Very interesting read, thanks to all who added their approach. This is a thing I need to tackle soon or later.
I'll add a somewhat related question, hoping Empty_Pockets doesn't mind -- do you somehow clean circulated (or highly circulated) notes before putting them in these sleeves or just put them as they are?
Quote: I'll add a somewhat related question, hoping Empty_Pockets doesn't mind -- do you somehow clean circulated (or highly circulated) notes before putting them in these sleeves or just put them as they are?
The canned answer is that you should not clean anything but I have taken low cost notes with PVC (from improper storage) and rinsed them in acetone, but you need to be careful as acetone will remove color from notes, but between PVC and the acetone, I would rather have a chance of losing some color rather than PVC. I will preface to say that I gave those notes away. I generally only collect stuff that isn't details.
I have 3 ways: my graded notes either go into a TPG (Third Party Graded) currency binder or in boxes like @hfjacinto's demonstrated. I also have notes that go directly in PVC-free sleeves which sit upright in boxes & I also have some sealed notes, in good sleeves, which go directly into albums. I usually place a rechargeable desiccant where I store them to protect the sets from moisture.
The YT content creator "Polar Currency" does a great job of showing how he stores his sets:
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My TPG binders go into a safe similar to Dan's set-up (on Polar Currency). The first 3 TPG binder were supplied by BCS on my 1st banknote submission & only allows one certified sleeve per page but I have grown to like them. They look like this: with a Canadian $5.00 banknote:
Half my reply was cut off so I will add it here. I store my TPG (Third Party Graded/certified notes) in red binders (vertically) similar to how Dan stores his boxes in his safe. Here's the BCS (Banknote Certification Services) binder: They supplied me with my first 3 binders (on my first submission) & I liked them so much that I bought a few extra for my PMG World sets. Here's a $5.00 note inside the BCS binder:
For my certified notes, I have a set of Lighthouse Grande binders with slip cases. I really like those.
For my uncertified notes, all of which are lower value, I use heavy 3-ring binders. I put each note in a sleeve before putting them in the pages of the binder.
joe_77.... I don't clean my used banknotes. I like the intrigue used notes have. It makes you wonder who's wallet they were in, what they bought, and how long they were in circulation.
I appreciate all the advice given in this thread. I think I might go with the sleeves in a box and keep the banknotes that are in an album as is. Joanne
Thanks all on the cleaning tips! I really don't have time right now to tackle this but sooner or later I need to handle the 200ish notes of my family for "long term storage" and some of them are real dirty!
I've ordered some currency sleeves from Amazon. They are made by BCW and are archival polypropylene. Expect them on August 7 and will leave a review when I get them.
Got my BCW currency sleeves today. They cost $6 and change from Amazon for a quantity of 100 pieces. The thickness of the sleeve is 2 mil which is unacceptable in my book. However I still plan to use them. They are polypropylene which makes them archival safe. In the final analysis, I am unhappy with the product.
I haven't bought any sleeves online. I only buy at shows or at stores.
I have only bought boxes of 50, or 100, for about 50 cents each (in bulk) so $25/50 or $50/100 sleeves (usually). To buy a sleeve for less than 50 cents - $1.00 seems like asking for trouble (to me anyways). You're either going to get flimsy, old PVC but surely ripped off (b/c you have to buy again & it can be tough to get your money back or sometimes its not worth it with the shipping). I have recommended Wizard & certain ebay sellers for the big brands in the past but I got some flack for recommending these so I won't recommend anymore.
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Posted 07/24/2026 09:00 am
