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 Replies: 16 / Views: 1,942 |
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New Member
United States
6 Posts |
I have sealed Proof sets from the 50's, 60's and 70's sitting around on a shelf in closet. They're still in the original sealed envelopes with some in the sealed original box with five sets. I don't plan to open them which had me thinking there might be a better way to store them? I'm not sure how well the older sets were actually sealed in the coin packaging to prevent oxidation, etc.
TIA
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Moderator
 United States
95018 Posts |
keep them in an airtight zip top baggy to help keep them away from the humidity. Toss in one of them "desiccants" to help asorbe oxygen and moisture too.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
That's good advice.  to the CCF! |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
Mo layers = Mo better Suggest using large, heavy duty ziplock bags. Toss in a desiccant pack and a bright, red copper cent to the bag. The cent serves as a sacrificial metal to absorb incoming gasses. Then, put the bags into a well sealing container. These are what I use as my "outside layer": https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-2...42/311485319 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5770 Posts |
Love those totes BadThad.
Are they made in anything smaller than 20 gal.? They must get heavy once you add a bunch of cents to them.
Those are great totes with multiple locking tabs and a gasket to help keep moisture out. Plus they can be stacked easily.
Words of encouragement are one of the major food groups.
We need to consume them regularly to thrive and grow.
Edited by Petespockets55
08/11/2023 09:05 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19126 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2270 Posts |
Many of these sets should no longer be stored!
True, if they are all broken up today there will be none left for the future and prices will soar. But future collectors will not want low quality sets or those with tarnished coins and some of these dates will be almost universally tarnished. The best bet for future coin collectors is to bust up the sets and stabilize the coins with a soak in acetone.
Of course I understand your position. Many people are appalled by the thought of destroying the sets. Some dates are especially unstable and these include the '65, '68-'71, and '74-'78 mint sets. The coins in these sets are typically tarnished and the longer they remain tarnished the less likely it can be removed.
Proper storage is of critical importence. Usually a high shelf in a humidity controlled room and left vertical rather than lying flat. Desiccants are probably a good idea. I believe the paper is acidic and it will last only another forty years before it begins falling apart.
Good luck.
Time don't fly, it bounds and leaps.
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Moderator
United States
95018 Posts |
Quote:
Are they made in anything smaller than 20 gal.? They must get heavy once you add a bunch of cents to them. I'm trying to imagine the weight of 20 gallons of copper cents... |
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New Member
 United States
6 Posts |
Thank you for the ideas, I appreciate all of them! Luckily there is not much humidity here to speak of. Has anyone tried using a seal-a-meal to remove air, etc? I have some baggies that were made to use with a sealer. Maybe wrong plastic? quote] Quote:
Of course I understand your position. Many people are appalled by the thought of destroying the sets. Some dates are especially unstable and these include the '65, '68-'71, and '74-'78 mint sets. The coins in these sets are typically tarnished and the longer they remain tarnished the less likely it can be removed.
[ [/quote] I do have multiple sets in the years so thinking about opening one of each to see how they are surviving. Have to order some kind of storage solution prior to doing this. Every once in awhile I get the urge to open some, but haven't been able to do it as of yet. Probably doing the community a disservice by not. If I do open some I'll try and get some decent pictures and post them. Again, thank all of you for your information on the subject! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2270 Posts |
Quote:
I do have multiple sets in the years so thinking about opening one of each to see how they are surviving. Have to order some kind of storage solution prior to doing this. Every once in awhile I get the urge to open some, but haven't been able to do it as of yet. Probably doing the community a disservice by not. To me it's all about the coins. I'm just concerned that collectors have done a remarkably poor job of saving coins for the future ever since 1964. If it weren't for the existence of mint sets virtually every date of eagle reverse clad quarters would be scarce or rare in Gem condition. After decades of these sets being consumed by a society based principally on waste and greed few sets survive and many of the survivors are in dreadful condition. Pristine sets are unusual to virtually unheard of for some of these dates. Generally at least a few coins are damaged and many of the rest have a light haze that can be readily removed. These sets are considered "retail friendly" and bring a premium in the market. Bad sets are usually taken apart and cleaned. Most sets after 1984 have only a few coins impacted but earlier sets can be a mess. If the sets are well stored by you they probably won't get much worse. I believe moisture is the biggest problem but I just don't know. I do know that even good storage isn't necessarily going to have good results and bad storage (barring temperature and humidity swings) won't necessarily have bad results. The '68 (P) cent is the canary in the coal mine. These are the first to get carbon spots and one of the first to haze. Retail friendly sets might be quite valuable in a few years especially for the '68-'71 issues. Pristine sets will not exist in another ten years at the rate the sets are corroding. Your results might vary if you live in a desert and have access to sets that have always been stored in the area. But these sets move around a lot and I don't see many pristine sets any longer. Time don't fly, it bounds and leaps.
