Storing pennies

[scyther]

I know there are other threads for storing pennies but I wanted to ask about these options specifically...

At this point I have 2 bank boxes and 2 ziplock bags full of copper pennies. But the bags tend to rip eventually, and when I tape the boxes shut the tape keeps peeling off. So I was thinking maybe I should put the pennies in an empty milk jug (not the kind with transparent thin plastic but one with somewhat thicker white plastic). Would this be acceptable? I thought the boxes might be good because the holes at the bottom might be good for air circulation, but they're kind of flimsy...

Also would it be a problem to weld the cap onto the milk jug once it's full to ensure that no one takes anything out of it? Or is it bad if it has no air?

[hammerrob]

My guess is that all our pennies have spent at least 5 years in a milk jug at some point in their lives ... that's what they do, you get them in change and they sit in milk jugs for years until someone decides to cash them in! If we were storing coins with numismatic value my answer would be different, but I don't think anything can happen to a regular copper penny in a plastic milk jug that will hurt it's value 10 years from now.

[RD5]

If we were storing coins with numismatic value my answer would be different, but I don't think anything can happen to a regular copper penny in a plastic milk jug that will hurt it's value 10 years from now.

+1

[fasteddy]

bags tend to rip eventually, and when I tape the boxes shut the tape keeps peeling off

Get some better tape...the 3m clear packing tape works well, wrap it around near the ends of the box and the boxes should do well for you. Dump the poly bags...but if you need them get some bank bags, they easily hold $50 fv and you can get $100 fv in one.

Store the boxes about 4 high any more than that and they will try to crush the lower boxes. You can fit $25 fv loose cents in a bank box with a little shaking/settling.

[newton7]

Is the milk jug plasitc the kind that is safe for coins not to corrode? Remember all the guys storing collector coins in flips that turned out to be bad stuff and cause the coins to turn green? I dont know my plastics very well but I would lean toward storing them in a dry or air conditioned space with the ability to loose moisture if needed. They are only pennies but I think it would suck in 5 years when you cash in to discover they are all green and the buyer knocks you down on price due to this error.

I pulled this off a site:

The plasticizer in PVC is particularly corrosive to copper alloy coins, producing a green corrosion product commonly called green slime. Silver coins with a high copper content may also exhibit this form of corrosion.

http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/publications/n ... 4-eng.aspx

Milk jugs are usually made from high density polyethylene, or HDPE.

So if I read this right as long as your container is a #2 HDPE recycle mark and not a #3 PVC recycle mark it should be ok?

But that begs the question about all those people burying all those coin stashes in PVC tubes in there back yard. What will they find when they dig them up.

Someone jump in who has more knowledge.

I also ran across this site talking about buckets for food but there is some good info that might relate to our hobby.
http://www.instructables.com/answers/Pl ... d-storage/.

[OtusLotus]

I think you need better boxes...
I have come across two types of coin boxes from banks.
One type of coin box has the top glued and the only way to open it is to rip the top off... (I am assuming this is the type you are using)
The other type is sealed using flaps with the top flap having a tab that is inserted into the main part of the box.
These boxes close securely, and only would require a little tape to seal.

[jacer333]

I think you need better boxes...
I have come across two types of coin boxes from banks.
One type of coin box has the top glued and the only way to open it is to rip the top off... (I am assuming this is the type you are using)
The other type is sealed using flaps with the top flap having a tab that is inserted into the main part of the box.
These boxes close securely, and only would require a little tape to seal.

The rip off boxes are most likely Loomis, that is what I get here in NE. Not sure what carrier brings that other style, but i see those often too.

I don't think milk jugs of any kind are a good idea for long term storage. Wrap those boxes up tight, or else invest in some of the heavy-duty plastic bags that the banks use to send back coin.

[Engineer]

Milk jugs are usually made from high density polyethylene, or HDPE.

So if I read this right as long as your container is a #2 HDPE recycle mark and not a #3 PVC recycle mark it should be ok?

If you look at the wikipedia page for a plastic, it will give you the chemical structure. As long as there isn't chlorine (Cl) present, you should be ok.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene