medal wallets

[derrydingle]

guys the plastic medal wallets that most dealers have are they good or bad for keeping the medal in?

[ADOLPH]

Take your medals out the plastic bags as soon as you can.

Regards,
Adolph.

[derrydingle]

thanks

[WhitePhantom]

Oh oh!....Good thing the medal i have in that plastic wallet is very new. The oldest it could be is 2003 as thats when that model of spainish merit cross was first used.

[Raaf Hornet]

Whats wrong with the plastic packets, do they sweat in them ? I've got about 30 medals in them.............. looks like I'm doing the wrong thing

[derrydingle]

i take it plastic wallets are bad for medals but are plastic covers ok for photos?

[Paul R.]

Cheap plastic (vinyl) will cause a number of problems from out gasing, moisture sweating, changing the medal a different colors ect. I see simular problems appearing on items placed in such wallets with in 24-48 hours. You may want to read past posted articles on plastic storage. Or look at the pinned article on top of this area. Spend a few minutes looking over the articles. Just do not asume that anything will work. The company selling the wallents are not conservators. They are just making a buck, and not worried about your item like you are. Educate your self first.
Mylar is one of the best materials to use. Of course that is up to you on what you want to do with them. Paul

[derrydingle]

cheers paul

[Stahlhelm]

I agree that mylar is the best of all such things to use, even though it's not perfect and does have its disadvantages. I also collect coins, so I've already been through all this stuff long ago.

The mylar, although arhival, is unfortunately rather stiff and somewhat brittle to the point that it will often break after some time. Since mylar is harder than other plastics, one must be careful sliding metals, coins, etc. in and out, as it can be rather abrasive, even sometimes scratching things. The non-archival, vinyl plastics are, of course, much more flexible, soft, and durable. However, what is convenient is, as in this case, not always the best to use. It is the chemicals used to soften the plastics that are exactly what makes them non-archival and dangerous for your collection. Over time, the softer plastics will exude a slimy film which will coat your medals, be very difficult to remove, and even take on unattractive colors, as well. So, even with their conveniences, such softer plastics should always be avoided. If used, you will someday find that your prized medals, etc. are coated with a sticky substance that you will not like. Trust me on that. The reason I suggest avoiding the softer plastics in general is because I am not aware of there being any archival soft types at this time. If anyone does know of any, please let me know about it. For all I know, something softer and archival could have been invented by now. I'd say that the bottom line here is just knowing exactly what type of material/lplastic you are using, and making sure that it is, in fact, a known archival materal.

As was mentioned earlier, you often can't even trust the information which the vendors of various products give you verbally. I know, from my own experience, that some dealers don't really know or care what they are selling, just so long as they sell it. I've had dealers before tell me that something is archival. Then, when I've contacted the company, I've found that the material is, in fact, NOT archival. So, beware!

When it comes to these type of concerns, anyone would also do well to read the conservation sections in any comprehensive coin collecting book. The information can all be found in such books, much as I have explained it here.

For my coins collection, I only use mylar envelopes--that is, when I use envelopes for them. I don't use such envelopes with militaria, since I prefer to store them in cases for display.

Good luck!

Chris

[Raaf Hornet]

Thanks Paul & Stahlhelm for the great info, I'll be taking mine out of the pockets immediately , cheers, Jeff

[Stahlhelm]

Thanks Paul & Stahlhelm for the great info, I'll be taking mine out of the pockets immediately , cheers, Jeff

You are most welcome, Jeff! I'm glad I could be of help.

Chris

[WhitePhantom]

I got my Mylar sheets today from Talas to store some U.S. WWII vet documents. Hopefully the documents now last even longer then me!

[Stahlhelm]

I got my Mylar sheets today from Talas to store some U.S. WWII vet documents. Hopefully the documents now last even longer then me!

I would say that with such safe and archival storage, you are most likely correct. You can certainly rest assured that the mylar sheets are safe.

Chris