How safe are Whitman Albums?

Hey everybody, this is my first post!

Anyway, I'm relatively new to coin collecting, taking it back up after I started in my childhood. I'm 21 now and started a nice Lincoln cent collection, and have searched about 25,000 cents since I started.

I bought a couple of the nice Whitman albums for my coins, which I think look tons nicer than the boxes of 2x2 flips I had them in. The problem is, they include all the proof-only S cents from 75-date, which I figure would be dangerous to keep in that type of album. I have about 10 proof sets my grandparents bought me since I first gained interest, and have thought about starting to buy single proof cents to put in the albums as well. I haven't broken any proof sets in fear of damaging something, and am nervous in general about putting proof coins in a Whitman album where they would likely remain for decades.

My main question is, how safe are the Whitman albums for storing proof coins? I don't want them to degrade after a few years... my 1999 proof set is already starting to tone in the mint packaging (which I assume I made invisible damage to as a kid). The holes are so unsightly to me that I just HAVE to fill them, so if I couldn't stand it anymore, what precautions could I take to reduce or eliminate any color change?

Thanks,
Matt

 

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Welcome to CT, Matt!

The best I can offer is an opinion...which I'm sure will provoke plenty of dissenting opinions. I'm an "album" guy, too. I used to use Whitman albums years ago, but since switched to Dansco albums. I really can't give you a reason other than I like brown more than blue. They say Intercept Shield albums are the best...it's up to you.

Personally, I've never been able to break up a proof or mint set...can't do it! Once you do, then you have to figure out what to do with the remaining coins...cuz you've screwed up the set. Do you start other sets?

That's OK, but if you only want the Lincoln's, you can probably buy quite nice proofs on eBay for not too much money...it's the S&H you have to watch out for. You might want to check with your local dealer first to see if he/she has any in stock.

 

Proof Lincolns are very fragile no album I know of is really a good choice

Proof Lincolns are very fragile no album I know of is really a good choice.
The Intercept are probably the best but still not a great choice. You have to remove them from the proof set, handle them in some way, punch them in and slide a piece of hard plastic across them.
The best are Capital type hard boards with slots and screws. Even these are not air tight of course but offere less chance of damage from handling or setting in each coin.
There are hard plastic square type holders for each coin and these are a good choice for protection but are not air tight.
Actually super clean 2x2's that have the dust blowed off and carefully put up and kept in a controled enviroment are about as good as any if stored properly.
I've opened 10,000 proof and mint sets, never gave it a second thought - the hard part is finding clean spot free proof Lincoln's to begin with. Some are nice but many (1973, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 are hard to find nice to begin with.

 

I'll second that motion Doug. Intercept Shield Albums are second to none. Just make sure you buy the museum cover that it goes in as well. Store them in a dry temperature controlled place. It is very tedious in order to get the proofs set in their hole without touching the surface, but just take your time and be careful. I have a huge collection of most every coin minted going way back, all stored in Intercept Shield Albums. They have kept my coins very nice for years.

Welcome to CT!

Chuck

 

i agree 100%. but it could also be because i just plain hate albums. Touching the coins, the cardboard fiber filaments that get on your coins.. the plastic covers on top and bottom ect. i dont use intercept albums so cant comment on those - but what about slabbing and using a folder/binder with pages for slabbs?

 

Thanks for the responses.

Seems to be the consensus that albums are just no good for proof coins. What baffles me is it seems to be hard to find them WITHOUT the proof holes, as if they are encouraging you to collect spots on your coins.

I did some reading on the Intercept Shield books and I think I'm going to order some. Just a shame that I have to discard the two new Whitmans I bought about a month ago :headbang:. While I'm not sure if they'll 100% protect the coins, the idea of acid-free materials and the protective treatment seems to be loads better than the Whitmans I'm using. They even come with that slipcase to prevent too much air getting in to the album itself, not the coins.

I used to use 2x2s in vinyl pages, but quite honestly I thought they looked tacky and unprofessional. To me nothing beats the clean, professional appearance of a good coin album, even if they are imperfect. Kudos to Intercept Shield for raising the bar on that regard.

