Banknote Storage

[lacey]

lol thats a good explanation.  

I am in the process of placing all my coins in PP's flip flaps and am amazed at the toning of of some of the coins.  It's not real strong but they have only been in the Mylar flips for about 3years.   I would hate to see what 10yrs would do to them.

Oh by the way, the last time I bought Mylar flips, I also bought a packet of staples and to my horror, these are now going rusty.  Dunno where I bought them but it was this discovery that made me finally go buy some flip flaps off PP.

[coxspau]

Thanks Unicorn. I didn't think today was going to be the day where I saw PVC and Buddah used in the same sentence. Boy, don't I fill like a dill.

I'm just going to go ahead and assume that PVC is bad for coins.

I've also used staples in my 2x2 holders. I tried using the adhesive ones, but they are no good as the adhesive wears off. What 2x2s does PP have that don't require staples?

[Australian coin]

http://www.thepurplepenny.com/53,saflips-pack-of-50-2x2-size-use-a-saflip-instead-of-a-cardboard-2x2-universal-one-size-fits-most.html

[coxspau]

Ever get the feeling that you are going full circle with some of this stuff....I had a bunch of those a while back but got rid of them and migrated to the stapled 2x2 cardboard holders.

Do the saflips fit into the same album pockets as the cardboard 2x2s?

The one downside the saflip is that it doesn't hold the coin in position as the 2x2s do.  Are all cardboard 2x2s made with mylar is it just pot-luck?

[Mister T]

Do the saflips fit into the same album pockets as the cardboard 2x2s?

The one downside the saflip is that it doesn't hold the coin in position as the 2x2s do.  Are all cardboard 2x2s made with mylar is it just pot-luck?

Saflips are 2x2 (or at the least the ones I have are).

I don't know about all 2x2s being mylar but that's the impression I get.

[JeffH]

PVC is OK but only if unplasticised, which is very brittle and liable to crack -so not really practical for sleeves and folders. Should be fine for containers for bulk storage but why bother when there are plenty of good alternatives available.
The arcane point I am making is that the plasticisers are what make PVC bad. So, if you see "acid free" PVC for sale it does exist and could be suitable for long term storage. Nevertheless I do treat that claim with suspicion -better safe than sorry.

[Fulvio]

PVC is OK but only if unplasticised, which is very brittle and liable to crack

The natural state for PVC is hard and white. And its inert in that form, which is why its used for pipes.

To make it clear and pliable involves chemical voodoo magic, and the additives are not bonded into the PVC molecules. In fact they sort of act like a lubricant between them.

And just like lubricants, they have a tendency to escape. In this case as fumes, which are highly corrosive. Add a little oxygen and moisture, and you effectively have an acid soup to drown your coins in.

Evil stuff, this is.

[JeffH]

Good point Fulvio -it completely slipped my mind. If it is transparent it is either not PVC or it has plasticiser.
PVC can be made other colours by adding die (different colour pipes and conduits are used to identify different services) but plasticiser is required to make it transparent and flexible.
In seeking 30 pocket, archival quality album pages I have asked several suppliers about their "acid free" sleeves and not had one reply. In this case "no news is NOT good news."

[Fulvio]

I have asked several suppliers about their "acid free" sleeves and not had one reply.

I'm not surprised. They probably have no idea what's in them anyway.

BTW, I hate that term "acid free". I much prefer "inert". Because its not just acid which will eat your coins.

[runway]

Lighthouse has everything
See back cover of September CAB magazine