Hey all, so you may have seen an earlier thread I posted last week looking for ideas on the type of furniture I could look for and then convert into some type of coin storage/display. I've been down this rabbit hole since then and it's getting deep. lol Here's what I know - Wood off gasses, engineered wood off gasses probably more. I also know that coins were stored in wooden cabinets for a very long time until modern day when it became less popular. It's probably what causes some of the amazing (and not so amazing) toning on old coins. So then I start thinking, jeez maybe I don't want something made of wood. So I look at other possibilities but they're either expensive or hard to find. A flat file cabinet is one option, they are usually metal but pricey. I then thought about making one out of black acrylic plexiglass, but then I'd be using glues to put it all together and we're back to the chemical out gassing issues. I could go on and on with my thought process here but I'll spare you as this is already getting long. I think I've over thunk this into analysis paralysis. First of all - I do not own anything expensive. I'm a budget collector, my nicest stuff is mostly silver bullion coins like Canadian Maple Leafs and I only have a handful of those. Currently my coins are stored in binders on a bookshelf, some stuff is in my Harbor Freight safe, some in cardboard 2X2 boxes, plus some that's just kinda hanging around. Wow this is getting long, my apologies and extra points for those of you that have stuck it out this far. So the long and short of this is - I'd love to hear from other people that have stored their coins in various ways, different types of wood enclosures, plastic, metal, etc etc. and what you've discovered by doing so. I don't want to hear "well so and so says this, or I read this" I want real examples and observations that I can use to make an educated compromised decision and make or buy something at a reasonable cost. So fire away!
This is the type of thing I was originally looking at but to buy one is far out of my price range. And I came across this which was super appealing because of price and I could easily adjust to make it work. But out gassing is probably a concern. Then I thought well maybe if I create some airflow it would be ok. I dunno.....rabbit hole after rabbit hole https://www.amazon.com/Art-Supply-D...04-897a0dc6cb4b&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m
I am currently working on building a mahogany coin cabinet for my large cents. Each shelf has 50 equally spaced apart holes that are lined with soft felt. The project has been very expensive for me, when building your own there are lots of ways to cut costs. First things first, do you have any access to woodworking equipment? If not it is going to cost you a LOT more to construct your cabinet. You can save a lot of money if you choose to construct your cabinet around an already constructed frame. For example finding a used wooden stand up dresser and pulling out all of the drawers and putting in your own. (Example (Not mine)) (Link http://www.numisology.com/Coin-cabinet-1.html) When choosing a wood for your shelves pick something that is cheap and matches the dresser that you find. I did the opposite and bought $2,000 worth of mahogany and then built my own frame. I took a fair bit of inspiration from different sources when drawing up my design, you should do some research and find out what type of style you like. I am happy to answer any questions about the process that you may have.
Thanks for the detailed response. That picture is very much what I'd like to do. My concern is mostly reading about people saying oh no don't do that it'll ruin your coins, etc etc. I do have access to some woodworking equipment, I'm handy and my dad used to build furniture although he no longer has much equipment. I have a table saw, router, drill press, and various hand tools. I like the idea of starting with something and then building my own drawers, I've not build drawers before but I'm willing to give it a shot. Again, my main issue is wondering what people's experiences have been with storing coins this way, I know mahogany is an excellent choice as it out gasses very little. Not to mention it's a beautiful wood.
I may have just solved my own problem. Check out this article - https://collectionsconversations.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/sealing-wooden-storage-equipment/
Most museums that have coins store them in cabinets. It is one of the safest and most stable methods of storing coins in my opinion, but that's coming from a collector of copper. I brush all of my copper, this puts a protective coating on the surface and slows down environmental factors. That paired with different methods of reducing moisture inside the cabinet and only using natural finishes on the mahogany. I also did not let a single drop of glue touch the wood, the entire thing is dovetailed.
I'll just say this one thing for your own edification..... Many years ago when my coin collection was quite humble, I too liked to have my beloved coins close at hand and easy to admire and show off... I also had a habit of leading extended family youngsters to the collection to pull out an old Merc or something interesting to give them. That worked fine for me for many years..... Then some years back my favorite nephew was between jobs and wanted to stay in my guest room. No problem at all... Until I came home from work and he was gone and I found a Morgan dollar on my floor.... This beloved nephew had walked out of my house with my very accessible and quite humble coin collection and dropped a Morgan in his haste..... I confronted him and my collection was returned... But the lesson here is you never know who in your life may run into hard times and may resort to doing something they wouldn't normally do..... These days my collection isn't quite as humble and I own three safes as well as a safe deposit box.... I learned my lesson the hard way. Secure those coins!
I have a hard time locking my stuff up. If I'm taking the time to collect something I'd like to be able to enjoy it. That being said I do keep my silver bullion and a few other things in my safe. Also, if I can find the right piece of furniture to modify I can probably at least put a small padlock on it.
You can use most woods for coin storage, if you properly seal (i.e. seal all joints) with Polyurethane! We locally have an eating/drinking establishment with a beautiful custom wooden ~40' long wooden bar ~40 years of age, that's completely sealed. The top bar surface has different Silver Dollars spaced ~1 foot apart down the length, and ~6' ends. I use cleaned/surfaces-sealed ammunition cans holding coins in Coin storage rolls, with proper desiccants in each can: https://www.jpscorner.com/collections/coin-preservation Some of the cans have been used for >60 years! JMHE
I actually have a bunch of dessicant I use already. I keep some in my safe and some in my tool boxes to keep things from rusting. It's way cheaper than those special products like Zerust for tools. The link I posted above seems to provide some compelling evidence that sealing with Shellac is the way to go, using multiple coats. It claims that tinted works better. The ammo can idea is really cool, I love repurposing ammo cans. I have a couple in my Jeep for tie downs and tow straps EDIT - if anyone wants to see the data for the testing of various finishes and their Moisture blocking values you can check it out here - https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/documnts/fplrp/fplrp462.pdf Pretty interesting stuff, but you also have to consider the VOCs and off gassing of the finishes. Shellac seems to perform well with a fairly quick off gassing time as it's alcohol based.
That is one of the biggest keys to cabinet construction and coins. Yes some woods off gas but everything in our environment does the same. I have a cabinet that I am building, Mahogany and Cherry. That is the frame. I don't have the wood for the drawers figured yet, I might just add a different wood. The environment that I have in my basement is Ideal. It hasn't toned any of my coins not noticeably anyways. So, I wouldn't nock one type of cabinet for another until you have tried storing coins in it. And there is no need to get crazy with price. I found this cabinet for slabs at a yard sale for less than an ounce of silver. Watch out for modern oils or certain finishes when restoring the cabinet. If you use a finish use a water based formula. If I use an oil it is Howards and it gets left in the garage for weeks to dry soak up, and off gas.
That's a nice looking display there. I think I have a plan "for now". I still would like to get a floor standing piece of furniture and convert it. Ideally the upper half would store coins and the lower half would store supplies, books, etc. BUT, for now I picked up an art supply box with drawers. I'm going to modify it and seal it with 3 coats of alcohol based shellac, let it dry and off gas for a couple weeks. Once I start the process I'll document it and share. Oh and I think I'll open up the back to allow more air flow as an added measure.
