Hi, Please tell me, from your experience, what is the best way to protect coins in Mint boxes and slabs against degradation, namely corrosive gases and ozone. I live on the East Coast and the climate is typically fairly high humidity and moisture so I know to use plenty of desiccant in the safe. I know there is advertised specialty plastic bags or holders that are alleged to offer exceptional protection against degradation, but among my regular 1 oz coins, I have a couple of large coins (1 kilo or bigger) and these will not fit into the advertised specialty plastic bags and coin holders sold. So, what is the best way to protect larger coins against corrosive gas degradation? Thanks in advance for any hints or info on this.
I would look at some food safe mylar bags, adds a few bags of moisture absorbers and some oxygen absorbers. Get as much air as possible out and seal them up. It will not look pretty but should seal pretty well. Just a thought. It is good for food for 10+ years I believe. Many sizes available as well.
Right, I don't care about pretty. I am looking to store for several years at least and I won't need to get to them any time soon. I am not familiar with oxygen absorbers but I will look into it. Any type or brand to recommend? In particular with coins and even coin sets that come in larger boxes my thought was to wrap in non-PVC bags squeezing out as much air as I can by hand. Tape very well. Cover with aluminum foil and tape very well again. Does aluminum foil act as a good barrier against corrosives in the air or will it do nothing beneficial? Thanks for any thoughts.
They use the O2 absorbers to take out any air in bulk food packaging. Look for bulk food supplies (preppers, mormons food banks etc...) in your area. Should be plenty to choose from or online.
Can I pay in fiat in 5 yrs? Seriously though I had some stashed in zip lock bags in a cupboard in the garage. One of the bags wasn't zipped properly and coins tarnished very quickly, others were OK. I think the other stuff I had in the cupboard may have accelerated - cleaning stuff, oils etc.