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 Replies: 19 / Views: 5,046 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
I got a new safe for Christmas and have been enjoying it. There has been one thing I have been wondering. Would it be safe to store junk coins in Christmas tins in the safe?
I have a few types of coins that aren't quite worth buying rolls or flips for and having been looking at another way of storing them. These are dug wheat cents, common wheat coins, and foreign coins that I have just for the novelty factor.
I keep them currently in cardboard bank boxes and some in ziplock bags. Do they have a risk of long term damage if I move them in straight to the tins without any liner. The coins are all heavily toned or are modern cupronickel foreign coins. Nothing is worth over 10 cents apiece.
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Valued Member
United States
75 Posts |
I have been storing wheat cents and Canadian coins in Xmas tins for decades now and hey are fine ... same as the day I found them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
If it's safe for food, it's safe for coins.
I would probably avoid storing in plastic for long term (25+ years) but metal should be good for a very long time.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
I have a small safe.
No coin that has a value of less than $100 is stored in it.
My collection is a working collection, and I find it far more convenient to have easy access to it, than opening the safe.
Only about 2% of my collection is stored in the safe.
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
It's good to know that the tins are safe because I collect tins.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1192 Posts |
Yeah I have a excess of safe space now haha. They went overboard and got me like a 22 gun fire safe. I don't collect guns so it's a lot of space. I also have my old small fire safe too.
So I keep all my coins in the big one for convenience, it's shelves swallowed everything I have collected since I was a boy. The funny thing is I have more space then my local dealers safe now. I'm good at opening safes so it's nothing for me to open it in about 15 seconds.
It's been so nice and fun organizing them on the shelves. I have so many albums that it works out nicely. Like a locked heavy duty bookcase.
Edited by Bertensgrad
12/28/2015 2:22 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
I would never store coins in a metal container. Dissimilar metals in contract creates galvanic electron flow, which can lead to corrosion. http://www.galvanizeit.org/design-a...s-in-contactThe best and cheapest way to store bulk coins is using a plain old ziplock. I like the freezer types since they are more heavy duty. Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
I use old Erinmore Flake clip lock 50 gramme pipe tobacco tins, with rubber seal inside the lid. That makes them airtight.
The tins themselves are collectors' pieces in their own right, being over 50 years old.
They hold:
1. bulk junk silver,
2. bulk pure nickel coins and
3. a few acrylic screw encapsulated coins,
4. and fake coins,
each designation in a separate tin.
All stored in a recycled metal beauty case, with twin buckle clip locks. Equivalent to a photographic kit case.
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Quote:
I would never store coins in a metal container. Dissimilar metals in contract creates galvanic electron flow, which can lead to corrosion.
Well gosh darnit Thad, You just burst every ones bubble about storing coins in metal tins. Can I at least eat a darn cookie out of one of those things.   |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1747 Posts |
Cookies aren't made of metal, right?
also don't forget about the desiccant, but I would just use the ziplock bag method.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
To get a galvanic action, you need moisture.
I have never had a problem with galvanic action (even with the tiniest sign of discoloration on the coins), in my snap seal tobacco tins, which were originally designed to keep moisture / humidity out.
If there was to be a problem, I think the tins themselves (not the coins), would preferentially corrode.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2189 Posts |
I would imagine a tin would be fine as long there stored in a climate controlled setting. No attics or basements.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
624 Posts |
I would be afraid of them scratching. Even if they are junk coins no sense in having them scrape around on a metal box.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1314 Posts |
I'm with BadThad on this one. Under ideal conditions, you would probably get away with it, but there are many other options that are safe, convenient and inexpensive. I wouldn't trust my beloved coins to a metal cookie tin. The older ones may have been made under conditions that vary greatly in metal content, plating techniques and possible solder or protective spray coatings. But in the overview, collecting tins sounds interesting, and I'm sure Ive done things worse than fill them with coins.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
To get a galvanic action, you need moisture.
I have never had a problem with galvanic action (even with the tiniest sign of discoloration on the coins), in my snap seal tobacco tins, which were originally designed to keep moisture / humidity out. Not really true. There is an entire field in Electronics where dissimilar metals are used as Thermocouples. For example in power stations these are items placed in a pipe or gas duct using what is called a Thermocouple Head. Inside this head is two dissimilar metal wires connected to each other. Any change in temperature creates an electrical charge, sent through the wires, then is read on a meter. Moisture is not required. In other words dissimilar metals touching each other DO create a problem. Edited by just carl
12/30/2015 11:49 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4963 Posts |
I keep some junk silver in an Altoids tin, and have not had a problem. I would not store coins of numismatic value in it, but it's just junk so I don't care too much.
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Replies: 19 / Views: 5,046 |
Posted 12/27/2015 10:27 pm
