the coins so you can't easily take them out?
No option. ;D
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Ancient coins in general don't need to be protected. You're meant to touch them.
Every storage system that makes it harder for you to look at and touch your coins is very bad.
I used these folders for a while, with plastic flips in them. These weren't sealed but getting at the coins was
such a bother that I hardly handled them.
Now I use trays, I can easily touch my coins, turn them over, resort them if I like and it's much better.
Coins that you can't handle are useless and for that reason collections of modern coins that you can't touch
are stupid. Yes I said it, so sue me. ;D
There are a few exceptions, e.g. coins with very fragile patinas but I avoid these.
I had one that was beautiful and not common but If I'd dropped it on my desk I know parts would have come off, so I sold it.
I never would have done so otherwise.
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Currently I have mine in flips in a photo album, but I am looking to upgrade to a tray system if I can ever stop spending money on coins long enough to be able to afford it! :)
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Mahogany coin cabinet with trays, simple velvet lining. I bought one small one from coincabinets.com, don't regret it one bit.
Flips for my cheap Roman bronzes.
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Actually trying out gem jar cases. I looked up what the plastic jars are made out of, and it appears to be Lucite, which is basically plexiglass. I have found where other good coin slab type holders are made out of Lucite.
I love the method so far!
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Most of my coins are in flips sealed with transparent sticky tape to prevent them from falling out.
PVC free I hope! :)
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I suppose I'm in the minority here... I use the cardboard holders.
I collect denarii so I really don't want to handle them too much (fingerprints and such) and the cardboard holders are easy to store in an album.
*UPDATE*
I'm still using the 2x2 cardboard holders, but now store them in long coin boxes which contain about 50 of the 2x2 holders. I agonized a few years ago about keeping them in a bank deposit box and after weighing the pros and cons finally decided to store them there. I miss being able to handle them whenever I want, but the trade off in security and peace of mind is worth it I think.
At home I keep a binder with detailed info and pics of each coin.
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I strongly agree. Ever since discarding the plastic flips and album pages I look at my coins much more often and derive much more joy from my collection. Taking them out of the album is not much work in theory but in practice I just didn't do it very often.
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I also agree impuber et alii . A question to those who use trays.Do you wash your hands before handling your coins ?. Or use gloves?.
In case you already wear the toga virilis,sorry for the impuber mention.
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I suppose I'm in the minority here... I use the cardboard holders.
I collect denarii so I really don't want to handle them too much (fingerprints and such) and the cardboard holders are easy to store in an album.
I too collect Denarii. I’ve been strongly leaning in the direction of a coin tray “system”, but now I’m concerned that this type of storage may not be safe for silver. I don’t think I’ll mind a little bit of pleasant “cabinet toning”, but I don’t want to harm me coins. Are my concerns warranted?
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I have the 1 1/8" diameter ones. I am not sure how tall they are. I took the foam out of them and cut it down so the coins would not hit the top of the jar. I came up with a very quick and nice way to do this. They look better now than they did before I cut them.
There is also the option of not using the jar itself. You can cut the foam insert down, take it out of the jar, and just stick it in the hole of the tray. Kind of like having a normal coin case. It looks really nice as well.
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Fine for new coins, but who wants ancients that look like that? Much of the interest would be gone if I couldn't handle them!
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I have a set of silverware and its all black and dusty now. i can polish those but i can't polish coins!
Not necessarily, it is entirely possible and done more often than you might think. A bit of light polishing of a darkly toned silver coin can result in a very attractively toned coin that is highly desirable by most ancient collectors.
If i could tone all of my silver coins overnight (non-artificially) i would do it in a second, but then again it can be fun to see your nice silver coins tone over time.
In the end to each his own and no harm can come from overprotecting a coin, only limited enjoyment IMO.
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small zip bags
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I use Kointainer's SAFLIP coin holders.
Then i allow disorder to get its rights back.
AC
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I use a small 8"x10"x4" brief case filled with faux velvet/plastic trays.
