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 Replies: 13 / Views: 13,419 |
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Valued Member
United States
68 Posts |
G'day, fellow CCF members! I've got a question surrounding some chatter I've witnessed on these boards surrounding proper storage of coins in 2x2" Cardboard Protective Sleeves. Why should I flatten my staples after stapling a coin shut. The coin itself will never be harmed by the staples that surround it.. My only guess is that if you have another coin in a different 2x2" holder below it, that that coin may somehow get scratched as a result of improper handling? In order for that to happen, I'd wager you'd need to rub the two together pretty darn hard..  Why is it considered good practice to flatten the staples of 2x2" Protective sleeves? |
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Valued Member
United States
415 Posts |
You would be surprised the damage it can do. Depending on how the staple is, It can get stuck to the coin behind it. Scratching it is always the biggest issue. If it doesn't scratch the coin behind it, it could tear open the film just as easy. I use a regular stapler, and flatten with a pair of pliers.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I used to flatten the staples of all 2x2's.
I don't do that anymore.
I must explain why:
A couple of years ago, I completely replaced all of my soft PVC album pages with with album pages made from either Mylar or polypropylene.
Small problem.
The 2x2's, with the coins therein slid out of the new album pockets more easily.
Solution?
I re housed some of my coins in new 2x2's, but did not flatten the staples. The extra width of the unflattened staples was enough to prevent the 2x2's from falling out of the album.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
830 Posts |
If you're going to keep them in an album, you probably don't have to flatten them.
But if you're going to stack them you should definitely flatten them.
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4227 Posts |
It definitely makes more room in my coin box by flattening them.
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Moderator
 Australia
16860 Posts |
Quote:
Sap said, back when he was only 15 years old:
I use a hammer and smash them flat on the concrete floor. Quote:
Sap said, when he was a few years older and started to notice some of his crown-sized coins had hammer-dents in them:
I use pliers to squeeze them flat. Please don't take fifteen-year-old-Sap's advice. It's not good.  As for the OP's question of "Why is it necessary", if you have a stack of coins sitting in 2x2s on your table or desk, you don't want staples from one coin scratching or punching holes in the plastic of the coin beneath it. And if you're using a container like an old photographic slidebox to house your 2x2 coins, sliding a 2x2 in and out of its position will very likely cause the staples to catch and grab onto neighbouring coins. Finally, even using an album, the staples can catch on the edge of the plastic, making it much harder to put the coins into the album. The staples also deform the plastic if the coin has been in there a long time, so if you rearrange the coins (as I personally do very frequently) then you'll have unwanted bulges in the album pages where staples used to be. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9794 Posts |
I always squished my staples flat for decades - very carefully with neddlenose pliers. No I use the flat cinch stapler that staples them almost as flat. Works great saves me a lot of time, I used to do thousands of holders each week as a dealer and would get hand cramps from the pliers.
"Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2661 Posts |
I use a Staples brand One Touch Flat Stack stapler. I have not worried about non flat staples in years.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2890 Posts |
I really only use a cabinet, Lindner trays or envelopes for coin storage - I don't think I've ever put a coin in a 2x2 never mind stapled it. There are other storage options available if you are concerned.
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Moderator
United States
189673 Posts |
Yes, I flatten mine so that they easily slide into the plastic pocket pages without scratching or catching.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1005 Posts |
I use a flat cinch stapler but still have had a few instances of the mylar tearing from the staples of an adjacent flip when I put a bunch of coins in flips in a box. This scares me so I'm going to try to be careful to only stack together flips with the same size opening. That way if the edges line up the staple will not be next to the mylar of its neighbor.
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Valued Member
United States
336 Posts |
I've always flattened my staples on the 2x2 flips but never really out of concern for the coins. I've done it to save space in my boxes. Before I upgraded my safe, storage space was a huge concern of mine. I still do it these days. I see I'm going to have to invest in one of these flat staplers though!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1314 Posts |
A small tear in the plastic film may not cause a scratch to the coin, but allows localized oxidation. Easily found on silver dollars.
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Replies: 13 / Views: 13,419 |
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Posted 06/19/2015 6:46 pm
