Eagle Coin Holders
Eagle Coin Holders are an excellent method of storing your coin collection long term. You can see in the image above one eagle coin holder unassembled and one assembled holder containing a coin. The eagle coin holder comprises two hard plastic injected molded halves into each of which a colorless mylar window fits. Each window has holes into which pegs on each half of the holder fit. Once attached to each half, the coin is placed in the middle of one of the mylar windows centered on the hole (in the holder) and then both halves of the holder are pressed together to form a tight fit. The edges of the two mylar windows are pressed together by the two halves of the holder forming an air tight seal around the coin.
The key advantages of the eagle coin holder are:
- The mylar windows are much thicker than those found in 2 by 2 cardboard coin holders I discussed previously. They are likely to be largely impermeable to outside contaminants.
- The thickness of the black plastic parts of the holder mean that the coin is reset into the window of the holder and very unlikely to receive any incidental damage.
- The thickness of the mylar windows is such that any light contact with the window is unlikely to damage the coin it holds.
- Because of the method used to hold the two halves together the holders contain the coin very securely and it is very unlikely that the holder will either come apart or that the coin will move about in the holder.
- There are special folder pages available that allow you to store eagle coin holders attractively in a folder. For storage in a safe deposit box or similar there are specifically designed boxes that can hold a number of eagle coin holders securely.
Some Tips on Eagle Coin Holders
The two main problems I have with Eagle Coin Holders are using them with very thin coins and very thick coins. With very thin coins there can be insufficient clamping force between the two mylar windows and the coin can move about within the holder. The possible solutions to this are:
- Use an eagle holder that has a opening that is only slightly larger than the coin it is holding to provide more clamping force on the mylar window and prevent it from flexing so much.
- The mylar windows are available in two thicknesses, try using the thicker mylar window to reduce flex in the window.
- In extreme cases if the thicker mylar window does not hold the coin tightly enough you can use multiple mylar windows on either or both sides.
The opposite problem with using eagle coin holders with small or thin coins is using them with thicker or larger coins. In this case the larger coin either stops you from pressing the two halves of the holder together, or more seriously, the holder pops apart after the coin is stored. The possible solutions to this are:
- Use an eagle coin holder with a larger opening. This will allow more flex in the mylar window and helps to stop the holder being forced apart by the thickness of the coin.
- Try using the thinner of the two types of mylar window, again this allows more flex in the window and helps to stop the holder being forced apart.
- The manufacturer of eagle coin holders suggests using contact adhesive (such as supa glue or cyano acrylate) to hold the two halves together with thicker coins. I strongly recommend against this. These sorts of glues give off volatile fumes that I would not want near any of MY coins.
- In extreme cases I have pressed the corners of eagle holders together with pliers, this has generally stopped the holder popping apart, but it can damage the plastic of the holder slightly. Do at your own risk.
Posted by mnemtsas at October 20, 2008 3:14 PM
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