Is there any problem storing coins in plastic sandwich bags?

[aaa30040]

That's where mine are now, but don't want to create any problems

[shinnosuke]

Are they Ziploc, Glad or store brand?

[Rodebaugh]

Bags with PVC can cause problems for certain metals.

[Market Harmony]

First things first, did you take out the sandwich?

[fasteddy]

Sandwich bags are for short term storage. Usually a day or two, anymore than that and I am not sure I want to eat the sandwich. We have a sandwich in a sandwich baggie in the refrigerator at work that has been in there for over a month and it looks ok. Cu long term storage who knows, who has kept copper pennies in a baggie for the last thirty years? I live on the gulf coast so we have high humidity...stuff in plastic does not do well here. I like the idea of the container to be able to breathe. However, I do have some Cu pennies in vacuum storage bags and other than losing the vacuum after a year they are still doing well.

[aaa30040]

Are they Ziploc, Glad or store brand?

store brand zip top

[aaa30040]

First things first, did you take out the sandwich?

you don't like a silver dime that smells of turkey and swiss?

[shinnosuke]

Are they Ziploc, Glad or store brand?

store brand zip top

Good cost control. Spend less on plastic and more on silver. Personally, I would put them in something a bit more rugged...like a pipe inside Mother Earth.

[shinnosuke]

Bags with PVC can cause problems for certain metals.

What about storing them in PVC pipes and burying them?

[Mossy]

Bags with PVC can cause problems for certain metals.

What about storing them in PVC pipes and burying them?

Verdigris. Copper reacts with chlorine.

[SilverDragon72]

First things first, did you take out the sandwich?

WAY FUNNY!!!

[shinnosuke]

Bags with PVC can cause problems for certain metals.

What about storing them in PVC pipes and burying them?

Verdigris. Copper reacts with chlorine.

Uh, oh. But silver/gold is OK?

[fansubs_ca]

Uh, oh. But silver/gold is OK?

Silver no because it also reacts with chlorine as well, I would imagine gold
would be OK since gold reacts with almost nothing. There are _some_
exceptions even to that though, for one see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold-alumi ... ermetallic

I had a coin folder I bought over 20 years ago for dimes, it must have had
some PVC in it because the 99.9% nickel dimes were all fine but the few
older silver dimes in it (Canadian 80%silver/20%copper) turned green over
the years.

As for pennies in plastic bags I have some that I saved in the late 80s into
the early 90s and they are OK, but one bag was a "bank bag" that I got
pennies in and the other was the kind of plastic bag that comic book shops
sell for protecting comic books so it must have been a special type of
plastic less likely to leach stuff. I never put any in sandwich bags, though I
find Ziplock bags "feel" like the comic book bags, which doesn't nesseccarily
mean they are the same type of plastic but they could be. Not sure.

[Pachucko]

I thought per gov regulations there could be no PVC is food containers, to include sandwich bags??

[wagsthadog]

Hi there~

I used to hold mine in ziplocks, and I wasnt worried that they would get funky, just that they got flimsy with all that weight. Ever considered getting flat paper coin tubes? You can get 1000 for about the same price as a box of ziplocks, and they look a lot more professional. Then get a box of whatever denomination coins you have at your local bank and use the empty box to hold your rolls! At least, that's what I do...

jmo, wags

[Engineer]

Putting a silver coin in the bag with your sandwich helps to prevent the growth of bacteria.

[jasmatk]

I think they would get weak and rip over time.I think this happened to someone here.I recomend using plastic jars from peanut butter,mayo,ect.

[Chief]

5 gallon buckets or 55 gallon drum for coppers and plastic coin tubes for silver is how I do it. It does add up to "keep" your coins, but the are safe for years.

[Sterling Silver]

Putting a silver coin in the bag with your sandwich helps to prevent the growth of bacteria.

+1

[InfleXion]

Some really great posts in this one

I have been using Ziploc bags for a few years now without issue, but never trusted them enough for anything other than circulated coins.

[JadeDragon]

Putting a silver coin in the bag with your sandwich helps to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Copper too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrob ... _of_copper

[Mossy]

Make sure no mayo. Eggs have sulpher in them. Not good for copper.

[RTPMarine]

Ziploc brand bags are made of polyethylene, which is pretty stable with regards to metals. In fact, most hip replacements use it as a casing with an internal metal base (usually titanium). Here is a good article about polyethylene and copper bonding, and how much forced oxidation it takes for the polymer to have an effect on the copper:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00218467808075120#preview

I'd say that zip-loc bags are just fine for storing pennies and nickels, and are at least as good as other plastic tube containers for ASEs and Maple Leafs, etc. In reality, your bag is never going to have a perfect seal so expect small amounts of oxidation on the copper over long terms (10+ years).