I'm at the verge of out growing it though, and would like to get a nicer desktop case with drawers. I wish I could afford one of the nice "Cabinets by Craig", but will have to settle for something more modest :-\
~Steve
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How many trays are in the case and how many coins do you need it to hold in total?
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How many trays are in the case and how many coins do you need it to hold in total?
I'll send you a P/M
~Steve
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I use a "BEBA" sublot (30x30x14cm) with 10 tray and each tray have diferent distribution of the place of the coin
i.e.
6x6 tray for the coin like diameter 42mm 36 place
and 7x7.. 49 place for Sestertius
8x8 64 place for folis
9x9 81 place for tetradrachm :)
10x10 like antoninianus 100 place in one tray
12x12 aprox 20-22mm diameter coins like denarius 144place in one tray
I hope it is good to so many coins for the small place in the table or the shelf..
regards
Q.
like this
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Like areich, I want my collection where I can enjoy it and easily handle the coins, and I like to have them available to show them casually to my visitors without dragging out shelves or binders. The case is mahogany, and I added a bank of lights from Home Depot. I used to have a velvet surface, but even ambient vibrations used to move the coins around a bit. I tested wood with a grain running the length of the rows of coins, and that fixed the problem. I've been using the display case for more than twenty years, and I can discern no interaction between the wood and the metal. The coins in the top row, by the way, are in this gallery: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5012 (https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5012). The next seven rows are primarily in this gallery: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1107 (https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1107). I'm slowly adding more, such as this one: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5080 (https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5080). Cheers!
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Blindado
What a great display of what appears to be your entire coin collection in a single picture. I have to commend you for the display concept (who else dares to show their entire collection in a single display case), its realisation and the choice and quality of coins. If you could only arrange for a high resolution photo it would make a great 100% scale poster. I only wonder at the security implications. I cant imagine displaying such nice coins at home.
Marcus Lepidus I just noticed your old post about ziplock bags. Wouldn't they be made of or include PVC?
Regarding paper envelopes I understand they are considered good for long term storage though rarely used nowadays. And you can write on them too. I wouldn't be concerned about abrasion because the coins lie still even when moving boxes around. Far more dangerous are the felt inserts used in wooden cabinets which can be very abrasive, as each time you pull out a tray the coins shift. Putting your paper tickets under coins in any tray system can also degrade them, again remembering that coins shift each time you move a tray, unlike envelope or flip systems. Archival storage in trays therefore usually includes a clear non-pvc separator between coin and ticket.
This is a very old thread dating to 2005 but with some great collection photos and advice.
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Thank you, Andrew. That represents 25 years of collecting.
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Thank you, Andrew. That represents 25 years of collecting.
I think everyone should look at Blindados picture. It shows in one snap what 25 dedicates years of collecting can achieve. Although the coins are not in my collecting area, who wouldn't want to have this at home? Very well done.
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Hi Andrew it is a nice explanation I accepted :)
I used a tray' s for a long time ( as you see above), earliar I used a paper (small coin size , selfmade) envelope, but after a few hundred coins the envelope system was complicate to used every day if I look after some coins . That was the time when I changed to the BEBA system , which are easy usable and confortable. Any way the problem only the paper ticket as you mentioned, because the long time use ( every day ) , not good the first class coin , because of friction ...,
Finaly what is your suggestion , which material you can use beetween the coins and the tickets ???
(as you mentioned non-pvc separator , but which material ???)
Again thank you. :)
Best
Regards
quadrans
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I have been giving thought to switching to abafil trays lately. For a separator, to eliminate friction between a coin and its ticket, I would cut-up non-PVC coin flips (Saflips or whatever you have). Each flip should provide four 1-7/8 inch separators, which would suffice for most ancients besides Aes Grave.
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I have been giving thought to switching to abafil trays lately. For a separator, to eliminate friction between a coin and its ticket, I would cut-up non-PVC coin flips (Saflips or whatever you have). Each flip should provide four 1-7/8 inch separators, which would suffice for most ancients besides Aes Grave.
