Yup, this is another post about coin collecting supplies and storage. Its been talked about for ages and a million times but it never gets old. Cardboard flips, mylar holders, airtites... which one to choose? Well none of them are perfect and you're always going to find fault with whichever method you choose. I'm going to narrow it down to the two methods I like the best and analyze them briefly.
Airtites - I finally decided to go this route with my better coins. They offer good protection are not too expensive and are relatively easy to locate. I even bought Airtite tubes to put the holders in so they're not scattered all over the place. Everything was going peachy until I started looking for variations and VAMS. Yes, I know I have a tendency to torture myself. But what I realized was that there was no way I could label them. Which leads me too...
Coin World Slabs - These are square or rather rectangular and they can fit in a box. They come in a variety of sizes and are not terribly expensive. Usually a pack of three runs about a dollar each, but if only I was buying a few and not almost a hundred of these I wouldn't mind using them. The other thing is, how do I label these slabs? I have to spend more money on their labeling software and then again on their custom labels? Sorry but I'd rather spend that money on coins. Also their inert stuffing, okay they call it inserts but I like stuffing, are green. Seriously? Green? Couldn't they make it some manly color like pink... I mean black? I'm not decorating a Christmas tree,
And back to supplies and storage. Another thing I must warn collectors about are safes. I have read far too many collectors asking, "why are my coins changing color" and "what are these white stuff growing on my boxes"? o_O
Make sure your safe is not the fireproof type. Many of these kinds of safe are not suitable for coins. They will tone or damage your coins, also make sure the safe you use is bolted down to something or better yet, hidden away from plain sight. A portable safe is useless if a burglar can carry it away to work on it on his or her spare time.
And lastly, don't worry too much about your coins. Remember, they're only material items that can be replaced if damaged or lost. Although it may cost you, its not the end of the world.
