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 Replies: 20 / Views: 3,521 |
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Pillar of the Community
1153 Posts |
Currently I store all my coins in my basement. It is not temp controlled. I have a hygrometer that shows the humidity was at 75% late June. I bought a dehumidifier and run it continuously and brought that down to 65% but its still too high. I currently have my danscos in gallon zip lock bags but everything else I own is sitting out. Here is my plan: First, I am planning on purchasing this safe. http://www.menards.com/main/home-de...-2450714.htmSecond, I will purchase 1- 750 gram silica can to put inside the safe and put either 20 gram or 40 gram silica packs inside of tupperware containers that will house my albums and loose coins inside the safe. Third, I will purchase a wireless hygrometer to show me the humidity in my den and inside the safe. I will continue to run the dehumidifer as needed during the summer months. In the winter, the humidity is not an issue. I want to make sure what I buy is sufficient. I will not move my collection to a bank, its a personal preference, I have no interest. I want my collection in my house. Is there anything else I can do to help? Do you have any further suggestions? |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
For one thing a safe is not to smart. Remember when you close the thing, you shut in all that moisture and no where for it to go. Actually making it worse for the coins.
Not sure why your humidity is what it is but if you keep doors and windows open in the house, you may as well try dehumidifying the entire World. What your machine is just running and running for nothing. A whole house A/C unit would help more but you just have to keep doors and windows closed.
IF your basement is that damp, must be a reason for it. Try finding out where all that moisture is coming from.
In the meantime, can't you move it all out of the basement?
Silica Gel packs too can become dangerous. People just don't realize they can hold only so much moisture and then become useless. Some will start to leak moisture back into the area.
I keep all my Albums in Zip Lock plastic bags for just the same reason. However, again, remember that every time you open one, you allow moisture to enter. You just have to find out where all that moisture is coming from.
If your house is new and the basement too is new, the concrete will emit moisture for a long time. Not much you could do about that if that is the case. However, you may want to look into basement waterproofing. That moisture has to be coming from somewhere.
For now I'd suggest moving your coins out of the basement at least until you figure out where the moisture is coming from.
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Pillar of the Community
 1153 Posts |
my house was made in the early 1900s so no, its not new.
Waterproofing a basement is expensive and something we do not have the funds for. It is a half finished basement, the room my coins sit in does not leak but during heavy rain, but another room down there does have a leak when it rains.
Humidity is only an issue during the summer, during the winter the humidity in less than 30%.
I would love to move my collection out of the basement but my den is down there, or what younger people would call a man cave.
Is there anything that can be done? What will happen with coins in high humidity? proofs will get cloudy? what about the business strikes?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1187 Posts |
just carl - I store a lot of my coins in paper rolls and put them back in the bank boxes. I put a silica gel pack or two in there and seal them up with packaging tape. Are you saying I'm risking damaging these coins because I put the silica gel packs in there?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Put the rest into ziplocks with silica gel INSIDE the bags. This will do a lot more than anything else for protecting the cons from the environment. (For even more protection double bag them with silica gel in both the outer and inner bags.) Even putting in a safe with silica gel won't help a lot. Safes are typically not airtight and the moist air will continue to leak in. Safes tend to be moisture traps and will relatively quickly saturate the gel so recharging will have to be done frequently. And every time you open the safe you just let even more moist air flood in. So even in the safe you should still have everything in the ziplocks with their own silica gel.
So if you want the safe for security OK, but if you are wanting it for environmental protection save your money and invest it in ziplocks and silca gel instead.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
I'm with justcarl on this one. Get them out of the basement TODAY! The safe is OK, but, not in the basement.
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
There really isn't anything you can do that will insure your coins safety in a basement that has at least one room leaking when it rains.
Even silica, which will absorb moisture quickly, and zip lock bags are only going to do so much. If you doubt it, take a few zincolns, stick them in zip lock, put in a silica pad, leave for a month in the basement.
Do the same thing but leave that bag of zincolns upstairs (not the attic if you have one).
Within a few months you will likely see a difference between them.
Of course you have to use the same condition zincolns in both bags. If you can find a solid mint roll, split that roll and use half in one and half in the other.
It should show you that zip locks and silica is only going to help so much.
I've been using Day Mount Air Tight 2X2 and 2.5X2.5 holders for better than 30 years and I've never had a single coin change in any way inside them, regardless of the room or safe condition.
They are a good deal more expensive than the stapled 2X2's, but I figure if I'm too cheap to use the better holders, the coin isn't worth preserving.
I think your significant other needs to move their shoe collection out of the upstairs bedroom closet to make room for your coins.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1187 Posts |
How much lower are humidity levels on ground levels vs the basement typically?
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
A basement can be just as secure as an upper level, but in this case with water dripping in one of the rooms in the basement it would require that problem be fixed.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1295 Posts |
Basements and unfinished attics are just about the worst places to store coins, due to the inconsistency in temperature, humidity, dampness etc.
You need to bring the coins up to your main living space immediately! You can put your safe in the back of a closet somewhere, where it won't be in the way. But definitely don't leave your coins in the situation they are currently in.
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Pillar of the Community
1153 Posts |
What exactly will happen to coins in a humid environment? short term or long term effects?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Coins and moisture do not mix. I bought a LWC deal last year, some 25 paper-wrapped rolls and envelopes with 2/3 coins in each. These had been stored in a baement for around 15 years. At least 10% of the coins were completely shot, and another 15% will always bear traces of corrosion. Figure something out, but get them out of the basement.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
Short term effects-the surfaces will start the process of corroding, Long term effects-they will corrode
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Pillar of the Community
1153 Posts |
Thanks all for the advice. I will store them somewhere else until I can figure out my humidity problem in my den.
I will look into a safe deposit box on Monday.
Thanks again
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Are you saying I'm risking damaging these coins because I put the silica gel packs in there? Again, they can only absorb so much moisture then may actually start leaking out excessive moisture. Yes they are great if you maintain them or frequently change them. If not, waste of time and money. Remember any item can only absorb so much moisture and then that is all. Quote:
How much lower are humidity levels on ground levels vs the basement typically? Varies massively. You have to remember that moisture is water and water vapor is much heavier than just air. The moisture in the air settles downward so a basement is like a trap for that. Any leakage or outside air coming into a basement, has no where to go so it just stays there. Every time you open a door, you allow new moisture to enter and being heavy, it will go down, down, down. Many people have a cloths dryer in the basement. Every 30 minutes of drying time usually empties out about a 12 cubic foot room or air. It comes in from everywhere to replace that now lost air that went out through the cloths dryers vent. Note too, if you have a furnace and/or hot water heater in the basement. If gas fired, they have a vent to the outside. when not used, air from outside comes in that vent too. There are just so many places that leak air into a house and especially an old house. Again, best to move your coins out of the basement. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Quote:
Again, they can only absorb so much moisture then may actually start leaking out excessive moisture. Yes they are great if you maintain them or frequently change them. If not, waste of time and money. Remember any item can only absorb so much moisture and then that is all. That is true but the volume inside a ziplock bag is very small and the gel can pretty well soak up most all the moisture in the air inside the bag without getting saturated. With a good seal it is very difficult for new moist air to get in unless you open the bag. If you do the double baggig the air that leaks into the iner bag is dry air from the outer bag. If you don't open the bags that gel probably won't need recharging for a couple decades. And since the bag is transparet you ca tell whether or not it needs recharging without opening the bag. |
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Replies: 20 / Views: 3,521 |
Posted 08/15/2015 11:12 am
