Storing Coins Properly

It has been my opinion that when first starting out in the hobby of coin collecting that you should try it on the cheap. This means, in this case, useing the readily available, inexpensive, and easily recognizable blue Whitman folders. These are available at most larger bookstores like Barnes and Noble as well as online at a discount.
They are made of a hard cardboard with a blue paper cover and have slots for pushing coins into place. They also have spaces for all mints if collecting by series. This way if you decide that this hobby is not for you, you are not out by very much money. If, later you decide that you enjoy this wonderful hobby, you can upgrade to the better but more expensive coin albums.
There are pros and cons to both though. The folders have a backing of glue which over the years may transfer to the side of the coin that is not facing out. The albums eliminate this problem by having two side to view the coin with plastc. neutral covers on both sides that easily remove to add or take out coins. A picture of one of the folders is displayed in this article.
If you are useing the folders it would be best to only insert coins of a lower grade that you might want to replace at a later date with better grade coins.
If you want to store coins, such as duplicates, outside of the folder then there are many ways to do this. There are coin envelopes made of paper, two by twos (2"x2") cardboard holders with a plastic front and back that you staple together, vinyl "flips" that are clear all around, and many different plastic holders that snap together,screw together,etc. Of course you will ultimately decide which is best for you, either out of expense or how you want to look at and/or display your coins.
As a word of caution, most collectors no longer use the paper envelope holders as acid in the paper can discolor coins and seiously devalue them. This also holds true for the vinyl flip. The plastic can change over the years and actually adhere to the coins. They are advisable only for short term storage.
All coins should be stored in an environmentally secure place, free of moisture. A place such as your cellar is a NO-NO! A closet in a warm room is okay as long as moisture is controllable. The same goes for almost any collectible. I hope this article has been of use and that you will post any comments, pro or con. Help me to help make this a site evryone can find easy to use and imformative. Happy collecting!