Plastic Display Sleeves for experts comments please

[markate]

i have Plastic Display Sleeves which use for storage coins before. now i use for storage my badges and medals.any comments please.bcz i dont know that will make problem with my collections or not.

[PZIV]

Plastic often melts or disintegrates in heat. Even if you can't tell the plastic is melting, it still can be. It's just like microwaving food on plastic plates, bowls, etc. because you can't see some of the melting that goes on.

If you keep these out of the heat, it should be fine for a while, but I'd keep this temporary. I'm not 100% sure on the destructive properties of plastic (I know paper has acid and can ruin original photos, so this may be the same kind of thing). I would just suggest a dry room temperature place to display them. Maybe a glass display case or something.

My two cents, hope it helps.
Mansal

[walt]

IF they are archival quality, you should be fine. If not, then there could be problems.

[Stahlhelm]

Hello everyone,

This is a question I can definitely answer from experience. I am also a coin collector, and I have previously wondered about exactly this same issue, not wanting to store my rare and expensive coins in any way that will cause damage.

What I found out, in researching this (including contact with the manufacturers of some of these sleeves) is that they ARE NOT safe for long-term storage. This will rarely be advertised on the package itself. Generally, the chemicals (or plasticizers) which are used to make the plastic soft and flexible are what cause the damage over time. It is true that the flexibility makes them more convenient for handling etc., but it is not worth the problems it will cause. Over time, a sticky fluid will leach out of the plastic, get on your medals, etc. and ruin them. Even if it doesn't ruin them, it will at least be very difficult to remove the slimy film. This will involve scrubbing and/or exposure to other types of damaging cleaning solvents.

I have, unfortunately, had to deal with this a few times in the past myself.

The only alternative which allows you to display them in a similar plastic sleeve is by using sleeves made of Mylar. That is a harder type of plastic that does not contain the the damaging chemicals which softens plastic. The Mylar sleeves are also available from most coin shops. The only drawback is that the mylar holders are, as I said, harder, and consequently a bit brittle, causing them to occasionally crack. Since these holders are harder, they can also be a bit abrasive on the coin surface (or in this case, medal surface), as your collectible slides into the holder, or simply moves around, as it will.

With coin collecting, I have delt with this by using a hard plastic, three-piece, screw-together acrylic holder made by Capitol Holders. Since coin collecting is much more commercialized, those are made in all sizes for virtually every coin that's ever been made. However, in this hobby, we are, unfortunately, not so lucky.

I realize that some may disagree with me, but this is honestly what I have learned through my experience and research. Believe me, with some of the coins I have, I had every excessive motivation to find the truth about it. However, if anyone does know of any such soft plastic sleeves which contain archival softening chemicals (or specifically, chemicals that don't leach out over time), please let me know. I'd love to use some of those myself.

I hope this helps you, and good luck...

[markate]

thanx for all suggestions and I dont know the plastic is a such serious problem for storage. at begining i only think problem maybe come from humidity or acid from paper.now i know and should be find good ways for storage my collections.

[PZIV]

thanx for all suggestions and I dont know the plastic is a such serious problem for storage. at begining i only think problem maybe come from humidity or acid from paper.now i know and should be find good ways for storage my collections.

Yep.

Good luck!

[Stahlhelm]

I suppose I should add a little more to this, even at the expense of being too thorough and even adding a bit of common sense. Since the technology of all this stuff is always changing and improving, I always keep a look-out for any such soft, plastic, flexible sleeves that are, in fact, truly archival. The key word here is TRULY. Like I said, I'd love to have something like that for my own coins and militaria. However, even if something is actually labeled as archival by the manufacturer, I would still check it out, with some sketicism, since there is so much at stake in the storage of expensive artifacts. It's just no fun to look at your stuff someday, only to find that the protecting sleeve has left behind a slimy film. Knowing myself, if I couldn't find out elsewhere, I'd probably even wind up calling the manufacturer to ask what exactly they are doing differently to make their plastic archival. No, seriously now...I would first at least check with local coin shops, since any such innovations in archival storage usually arrive at coin shops, before anyplace else. Most of the innovations in that type of storage method are driven by the popularity and demands of coin collecting. But, I will again say that I have, to date, not seen any such types of archival plastic storage. But, just like the smiley I've posted, I'm always on the lookout...

[Richard]

There are currently many archival products on the market today that don't have the rigidity or stiffness of mylar. Mylar has long been the preferred method but many softer products offered for archival paper storage such as polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene are safe for long term storage of most materials as they are inert, acid free and contain no PVC. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) has a bad reaction with most metals and creates the slimy damage seen on many coins stored in this medium for any length of time. There are quite a few dealers of quality archival materials out there such as Light Impressions. I am at work and don't have my list of all the dealers of storage materials I have used, but here is a link to one I've used that has a variety of products for all sorts of collectibles.

http://www.archivalsuppliers.com/products.asp?dept=97

Richard V

[Stahlhelm]

Yes, I do agree that the thinner polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene plastics are great for the storage of paper documents, photos, etc. I also do collect period WWII German photos and SS Ausweis', so I do use some of photo sleeves/protectors for those myself.

I just haven't yet found anything of the thickness and clarity necessary to store, display, and properly protect and support heavier objects such as coins, war medals, etc. I live in a larger city with many coin shops, and I have been told that there isn't anything that's thicker and archival for such storage. However, I am currently searching the website you posted for just that.

Thanks for the info. I will check it out and let you know what I find. This could be just the learning opportunity I've been looking for...