Good answer. I've seen these acrylic-looking squares and didn't know where they came from. Chopping up a Saflip would work but there's probably a cheaper alternative. I don't keep my tickets in my Abafil trays; to date I've seen no issue with rubbing against the Abafil felt (whereas I had bad issues with wool felt in a wooden cabinet). Depending how you store your Abafil trays - mine are permanently right side up even in transport because I use the large boxes with the handle on top, rather than the briefcase style - coin movement may or may not be a concern.
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Thank you very much both of you.
:)
+++
regards
Q.
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If I display like this, my seven year old will prob have great fun trying to buy ice cream with them :D
Great looking collection!
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Like areich, I want my collection where I can enjoy it and easily handle the coins, and I like to have them available to show them casually to my visitors without dragging out shelves or binders. The case is mahogany, and I added a bank of lights from Home Depot. I used to have a velvet surface, but even ambient vibrations used to move the coins around a bit. I tested wood with a grain running the length of the rows of coins, and that fixed the problem. I've been using the display case for more than twenty years, and I can discern no interaction between the wood and the metal. The coins in the top row, by the way, are in this gallery: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5012 (https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5012). The next seven rows are primarily in this gallery: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1107 (https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1107). I'm slowly adding more, such as this one: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5080 (https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5080). Cheers!
Very impressive collection. I love seeing it all together like that!
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Following the advice of many FORVM members, I am moving my collection to coin cabinets. I love having my coins so accessible and in such an attractive I highly recommend it to any collector of ancients.
I am working with cmcdon on a couple more repurposed coin cabinets, which I hope to share with you soon.
Happy New Year!
Sosius
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And my smaller Byzantine cabinet. Labels are from prior owner, who collected English coins.
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Very nice, Sosius. If I kept my coins at home, I would like a cabinet. Any idea how old yours are?
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Thanks, Michael. I'm not sure how old the cabinets are. I would assume they are at least 50 years old, possibly older.
Sosius
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I started collecting about a year and a half ago and here is a picture of how I have them displayed right now. The picture is a few months old so there's actually another large case and they're more full but you'll get the idea.
I like reorganizing them, and right now I have Rome in two cases chronologically, Greece in one case chronologically, and 'Other' in one case by culture. They're held up by a pin which unfortunately puts a little hole in the information card (I use the ones that come with the coins here and make my own for others) but it's the best way I've found so far. My collection is starting to outgrow my wife's patience for having more and more cases on the dining room wall though.
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That's a very attractive display. My wife would never allow it! Do you get concerned that by displaying your coins so openly, you might incite theft?
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It looks a little messy for my tastes (don't be insulted, I can't have things not aligned properly, it would drive me crazy). Have you thought about replacing the backs of the frames with canvas, and attaching the coins like one would in a museum, with well-placed pins?
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It looks a little messy for my tastes (don't be insulted, I can't have thinks not aligned properly, it would drive me crazy). Have you thought about replacing the backs of the frames with canvas, and attaching the coins like one would in a museum, with well-placed pins?
Molinari, these are some good ideas, although I would think time consuming to execute properly. +++
What is a source for museum-style pins? In museums I've seen the pins holding display coins bent over the edges of the coins to secure them, and covered with some type of transparent, vinyl-like material (assuming archival). This material prevents the metal of the coins from coming into contact with the bare metal of the pins.
chuy1530, it does look like a few of the coins in your display are stored in PVC-laden soft flips. Have you considered replacing those with hard, PVC-free flips? Long-term storage in the soft flips can damage the coins due to the PVC reacting with the metal.
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I use Gaylord, but I don't know if they have these pins.
http://www.gaylord.com/lobby_gaylordmart.asp?
I think you could just use regular pins and perhaps bend the ends with a pair of pliers, if need be.
