G'day, they're certainly pretty. At $0.79 each they're not cheap.
I see that the boxes for them are $4.99 each, but it doesn't say how many coins will fill a box.
Then, you have to store the boxes somewhere, and add the cost of that.
The point that others and I are making is that storage is expensive.
Whichever method you choose will be a compromise or trade-off between display, security, convenience, and expense. Money spent on storage is money not-available for the next coin.
2x2s - the plain ones - are popular because they afford a good view of the coin; they afford some protection; they are convenient, because they render all coins the same size, and can be stacked in boxes; or in albums. And there's not a lot that's less expensive that isolates every coin from his bro's & sisters.
Albums are popular because when you open one, you can see 20 of your coins at once. This permits us to create a display - RRG might say, this is where our individuality comes to the fore. Boxes are OK for bulk storage, and they're not expensive; but they don't allow any meaningful display.
So, you have to ask yourself - as do we all - what you want to acheive:
do you want to handle your coins ?
do you want to look at your coins ?
do you want to allow other people to look at your coins ?
If you collect Proofs & Uncs, then you'll spend a lot on storage &/or display.
I collect old coins that have circulated - some more than 200 years old: I want to protect them from deterioration from any & all causes; but I like to hold them in my hand. So, for me, storage is: 2x2s, in boxes, except for the ones that are my pride & joy, or my newest pets, which go into albums. And sometimes, I crack them out of their 2x2s and pass them around friends who might appreciate them. Who can hold a 1914 shilling, without wondering if it was in the pocket of a Digger scrambling up the cliffs at Gallipoli; or crawling through the mud at Fromelles; or in the charge at Beersheba ? You can't know, but you have to wonder ...
Which is why proofs and NCLT don't do anything for me. And why I don't spend too much on storage.
Peter in Oz
Posted 07/30/2008 7:33 pm
