New Member Storage Questions

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Um, the frimoony item boasts a counterfeit 5 peso coin in one of its holders. That would cause me to pause before buying from a company that would do such a thing. I'd advise getting materials from Wizard Coin Supply. I don't work for them or anything like that, but it seems like they know what they're doing.
The 40 year old flips I'd be worried about. They might contain PVC if they're of soft pliable plastic that smells of shower curtain. Might be good to see a picture of those.

No.



BCW has solid stuff IMO, but archival quality isn't really a thing you can measure in objective, enforceable terms. To a great degree it's marketing language that might be used honestly, or to deceive.

After much debating I'm awaiting my shipment from Wizard.

I went with Cowen's Mylar 2x2s for the majority of the collection, Whitman snaplocks for better coins; Intercept Shield 2x2s for the few small gold pieces I have and Cowen 12 pocket binder pages to hold them.

Thanks for the much appreciated tips.

1. Frimoony seems to be a Chinese foreign marketing brand for all kinds of plastic products. As with all such Chinese exporters, the primary concern is one of quality control: they might be the awesomest coin holders you've ever seen, they might be complete and utter junk, and you might get both in the same shipment. The foam inserts are as much of an issue as the actual holders, as they're more likely to be a coin-unfriendly form of plastic.

2. Similar argument with Amazon bulk ordering; how good they are depends on what was in the shipping container from China that week. You might get lucky, you might get unlucky.

3. For me, the age of the 2x2 is irrelevant. Examine the coin itself, and particularly examine the plastic film. Is the coin just as nice as it was 40 years ago? Look for the "ring of death", an outline of the rim of the coin on the plastic; this is evidence that something in the coin is chemically reacting with something in the plastic, so the film is most likely plasticized PVC and not mylar. Also, feel the outside of the film; if it's sticky (usually from being placed into a PVC coin album page), throw it away. Finally, and perhaps obviously, if the film is punctured or torn, then replace it.

For me, if a 2x2 has protected the coin successfully for the past 40 years, it's likely to keep going for the forseeable future. Why replace something you know has been working well, with something new that remains unproven?

Finally: I always record the date of encardation on the 2x2.That way, if I notice some time in the future that that coin has turned or the 2x2 is otherwise defective, I can go and check all other coins that I encarded at the same time.

Good choice on the Cowen's flips and pages. They seem to hold up better than the BCW pages I've had over the years.