A question was posed to me the other day and I felt the answer would be of interest to many collectors out there.
Question: Other than slabbing, what do you consider the best holders to preserve coins for the long haul? I have both individual coins and complete sets. Slabbing a set of Lincoln cents is too expensive, especially for the later dates which have little value. I have been using some Capital plastic holders for sets. What do you think? Thanks.-B.P.
Answer: If I were collecting a set of Lincoln cents and did not want to have them certified I, too, would use the Capital holders. In fact, I would probably use the Capital holders to display the entire set from start to finish, as for the present "slabs" are not as interesting to view, especially regarding full sets, as are coins displayed in order one-by-one.
Regarding single coins, the "slabs" issued by the various services, I have every reason to think that these afford good long-term storage if they are kept in dry circumstances and away from heat and fumes. For inexpensive storage of later-date pieces I would simply use the easily available 2x2 cardboard holders with inert (not PVC content) windows at the center, the type of cardboard holder that can be stapled (very carefully!) on three sides once the coin is inserted. I have used these effectively to store tokens and medals for many years and have never had any problems with them. The Koin-Tain, a snap-together holder for coins, provides a nice way to examine specimens closely, as the holders are clear on all sides and are only slightly larger than the coin themselves. Again, it is important to keep the coins away from harmful fumes (such as those containing sulphur) and dampness.
Q. David Bowers has been in the rare coin business since 1953 when he was a teenager. The author has served as president of the American Numismatic Association (1983-1985) and president of the Professional Numismatists Guild (1977-1979), is a recipient of the highest honor bestowed by the ANA (the Farran Zerbe Award), was the first ANA member to be named Numismatist of the Year (1995), has been inducted into the Numismatic Hall of Fame (at the ANA Headquarter in Colorado Springs), is a recipient of the highest honor bestowed by the Professional Numismatists Guild (The Founders' Award), and has received more "Book of the Year Award" and "Best Columnist" honors given by the Numismatic Literary Guild than any other writer. He has has written over 40 books, hundreds of auction and other catalogues, and several thousand articles.
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