Humidity Levels And Destruction Of Coins/Currency

I use LOTS of dessicant packs and plastic bags. Like Metalman, I also use airtites, 2x2's, tubes, etc. I'm a firm believe in multiple layers of protection. Even the coins I have at the bank are very, very well protected in the deposit box.

I use 3 of them in my Safe

I believe that is a little pricey
I get mine From Valley Coins
http://www.valleycoin.com/product_i...cts_id=16706

I live in the MidWest and humidity is always well above 50% most or all the time. In fact today it is 88% and I think the weather people are nuts since it is raining. Actually two days now of rain. It was supposed to be clear all day today but rained all morning. Now the Sun comes out and you have fun breathing. Due to health problems I seldom open a window so it's either heat or A/C for me.
A long time ago I tried hanging gel packs, dehumidity packs, stuff like that all over the basement. A hygrometer got down to about 40% but only for one day then back to about 50%.
So I purchased an electronic dehumidifier, plugged it in, basement dropped to 20% in about two days. It's been on now for about 15 or more years. The pan under it drains into a floor drain so little to know maintenace is required. With the A/C on in the house it doesn't go on as much.
No gel packs needed now. All Albums are in plastic Zip Lock bags anyway. No problems with any coins changing in well over 60 years now. Many duplicates are in 2x2's and many also in plastic rolls. No little gel packs there either.
Note the nice thing about a dehumidifier is when it removes the moisture in the air, it also removes any dirt, gasses, etc that are dissolved in that moisture.

I tried an interesting little experiment today, might be of interest to readers of this particular thread. I live in Virginia, in a region that is badly battered every summer by horrid humidity, and I worry about these things as much as the next soul.


You'll notice above how many people here stand by the Air-tite as a their first line of defense. So...



I decided to put their beloved Air-tite to "The Ultimate Test".


In one hand, a common penny worth exactly 1 US cent, no less and short of extraordinary, nay fantastical circumstances no more, enclosed within an Air-tite. Not just any, though: an Air-tite intended to house a Nickel.

In the other hand, a plastic bottle, destined to be recycled, filled with run-of-the-mill, highly humid tap water.

Want to see if your Air-Tites are protecting your coins from humidity? Push the hygrometer to 100%!

A splish-splash later, and my 1-cent penny was still dry and rattling around in its outsized holder, in the bottom of a bottle of water.


-SCS