Realcent.org

I still stack Nickels as a side line and I now have a way to get bagged ones instead of boxes. Boxes stack easy but loose coin is faster to cash in if needed. So now I have to decide. Bag? or Box? It was one roll at a time in the beginning but now I have better supply lines. What to do?

I like the loose as I can hunt for war nics before bagging.

The other voice in my head says, "Buy silver instead as it will take 10 years for these babies to gain a noticeable value."

Boxes. Definitely boxes.

If I look over at my stash and see some neatly stacked boxes of nickels I might find myself saying "There's $XXX sitting right there with the melt value of the coins worth at least that much or more" (or some other story like that).

But if I look over at my stash and see some bags of nickels stacked up I might find myself saying "There's $XXX sitting right there with the melt value... Hey wait a minute... What's that, a buffalo?.. Yes, it's a buffalo!... Oh, and look at the big 'S' mintmark above the dome on that one...". Then I would end up spending hours hand-sorting all the bags of nickels when I really need to be focusing on sorting those copper cents.

I understand 2 & 1/2 very well. I suppose it really depends on what you want to do with the nicks. If you want to harvest the Buffs and War Nicks first, then bags are the way to go, although you do have to come up with a storage container system that is easy to stack and easy to count. If your only purpose is to accumulate metal, then the boxes are the only way to go. The drawbacks of difficult storage and counting are both answered.

I do not do the nick hoard myself, but when next year and the new garage are both done, I will have more room for storage and may begin to lean toward this particular niche.

I am holding on to my silver for the long haul as well. So why spend the time sorting the war nickels out now? I would rather they stay hidden deep inside a box where I can't see them and be tempted to start sorting. They will still be there waiting to be sorted out years down the road when I'm not so busy sorting zincs out of my coppers (or is it coppers out of my zincs? )

50/30 cal military ammo cans. Put your bags into these (if they fit).

Boxes for sure. Easier to stack.

What about coffee cans? I'm not sure about the composition of newer cans, but I remember finding some than had silver coins in them stored in a damp basement for at least 40 years in the Midwestern U.S. and the coins looked great after all that time. Many coins from WW2 era still had original mint luster. Comments? Also, what about the newer type coffee cans which appear to be made of something else. Are they ok for long-term storage of Uncirculated somewhat better date coins?