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Regarding theft, it is a bit of a concern, but for me personally the value of seeing them every day outweighs that. None of the coins in my collection are extremely valuable (two are worth ~300, the rest are under 100) so while it would be heartbreaking it wouldn't be financially ruinous if it happened. If I ever get to where I have coins worth considerably more I don't think I'd display them this way.
They aren't quite straight in that picture. They're a bit better now but using that method it's tough to get them exactly straight. If my 'display collection' ever levels out to where I'm not rearranging and adding to it every couple weeks I might look at using a second pin to keep everything from hanging around.
Same goes for the museum style pin set up. Right now it would just be too much of a hassle to rearrange them and what not when I made additions. Someday though, maybe.
Here's a more up to date picture.
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chuy1530, despite some of the suggestions worth considering I think what you've got going on here is pretty darn cool. It's certainly a creative solution for enjoying your coins on a day-to-day basis. Thanks for sharing! +++
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You might consider storage trays as an alternative. Trays allow you to see and touch your coins freely, without glass and plastic in the way. It is also a bit less daunting to rearrange coins in trays, when needed. Also a bit easier to conceal trays, if theft ever becomes a bigger concern for you. Good luck!
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Funny you mention it, I'm looking at trays at this very second. If I can get a good photography set-up I'd like to do a sort of mixed set up where I have a few (mostly lower value) coins out just like the ones I have now, and the rest well-photographed and printed out on nice photo-paper pinned up in place of the pictured coin. There then would be a number (or something, I haven't 100% thought it through) so you could find that coin easily in the trays. It's a bit of a project and I don't have a lot of time right now but long term I think it's the best mixture of accessibility, safety, and visual attractiveness I can think of.
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I am thinking of just make a good photo book of my coins and leave it as a coffee table book...
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I prefer gray 29 x 29 cm plastic trays in boxes ("BEBA" - system), without partitions or sleazes, flips, blisters and all these awful coverings and surroundings some people may add (so not like the fillings of the depicted one).
They are sorted but all together in one big area and i have to take care when i move the tray.
Sometimes i create improvisional partitions by old pencils or flat pieces of wood to separate one or two groups of coins from the rest of the tray.
regards
I fully support. This is a very a convenient system.
I prefer of these boxes for coins
http://www.ebay.de/itm/303198-Leuchtturm-Munzbox-fur-6-Euro-Kursmunzensatze-rauchfarben-/150769992219?pt=M%C3%BCnzen_Medaillen&hash=item231a97821b
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Whatever method you use, I suggest using some system to identify for each coin a corresponding envelope or folder to retain and allow easy reuniting with its old tags, receipts and provenance information. This will be very helpful to you or your heirs if a time comes to sell.
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Definitely! Is necessary arrange a catalog of the collection.
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While I certainly have my share of photo prints, you might also consider a relatively small TV that has a USB input (most recent ones do) set to give a slide show of images of your coins. Considering the price of low end flat screens now days you will spend more on prints in a short time. You also can turn it off or switch to a painting image if someone you don't want to see the coins will be in the house. Of course you could just run the photos on your 80 inch TV when not using it for the intended purpose but I hope your coins are nice enough that they look good blown up 100x. Few of mine are!
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I'm an oddball in the "other" category. I have a very small house and 4 children so space and keeping coins away from small hands when I'm not right there with them are an issue.
I store my coins in plastic boxes designed for sewing machine bobbins. Each box is about 4"x5", and has 25 compartments. You can get them in all different sizes but in general, universal bobbin boxes nicely hold coins up to 25mm and large "M style" boxes hold up to 33mm. With these, I can easily see, access, hold and show others my coins, and stack them neatly away in the gun safe when I'm done. I have each box labeled and a spreadsheet and photo album on my computer to reference each coin by box/position.
I used to be a fan of 2x2 flips, coin in one side, attribution card in the other, neatly organized into album pages, but after 20 years, most of my album pages collapsed under the weight, and I am really preferring this method now.
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Jonathan,
That is a very interesting storage option that I have never seen before. Thanks for sharing.
One concern would be that the coins can move around quite a bit. I guess you just have to be careful handling the cases?