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New Member
United States
6 Posts |
cladking, your input is appreciated! Quote:
If the sets are well stored by you they probably won't get much worse. I believe moisture is the biggest problem but I just don't know. I do know that even good storage isn't necessarily going to have good results and bad storage (barring temperature and humidity swings) won't necessarily have bad results.
This is concerning to me regarding temperature. I'm constantly away from home and temps inside range from way below freezing (frozen toilet bowl) to 100f. I live in the Sierra mountains and the house has never had heat (wood stove only) or AC since I bought it in 1980. Prior to that they were in a more or less climate controlled home in the Bay Area. I'm going to look online for what to store the coins in after opening. I pray I didn't ruin the coins for lack of knowledge! My intention has always been to hand them down to my two sons in the end. Hopefully they aren't getting junk coins due to my stupidity. Edited to add: None of my gold specimens, mineral, not coins, do not show any signs of deterioration. Edited by auminer
08/11/2023 4:06 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2270 Posts |
Quote:
I'm going to look online for what to store the coins in after opening. I pray I didn't ruin the coins for lack of knowledge! My intention has always been to hand them down to my two sons in the end. Hopefully they aren't getting junk coins due to my stupidity. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Odds are the coins have some problems but would have anyway. The odds are also good that the coins can still be salvaged. Depending on date it ranges from about 60% to 90% can be saved. Of course some coins like the '68 (P) cent are far lower. If anyone ever starts collecting these coins they're going to be surprised how few are left. One of the reasons mint sets are going up in price is that it's difficult to find nice pristine specimens. This puts a lot of pressure on supplies and since the sets usually sell at retail prices it allows buyers to pay more for nicer sets. Time don't fly, it bounds and leaps.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
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Love those totes BadThad.
Are they made in anything smaller than 20 gal.? They must get heavy once you add a bunch of cents to them. YES, look right below the color options, down to 5 gal. They do get pretty heavy but I don't cram them, no need to. I hate opening a tub packed to the top, no room to work as I dig. Suggest leaving 4-5" from the lid at minimum. My next layer in is huge, heavy ziplock bags with a big desiccant pack and a few red copper cents laying in there. I can fit an entire 3 ring binder into these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...ie=UTF8&th=1After that, I have tupperware or other, smaller ziplocks holding similar stuff I grouped together. Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
Quote:
I'm trying to imagine the weight of 20 gallons of copper cents... If it was just cents and no additional packaging, you'd need a forklift.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
Quote:
This is concerning to me regarding temperature. I'm constantly away from home and temps inside range from way below freezing (frozen toilet bowl) to 100f. This is a major concern, just as much as the packaging. Wild swings in temperature jump-starts the corrosive processes. Ideally, you want no temperature swings. For the average home, the best place to store is in a basement. Seems counter intuitive but it's not that hard to protect your collection from moisture using the laying method. It's easier than trying to control the temperature and basements are generally the most consistent. Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
Quote:
The best bet for future coin collectors is to bust up the sets and stabilize the coins with a soak in acetone. Absolutely, the mint cello and cardboard seems to CONTRIBUTE to the degradation. That said, I am guilty of holding packaged sets. My hope is at this point they are stable using all the layers of protection I have. I need to go digging to see how they're doing, haven't looked at them in years! |
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Replies: 16 / Views: 1,942 |
Posted 08/10/2023 10:18 pm
