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How do you store your coins?

  

35 members have voted

  1. 1. How do you store your coins?

    • Wooden coin cabinet
      6
    • Tray system
      4
    • Capsules
      4
    • Albums
      11
    • Plastic coin holders
      5
    • Paper envelopes
      1
    • Old tin
      0
    • Other
      1


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I've tried to list all the options I can think of for storing coins...

I use albums at the moment and I'm happy with the pages sold in WH Smith's. They allow rows of different sized pockets on each page and give me reasonable flexibility to arrange my collection.

But, I'm thinking of upgrading to trays. However, I think I might lose the arranging ability and I would need somewhere to store them horizontally. I know the tray systems have dedicated storage boxes, but I'd like something that doesn't look like a coin collection, for a little more security.

Anyway, the poll is to find out what you all do and see if there are any brilliant ideas out there!

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I store mine in a mahogany cabinet made by Peter Nichols. Its sturdy and a spiffing piece of furniture

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I store mine in a mahogany cabinet made by Peter Nichols. Its sturdy and a spiffing piece of furniture

Gorgeous aren't they! i do exactly the same can't beat a good bit of mahogany...

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I store mine in a mahogany cabinet made by Peter Nichols.  Its sturdy and a spiffing piece of furniture

Gorgeous aren't they! i do exactly the same can't beat a good bit of mahogany...

OK.... so both your collections live in luxury 5 star hotels while mine are packed into a run down high rise block of flats :)

Although the cabinets are lovely, I don't think my coins quite justify that level of accomodation, plus I expect I would need several!

If you got to the stage where your cabinet was full, would you buy another cabinet or sell some coins?

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I store mine in a mahogany cabinet made by Peter Nichols.  Its sturdy and a spiffing piece of furniture

Gorgeous aren't they! i do exactly the same can't beat a good bit of mahogany...

OK.... so both your collections live in luxury 5 star hotels while mine are packed into a run down high rise block of flats :)

Although the cabinets are lovely, I don't think my coins quite justify that level of accomodation, plus I expect I would need several!

If you got to the stage where your cabinet was full, would you buy another cabinet or sell some coins?

I've got to that stage, basically i've sold off many, but some of the cheaper ones get downgraded and go back to the albums...

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If mine got too big, I'd buy the small ones he makes (I think they're called 'Martlet'). They cost around £40 and only hold a small amount so then I'd extract say, all of my threepences from my cabinet and transfer them into that, in a double-blow both freeing up space and organising my collection. I'm so clever B)

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I find that the most popular selling coin storage method are the SAFE NOVA coin trays. People seem to like them because of the large varieties of sizes, stackability, and price among other plus points.

I sell far more of them than all the other trays put together, and people always come back for more! Plus you can put them in a leather/Alu lockable case and carry them around.

I use them myself to house some of the stock.

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Thinking about it... one thing that puts me off the trays is that you are tied to arranging your coins according to the compartments in the trays, so all the small coins together and all the big coins together.

If you could get rows of compartments that you could arrange in a tray as you like then that would be much more appealing to me.

Chris mentioned the Nova trays and I've noticed they do one (tray 6360) which is one big compartment. If you laid out coins on there would they stay put or would they slide about? Would something be needed on top to keep the coins below in place?

I have experimented with CD boxes, reasonably thick cardboard and black velvet and made some mini trays which work well for some of my coins. It's a nice tight fit to hold the coins in but still completly free form for laying out.

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If you could get rows of compartments that you could arrange in a tray as you like then that would be much more appealing to me.

I think Mr Nichols (aforementionned cabinate maker) actually will make the coin drawers in the cabinate to custom designs.

So lets say you had an 1887 set that you wanted to keep together then he'd be able to make one of the drawers in the cabinate accomodate such a set.

I nearly had that done myself, but i decided on just the usual by denomination instead.

Glad i did that now, got almost enough sixpence (for LM Sixpences) and shilling trays (for the EM sixpences) available, had to kick the halfpennies out...and the sovereigns, and the half sovereigns!

Not really using the crown tray much... got a few Morgan Dollars and what not in those...but that's about it.

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I think Mr Nichols (aforementionned cabinate maker) actually will make the coin drawers in the cabinate to custom designs.

I would imagine he'd make any spec. as he does huge ones for the British Museum. His site is the aptly-named www.coincabinets.com

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Chris mentioned the Nova trays and I've noticed they do one (tray 6360) which is one big compartment. If you laid out coins on there would they stay put or would they slide about? Would something be needed on top to keep the coins below in place?

