Is a safe combination?

[silverhawk]

I have been looking for a safe combination of storage for both Morgans and SIlver Eagles that will:

 

1. Allow looking at the coin at will.

2. A system where each coin holder can be marked with codes and data.

3. Least likely to cause any coin damage, whether physical or environemental.

 

Having worked for a major historical society I am very sensitive to damaging packagings. 2x2 cardboard is just scaring me to death with all the dust from the tagboard.

 

What I have come up with is this:

 

1. Kointain for the coin. This gives me full access to viewing without fear of damage. Being Mylar (if it is true DuPont ??) it is about the safest plastic. Nothing to write on without interfering with viewing.

 

2. Then, put the Kointain in a vinyl (or Mylar) flip with inserts that contain data. Data is written in pencil or gel ink.

 

These will then fit in standard 2x2 storage boxes.

 

The other option (more expensive) would be AIr-tites in 2-1/2 inch flips. They would have to be direct fit. I also have a fear of polyethylene in contact with the coin over a long period. The problem is not knowing what the coin has been exposed to that may eventually react with the foam rings.

 

Ideally, a plain white, acid-free card with a cut out for Air-tite would great. Not all the fuzzy garbage. I talked to Air-tite and they have no such thing planned.

 

Any conservator care to respond? Am I on the right track, or have I missed something.?

[DC Dawg]

I am a fan of the Air Tite holders because I think they look better. They contain no PVCs. The ring insert is inert also. I have AirTites I bought more than 10 years ago and the coins in them look like the day I acquired them. There is no toning from the case or the insert.

 

I have never heard anyone having problems with AirTites. IMHO, they are better than Kointains in look and function--the inserts allow for the a tolerance in the size of the coin, so they don't shake around in the holder if you handle the holder.

 

Rather than make my own display cards, I just bought theirs. One side is fuzzy, the other is not. I just put a label on the side that is not fuzzy with a Brother P-Touch. It works for me!

 

Scott

[pendragon1998]

I like your plan. If super-long-term storage (several hundred years down the road) is your goal, I would consider using an acid-free paper for your insert and a good, dark, pencil. Smudging shouldn't be an issue if you're not handling the insert. I'd use an AirTite instead of a kointain, just because of my personal preference, and definitely a mylar flip, not a vinyl one. I would store the flips in an acrylic box versus a cardboard one. Be sure to pack it with a desiccant and keep the crystals regularly maintained. Store cool, dry, and dark.

 

That ought to last through the next several years.

 

Prior to storage, make sure you don't have PVC issues with the coins (i.e. don't store them with active contamination issues in progress)

[silverhawk]

Rather than make my own display cards, I just bought theirs. One side is fuzzy, the other is not. I just put a label on the side that is not fuzzy with a Brother P-Touch. It works for me!

 

Thanks, I thought both sides were fuzzy on the Air-Tite cards. But, what is a " Brother P-Touch?"

 

Seth

[DC Dawg]

Thanks, I thought both sides were fuzzy on the Air-Tite cards. But, what is a " Brother P-Touch?"

 

P-Touch is Brother's label making system. See more on their website.

 

Scott