Shawn
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I'm an oddball in the "other" category. I have a very small house and 4 children so space and keeping coins away from small hands when I'm not right there with them are an issue.
I store my coins in plastic boxes designed for sewing machine bobbins. Each box is about 4"x5", and has 25 compartments. You can get them in all different sizes but in general, universal bobbin boxes nicely hold coins up to 25mm and large "M style" boxes hold up to 33mm. With these, I can easily see, access, hold and show others my coins, and stack them neatly away in the gun safe when I'm done. I have each box labeled and a spreadsheet and photo album on my computer to reference each coin by box/position.
I used to be a fan of 2x2 flips, coin in one side, attribution card in the other, neatly organized into album pages, but after 20 years, most of my album pages collapsed under the weight, and I am really preferring this method now.
That is cool but being that it's plastic, surely there is PVC that can leak onto them over time?
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That is cool but being that it's plastic, surely there is PVC that can leak onto them over time?
Singer markets the cases as Acid free BPA free polycarbonate. Not sure, but I don't think there's pvc in polycarbonate?
Jonathan,
That is a very interesting storage option that I have never seen before. Thanks for sharing.
One concern would be that the coins can move around quite a bit. I guess you just have to be careful handling the cases?
Shawn
For the most part, they don't rattle around when walking through the house. I can see how travel would be a concern, and would make a mess, but I don't plan on taking my coins anywhere.
Thanks
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I've attached a photo of how I now store my coins. I previously used printed tags and 2x2 SAFLIPs. While I liked the printed tags and the SAFLIPs, they scuffed and broke much too easily, especially for larger coins like Æ asses and the like. Additionally, the printed tags made it difficult to fully write out monograms and ligatures in legends, and while it's a small thing, I really like my tags to have those. The solution I settled upon was archival paper envelopes, with my usual format of Crawford number on the top right(used to sort my collection) and my collection number on the back of the flap. For coins with additional dealer or old collection tags, this information is kept in a cut-in-half flip pocket and either on one of the tags or on a slip of paper I've written written my collection number so they can be easily matched up if need be. I've recently scanned all these old tags and envelopes and put them on my dropbox with all my other coin files as well, just in case they were to get separated.
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Jordan Montgomery, very interesting. Thanks!
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One thing I neglected to mention last night: the white bags are dessicant packs. They're hardly needed where I live, but where I collect bronze I like to take all necessary steps to protect from bronze disease and these are pretty cheap, about $10 for 50 or 100 of them I believe. The only thing to keep in mind is that they need to be "recharged" occasionally by heating in the oven. I use a small convection oven for this and run it at about 225 for several hours.
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I like to put it in leuchtturm coin holders mostly, but the best ones in slabs quadrum and then on drawers.
I'm still drawing a wooden furniture as an exhibitor or showcase like museum for part of my collection.
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With cardboard holders one can keep comments as near as possible to the proper coin and a coin with comment is a living coin, I find.
The choice for carboard holders came with my album "Identifying, Localising, Decyphering and Dating Coins". These coins needed comment ::)!
I adhered to the same system when I started my album "Greeks and Romans".
An album is handy for stockage and transport, I find, and also to look at your coins both sides.
Comments on the carboard holder have their requirements however :o!
I only collect coins struck in medal alignment. I cannot have verso pages in which the reverse sides are all upside down, opposite to the comments.
See below:
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Two more pictures to the message above:
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Very interesting discussion, I am glad Jan P commented so I would see it. I answered Flips (archival ones from Forum), but I put my flips in those Lechuturm cases with four "velvet" trays in each (60 coins each). My collections is in three of these so far and I will need another one or two before I finish identifying all of my "loose" coins from lots. So, I guess I use two methods at the same time. I have my moderns that aren't worth anything (basically my travel pocket change) in the stapled 2 x 2 cardboard/plastic cheap holders that are in pages in the album. I would never put good coins in these cheapo things. I do not like the albums for anything I want to handle.
Virgil