I think they would only slide ariound if you jolted the tray, but placing them all together on one surface would not be ideal.

The 6368 tray (not shown on site) contains 6 compartments of 23mm, 5 of 28mm, 4 of 31mm, and 4 each of 34, 36 and 39mm. I hear what your saying about it needing to be more customisable, I just use a few general sizes because the smaller coins will obviously fit in anything.

I think i'll get onto Nichols and see if I can't provide those wonderful cabinets on the website somehow. Not wishing to plug, but as I say, the NOVA's are the biggest sellers.

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i'm with Mark! A mahogany coin tray would be great, but i can't afford them. I stick with WHsmith coin albums. They're fairly reliable. i do have some basic card trays for coins too, but there aren't nearly enough of those for all my coins. i keep my best coins in these, in LIGHTHOUSE capsules. You only get one vote though! :(

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I asked Mr Nicholls if I could perhaps offer his cabinets for sale on the website.

But he refused me, and said that because of sometimes unreliable wood availability he prefers to deal with the customers personally. I was hoping I could advertise them and get him to ship direct. And I know i'd sell some!

Nevermind, I'll have to find another cabinet maker to offer a luxury range at some point. Not that there's anything wrong with the SAFE/Lighthouse stuff of course.

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Here are some pics of my Peter Nichols cabinet. I just got a new digital camera and needed something to photograph!

post-25-1077464241_thumb.jpg

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Exactly the same as mine!

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Exactly the same as mine!

What a coincidence. Tell me, have you ever taken all the trays out at once? I did it when I first got it and was dismayed to find that the interior was not varnished all the way through. However, I still love it but only wish I could afford the Coronet :P

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I've got this one too!! And yes mine is not varnished on the inside. I think the reason for this is not only is it out of sight but that varnish can be harmful to the coins, so its kept on the outside only. The same reason why the trays themselves are not treated.

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I often thought it would be a nice carpentry project to try and make something like a coin cabinet, but I'm always terrified of resins in the wood and chemicals in adhesives affecting the coins. I've had CDs where adhesive in the packaging has somehow migrated onto the disks themselves... no idea how or why!

Probably less of a problem with gold coins :)

Does anyone have any thoughts on sealing coins up (in capsules, say) versus letting them "breathe" in a tray, presumably in a suitable atmosphere (does that just mean not humid?)

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I often thought it would be a nice carpentry project to try and make something like a coin cabinet, but I'm always terrified of resins in the wood and chemicals in adhesives affecting the coins. I've had CDs where adhesive in the packaging has somehow migrated onto the disks themselves... no idea how or why!

Probably less of a problem with gold coins :)

The only really safe wood to use is Mahogany. There are other woods that are just as good but i can't remember what they are from the top of my head and that maybe more difficult to work/more expensive.

Gold coins are pretty inert as far as reactivity goes, the only damage that can happen chemically is if the gold alloy is not mixed fully and there are areas where copper is more prevalent, copper therefore reacting, hence how gold coins can get verdigris.

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Hmm.... I think I am the odd one out here.

I use the Hartberger plastic coin holders. They're like the white card ones, 5cm square but made out of blue placcy. You fold them which sandwiches the coin so it show out a window.

I like them because... you aren't actually touching the coin but can see both sides, when some dolt inevitably drops one they are protected and they are small and easily stored.

I thought about the Nichols cabinets but am paranoid about theft. I cringe to think of my entire collection being whisked away in one convenient package. This is of coures a terrible shame because I'd love to display the coins in something which matches their artistry and value.

And talking of security - does anyone else got to rediculous lengths - I store the stuff I'm no longer interested in at a bank (stupid really - the coins I like most are therefore the ones at home!) and use a PO box number but I'm still nervous! Ah well, I could always go back to collecting pebbles - nobody would steal them!

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Collecting pebbles.....what's the point?! :lol:

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And talking of security - does anyone else got to rediculous lengths - I store the stuff I'm no longer interested in at a bank (stupid really - the coins I like most are therefore the ones at home!) and use a PO box number but I'm still nervous! Ah well, I could always go back to collecting pebbles - nobody would steal them!

My grandfather has a safety deposit box at the Bank and I put a few of my more valuable (£200+) coins in it

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Is it worth it, when you can never see them? <_<

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I "visit" them periodically to check how they are doing (if marks etc. are appearing). Other than that, I have photos in my catalogue so have no need to see them

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How regularly do you visit them?

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