Check In On Your Coins Regularly

Well said, thanks.

Do all the Harco albums have PVC inserts or is it just the older versions?

Can't say I know. When I first bought my albums (probably 1979-1982) they were all PVC plastic, entirely (well except for the cardboard under the PVC covers and the aluminium screw posts). Then after awhile the inserts were offered as a replacement, I think I bought an album and inside was a sheet of paper with an order form to get the "NEW Safer slides" for all their various albums they produced (And they made a lot of albums world and US). Our local coin shop started carrying the replacement slides. They were clearer and like the safe-t-flips a lot more brittle. In fact the coins were actually hard to get into the individual pockets, they also scratched a lot easier and even split over time or on larger coins with sharp edges, like proof quarters, halves, and dollars. The top of the pocket stayed open to allow PVC gas to enter, so they weren't ideal. I remember cutting the cuticles on many fingers inserting my cents into those slides. I had albums for almost every series of coin circulating at the time, plus many other early series as well. Probably close to 30 or more different albums going on my bookshelf.

I can't say I remember ever seeing any albums with non PVC pages made. In fact the brown album covers are also covered in a PVC based plastic. Only the slides were ever changed. I found a lot of similar bad PVC experiences when I Googled "Harco Coin album" just now.

Including this thread here at CCF http://goccf.com/t/189379 no harm had come to his coins thankfully, and he has a nice photo of the non PVC "safe" slide up close.

I also found this interesting quote on another coin forum from noted numismatic author Tom Delorey on the history of Harco, someone asking about telling the difference on the old vs. newer Coinmaster albums:




I thinks Tom's last sentence really says it all. The Coinmaster albums were a great idea and design then manufactured well but using very bad materials. They just aren't worth the gamble to keep your coins in them, unless it's for a weird science experiment. You can still find them new and used for sale on ebay and other places online, even though they haven't been made in decades now.

Found this photo showing the envelope the new SAFE slides came in. Judging from the photo and my memory, They never changed over, only added these replacement strips into older stock albums and sold them to previous buyers. A new album came with all the strip in envelopes like this inside. Why you always needed to check someone hadn't slit ope the plastic wrap and swiped the slide envelope. Towards the end they may have stopped putting in the PVC slides, but I remember having them in all of my albums and getting the SAFE slides as extras.



EDIT: I thought I had mentioned this here before, so I tried a search, and what da ya know? Way back in 2014 I mentioned the story briefly. http://goccf.com/t/186178&whichpage=2#1739582 And JBuck even knew about the copy of the Harco in non PVC pages called the Guardmaster Coin Albums. I've never seen these.

Also my story in more detail from 2014 here at CCF http://goccf.com/t/181961#1677702

Westcoin, thanks for the tip regarding the Harco albmuns.
I just got two collections this year so I pulled out the slides.
Now I need some advice on what to do next.

Here's a few pictures of my coins in slides with some cool stamps.
I thought the albums were neat but maybe it's time to upgrade.

Westcoin, thanks for an awesome post.

Sure wish more people would put their coins in better Albums and then into Ziplock plastic bags. I have and all look great for many years.

The capsules are a good thing in that album, that saved the coins form damage for sure. The dark spots on copper are almost always caused by moisture, many times by talking when looking at coins, tiny droplets of spittle will contact the coin and invisible at first can grow like a cancer into small black carbon spots. A spot as large as the one on that 1984 cent is most likely trapped humidity or or actual water that got in. Nothing will get rid of it once it has taken hold unfortunately.