Folders Or Albums?

I use both with my collection, and both have their positives and negatives.

Most of mine are folders, and if I need more storeroom I would buy folders first. They are much cheaper and take up a lot less space. The 'touching' doesn't make a difference; you have to touch coins whether you stick them in a folder or album. Most common coins have been touched by thousands of other people the hundred years before I got them. When putting 'new' or uncirculated coins in folders or albums I use the soft cotton gloves.

The one thing I don't like about my folders is that I have several different types, which just don't look 'right' on the shelf. I have both old and new style Whitmans (different sizes and shades of blue), and Whitman (decorated covers) and Littleton (green and taller)folders. At least my Canadian coins all have similar Whitman's.

What I don't like about my albums (all Littleton) is the shelf space taken and none have enough pages. Also, albums are WAY too expensive; both initially and for updates. Thankfully the ones I have were given to me at no added cost when I bought semi-complete coin sets.

Folders you can't see both sides and the coins are not well isolated from corrosion, etc.

ALbums look nicer and you can see both sides of the coins, but they are pricey.

I switched to just using coin album pages in a binder with cardboard coin flips. You can store 10 albums' worth of collections in a single large binder for about $30-40 worth of supplies. And you can see both sides of the coin and customize it how ever you want.

I started with folders when I was a kid, but that changed after my Grandfather bought two Dansco albums for me. I have been using them ever since (thirty years this Christmas).

At the Whitman Coin Expo recently, I purchased five used Whitman Albums for just $1 per page, and given that wasn't much more expensive than the price of a new folder, am not disappointed. I selected Buffalo nickels, 1946-1970 Roosevelt dimes (complete for the 1946-1964 silver era), Washington quarters 1932-1964, Walking halves 1916-40 and 1941-1947, and Franklin halves (complete). Of course as others mentioned, both sides of the coin and better protection make albums ideal for all but upper end mint state and AU+ keys. For a folder, while I haven't had any oxidation or paper issues with all of my folders since I acquired them 10-15 years ago for about a buck a piece at an LCS, I do notice that on XF or better coins, the luster on the reverse can fade over time due to being exposed to the dark slots. Of course for the thousand-dollar plus coins, slabbing is preferred.

World Premier coin slabs for me. I know in the long run a more expensive option but I like being able to grab a coin to inspect it and I can do that easily with these. Plus I have an awesome place to store them all so that's what works for me. If I was chosing between the two options you listed it would be album and not folder....

Well I use folders for extra sets of inexpensive coins, or State Quarter - ATB sets etc. But always albums for older sets or things like 90% silver State Quarters - ATB's. It depends on what the "value" is. State Quarter "sets" hardly have a premium much over face value or Jefferson nickels, small cents from the 50's forward etc. Most of those types of circulated sets I have put in inexpensive folders. Everything else is in albums. Mostly Dansco but I do have a couple of Littletons albums as well.

Folders for sets where you have few coins in low grades, albums for more expensive sets where you have more coins in higher grades.

I only have Dansco albums for my Lincoln Wheat cent set and my Buffalo nickel set.

I use Dansco for my nice US coins and Gaurdmaster albums for my nice Canadian coins. I use folders for stuff I get from change, some circulating wheat cents, ect.
It seems that the more valuable the coin is the better you might want to house it.