Hazing on Coins

[Snyderart]

Hello all,

A relative gave me several coin sets that are stored in either the green Littleton albums, the old (from the 1940s old) Whitman folders, or are in wooden box sets from either the Morgan Mint or the U.S. Mint. Some of the coins in these sets/folders are in various degrees of having a haze forming on them.

Some of the attached photos are of the Susan B. Anthony set stored in the Littleton album. The album was published in 1999, but nowhere on the album does it say that it is "archival" like some of the other Littleton albums/folders. Is the album causing this haze/toning on the coins? Is there sulfur in the paper of this album? Is there PVC in the plastic slides over the coins?

Another is a 1987 Constitution proof coin from a set that is housed in a wooden (maybe cedar?) box. They are encased in a plastic holder within the box. Should I remove the coins from this box? Is the box damaging them?

The last is another 1987 Constitution proof coin from another set (called a Prestige Set) that is housed in a plastic encasement that looks like a book. Is the plastic harming this coin?

I talked to a local coin dealer and he said absolutely DO NOT remove the coins from their sets.

Not sure if it's a factor, but I have no intention of selling these coins as individuals or sets. They are keepsakes as much as collectibles to me.

Thanks for any help you may have.

Happy collecting!
Gene

[Daniel]

The albums can help cause this and I've seen it often but sometimes it is also how they're stored to create this reaction. I see many proofs come in my shop like this.

[Paul]

In time, if you study it long enough, you will have a secure grasp on the nature of "Toning".

The surrounding environmental issues that come in contact with coins, (depending on what the outer surface of that coin is composed of), will 'tone' (colorize) the surface of that coin. All of the different types of cardboard, plastic, etc., will impart a physical change to the outermost surface of coins. Of course Daniel will most likely have the best knowledge here, as he has first-hand experience of individuals bringing their collections into his shop.

:eureka:
It is a common issue with the TPG's returning coins in what's called "Body Bags", labeled 'PVC Damage'..... as many collections of the past have been stored in
"Non-Archival" storage media....... really a shame.

Here is one example of the "Striation" that occurs on the reverse of coins when they sit inside of a Whitman Folder for an extended period of time.

[Snyderart]

The albums can help cause this and I've seen it often but sometimes it is also how they're stored to create this reaction. I see many proofs come in my shop like this.

Thank you. Should I leave them where they are at or take them out of their packaging, plus remove the Susan B. Anthony's from the album? Rehouse in flips, 2x2s, or something else? I should also mention that the relative that gave me these coins lives in a high-humidity area near the ocean with a lot of salt in the air. I'm sure that doesn't help.

Thank you,
Gene

[Snyderart]

In time, if you study it long enough, you will have a secure grasp on the nature of "Toning".

The surrounding environmental issues that come in contact with coins, (depending on what the outer surface of that coin is composed of), will 'tone' (colorize) the surface of that coin. All of the different types of cardboard, plastic, etc., will impart a physical change to the outermost surface of coins. Of course Daniel will most likely have the best knowledge here, as he has first-hand experience of individuals bringing their collections into his shop.

:eureka:
It is a common issue with the TPG's returning coins in what's called "Body Bags", labeled 'PVC Damage'..... as many collections of the past have been stored in
"Non-Archival" storage media....... really a shame.

Here is one example of the "Striation" that occurs on the reverse of coins when they sit inside of a Whitman Folder for an extended period of time.

Paul,

Funny that you mention "non-archival" media. That was the next part of my question. I guess I should get these Mercury dimes and Indian Head cents out of these old Whitman albums from the 1940s and get them into something else, correct? I'm relatively new to all of this. Just started "really" collecting last September, since joined a coin club, bought a bunch of informative books, visited a few coin shops and asked loads of question (and bought some coins as a thank you to the owners), and have been to a couple of shows so far. Any, and all, information helps.

Thank you!
Gene

[bigphish68]

I have often wondered the same thing. Is there a certain brand that is best to store and protect our hobby? I love albums to display my collection in. Are there a specific 2X2" flip that I should be looking for? Can anyone refer a distributor for supplies?

[Daniel]

It's how you store your coins more than anything and don't put uncirculated coins in folders. I buy from JP Corner, Wizard Coin Supply and Alco in Ohio.

[Paul]

......... Just make sure that you are getting "Archival" storage media

[Snyderart]

I have often wondered the same thing. Is there a certain brand that is best to store and protect our hobby? I love albums to display my collection in. Are there a specific 2X2" flip that I should be looking for? Can anyone refer a distributor for supplies?

I grabbed my 2x2s from a bulk sale at Hobbymaster. The plastic sheets are made by BCW. Like Daniel said, Wizard Supply has good stuff as well as other suppliers.

I have my world coins in 2x2 flips in clear page in three three-ring binders. It's kind of a pain this way because every time I get a new world coin, I have to shuffle stuff around, but everytime I do it, it gets me back into the folders looking at the coins again, so that's a plus! I like the 2x2s because, as you can see in the photo, I like to write a bunch of information on them such as translations, if in a foreign language, of what the coins says, who engraved it, who designed it, anything interesting about the art on the coin.

So far, I'm up to 743 world coins (by type) from 127 different countries.

I have my U.S. coins in the green Littleton cardboard folders, a carryover from starting to collect years ago, just filling the folders. They say "archival" on them, which is good. However, I've been thinking about moving them out of these into 2x2s like the world coins, but that's a lot work and they will take up a lot of space in binders. I could then write the same information on each coin flip like I did with the world coins (engraver, maybe rarity info, mintage, is it a key date?, etc...) I like to look at the whole coin front and back and I can't do that with the Littleton folders. I could go with the Dansco albums, but that will get expensive, but I'll figure it out.

One difference between the two storage methods is I think the 2x2 method emphasizes the individual coin (you can pull it out and look at it and see both sides. The cardboard folder method seems to emphasize the set. Just my opinion.

Good luck collecting!
Gene