Would it help any if I added little packet of silica on the inside of the album if I were storing it in a slipcase? I heard this lowers moisture, and drier is better, right?

 

One thing more, don't let album designs tell you what or how to collect.

One thing more, don't let album designs tell you what or how to collect.
I do use 20 pocket pages with a label maker and I will stack my albums up with any on the market and they are truly mine.

 

I like albums, though I prefer Dansco to Whitman. I hate sorting through boxes of 2x2's to see my collection. As long as you place the coins in the albums properly, you never have to touch anything other than rims and the plastic slide never touches the coin at all. I've had some coins in albums for over 30 years, and they might have been in them twice that long before my grandparents gave them to me, and the toning is minimal at best, probably no more than natural toning outside an album. It seems like a more presentable collection, not only to yourself, but to anyone when in an album versus a pile on the table.
Guy~

 

what i can say is nothing perfect in this world. no album is perfect safe. no certified coin should be graded 70. no one is perfect in this world.

 

If you EAT one, you will DIE!!!!!!!!!

 

Is canned air safe for "dusting off" coins before putting into a storage device?

 

Yes if blown out into the air first and not very close esp. on proofs.

Yes if blown out into the air first and not very close esp. on proofs. Take the can and give it a shake, point it away from you and everything else, give it a blow them apply to coin at 8 inches or so. Many times the first puff of air from one contains some of the stuff used for propellant but it evaporates very quickly but still not good to get much of it on the actual coin. I have never had a problem but some folks prefer an enema bulb or nose asperator, it just does not have as much force.

 

absolutely NOT! most canned air is nothing more then canned chemical compressant. Spaying that onto coins.. well - its your coin.

In the event you actually DO find a can of actuall compressed air, you dontknow nothing about the air used to be forced into the can. Was the air next door to the ocean, and thereby salt air is in the can... or is it sitting next to a toxic waste dump - sure the examples overstate the possibilities... but shows you that you have no idea where the air comes from.

Most of these ideas come from others answering this very question i asked a year or so ago They all came to the same conclusion - use one of those nasal thingies for babies - you know, the ones that 'clean' out the nose when its plugged up. I bought 1 specifically for my coins, and is VERY handy!!!

 

The booger sucker is probably mucho cheaper in the long run, too

 

I'd like to see this done. I've never been able to do such a thing. I just stuck a bunch more buffalo nickels in one and some went in very tight.

As for pushing them in, I wear the cheap cotton gloves so you don't get a finger print on them. I know people say you still alter the surface but I've never been able to tell the difference under a loupe, after pushing MS halves in them. Just push them straight in. Don't slide your finger across the surface. For circulated coins, it's even less of a worry. They rode around in someone's pocket for years. I'm not going to worry about pushing them in with gloves on. Proofs though, you'd want to be very careful.

As far as sliding plastic over them, there's a very simple solution. You push them all the way down in to the back slide and then never move the back slide. Only slide out the top one and you never rub over the surfaces.

 

Very good points! When I handle my coins I use Cara 100% cotton gloves that I get from the drug store, but I'm sure there are many good brands. When I did my Intercept albums, I used the gloves and put them in very carefully as stated above. If you are very careful, you make sure you push them in by the edge of the coin far enough so that the plastic cover does not touch them. Unless they have changed their policies recently, even the best grading companies handle the edges of the coins with their bare fingers, and "any" fingers that touch the coin will leave some kind of acid off of the fingers. I have many albums, and it did take a very long time to complete, but that's part of the hobby, having patience. You don't have to get it done in one day. Good luck!

 

I'll second this post on the Dansco switch. First of all, the quality of Dansco's is top notch. Secondly, they are made in the U.S.A. In this economy, that is reason enough. Plus I thought to myself, "if the Chinese are putting lead paint on our children's toys, do you really think they care if the coin albums they are manufacturing will preserve our coins properly?"

 

How are the Intercept Shield albums designed to allow the coin to be placed by touching the edges only?