Cedar Chest For Coin Album Storage, Opinions On Dessicate?

why not buy a plastic box?

I keep my coins in THREE large Safety Deposit Boxes down at the bank, where they are in a Climate Controlled vault in the center of the bank.....and some silica packs throwed in here and there.

The ones that I temporarily keep at home are just at risk from oderless gasses, humidity, heat, mother nature in general, thieving, fire, and flood.

Now Carl, don't get snippy. Just because his box is made of wood doesn't mean it's made of cedar wood. There are lots of different kinds of wood. ; )

THIS cedar chest (mine, that is) smells wonderful.

I should point out, I don't own many MS coins. If I do, I'll be sure to put them in an airtight plastic case. MOST of the coins I like to play with are lower grades and I definitely handle them. Perhaps I'm committing some sin by doing so, but perhaps worrying about breathing on an F15 IHC is paranoia. I don't own MS coins specifically because I enjoy playing with the coins and I don't want to worry about ruining them by having a gander at one in my hand through a loupe. I want pieces that were USED in this country, that created commerce, that were used to buy a dozen flowers for a husband's lovely wife, that were used to buy a haircut before a big job interview, that were used to buy a pair of boots for the job that built this country. I don't want perfect coins because they never really did anything. That said, they are nice to look at! Near perfect specimens are art in their own right, and relatively inexpensive art that can be owned and associated with a period in history and all of the scandal, joy, grief, hardship, and celebration that came along with the historical events of that year.

But I don't want to worry about my coins, I want to enjoy them - and for me, that means holding them in my hand, letting my skins awful oils touch the surface and forever lower the grade from VF-19.89 to VF-19.85. And so I do.

Anyway, I'm not going to put my coins in this chest, even though I got it specifically for the task. It's BEAUTIFUL, a Roos, made circa 1940, art-deco in style, with inlay and beautiful design, so it IS a beautiful piece of furniture in its own right. It's NOT perfect because of the reasons stated above, I don't want or need perfect stuff. Just stuff I can use and not worry about too much. I believe it is (or was conceived to be) a hope chest for storing blankets. But I don't have any need for that.

And, I should mention, it does smell WONDERFUL. It has an amazing and strong odor that's really quite lovely. And yes, probably "bad" for coins. I haven't yet decided what I'll do with it, but it's pretty darned cool. =)

A plastic box may suffice for some, but I really wanted something a bit more regal. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong wood. Gotta stay away from smelly stuff, even if it smells good - so noted. When I picked up this chest, I did so remembering reading threads about coins that had toned beautifully in cedar cigar boxes.

Anyway, /tirade

Happy Friday everyone!

On the plastic box idea - I wouldn't. Plastics are made from petroleum - and they leach gases. Some plastics are incredibly nasty for storing coins - think PVC.

I prefer Mylar - but if I was going to use some type of box - I would use glass (not colored glass either, just clear).

THAT would actually be rad!

you could always find some sort of air tight containers, put your coins in them, and then place in the cedar chest. you could build one heck of a display case out of an old aquarium. that could be pretty neat.

later, dave

I put mine in a safe. An all-steel non-fireproof one (the fireproof ones typically attract/radiate moisture). I got a used one from local locksmith, about $350 installed & bolted to the floor.

It's a nice storage space, designed for money. Mine used to be a retail store safe, has a couple of shelves in it and the door has an area for rolled coins.

Plus I know my stuff isn't not getting ripped off again.

EDIT: on the desiccant issue, I went to a craft store, picked up some "flower drying" desiccant, the package is like 5 lbs....I put that in a glass mason jar. No lid on the jar, just stretched fabric over the top & secured it with the ring. The desiccant turns color when saturated & I can see it easy to replace it or put it in the oven & recharge it.