I thought flips containing pvc were okay for the short term.

haletj

NOT! They took litterally a week or two to ruin some of my coins.

JadeRareCoin

I have been preaching this to everyone for years. Isn't it simple logic that if a flip can destroy your coin over a long period, then even a short stay in a PVC must cause some damage? Seems quite simple to me.

Soft flips contain PVC and oil. That's why they are "soft". Those chemicals are leeching out onto your coins the very second you put a coin in a soft flip. Period. End of story.

LanLord

It still amazes me to see so many coins in PVC flips when I attend large coin shows.

What the hell are dealers thinking? Or do they just disable the grey matter?

earlwbollinger

The flips are cheap, cheaper than the other types.
Thus they'll tend to always go for the cheap ones.

TUMUSS

Sorry to hear about your coins.

BigD5

I think the soft flips are still around for just that fact. They are soft. If you have an auction venue where flips are going to be handled, over and over and over, repeatedly, the "stiff" flips don't hold up, crack, split and break. Who wants coins falling all over the place?

With that said, I agree the soft flips shouldn't be used as widespread as they are.

Also, when I sell a raw coin, I prefer to put the coin into a soft flip to make sure the holder doesn't crack and split apart during shipping and revue. Not always, but my preference.

ziggy29

Saying they are okay is like saying it's "okay" to expose yourself to rapid machine gun fire for only a tenth of a second. Sure it will do less damage to you than standing in the line of fire for an hour, but any exposure to damaging elements is too much.

Plus, it's not just the "green slime" any more. PCGS recently mentioned the tale of a Peace Dollar which one grader assigned a 64 and another a 61 (or something like that). Not used to such discrepancies, they did a little investigating and decided that between the time the two graders gave their opinion, the PVC flip put a scratch into the coin.

JadeRareCoin

They are soft. If you have an auction venue where flips are going to be handled, over and over and over, repeatedly, the "stiff" flips don't hold up, crack, split and break. Who wants coins falling all over the place?

The solution to that problem is to put the coin in an ET Kointainer Saflip, then insert that into one of the soft flips. BTW, the C4 auction by McCawley-Grellman Auctions at the Bay State show last month used 2.5"X2.5" inert flips....not PVC soft flips.....and they worked just fine.


PCGS recently mentioned the tale of a Peace Dollar which one grader assigned a 64 and another a 61 (or something like that). Not used to such discrepancies, they did a little investigating and decided that between the time the two graders gave their opinion, the PVC flip put a scratch into the coin.

Absolutely correct. The article can be found on the PCGS web site. Not only do soft flips put a PVC film on coins, they also contain abrasive, microscopic particles which scratches coins.

Dennis

Flipman

You are lucky with what you can get these days. Dealers used to use the good flips but now it is turn and burn. When I dumpster dive at shows looking for used flips 75% of them are the PVC ones

Live and learn but who can complain. They are free. Got any free flips?

dthigpen

Hi Cameron.

F117ASR

All nice coins($5+) should be in airtites. This way most coins would never be ruined

loanshark

So why would NGC send bodybags back in flips?

Loan Shark

Myqqy

What coins got ruined? Do you have any pics?
I agree with most of the others. To me, the first responsibility of coin collectors (or dealers) is to keep the coins free from harm for future generations of collectors- and cutting corners that put coins in jeopardy is not a good option....

haletj

Three gem BU Lincoln Memorial Cent Sets I put together to sell (see BST) I thought would be okay in these flips until shipped. Actually, the dealer who sold me the flips told me they were pvc free! I was suspect about them because they seemed softer, but I bought and used them anyway for I thought a week or two would be okay. Some of the coins, esp the zinc Memorials have the green slime now. I replaced a bunch of the coins in the set I just sold on ebay... but if anyone wants to buy the other 2 sets at a bargain, and fix the coins up with acetone, they'd have a nice Memorial set again.

By the way, another dealer told me he still uses pvc flips because they don't get all scratched up. He says people won't buy coins because they look worse than they are due to scratches on safe-flips (or slabs for that matter!).

michael

pvc flips in my opinion are not safe for coins for any time period

and not even in your dreams

putting coins in pvc flips is like playing with fire you may or maynot get,burned

but why take the chance?



michael

JadeRareCoin

TTT for those who still insist on using PVC flips.

tsacch

whats wrong with good old 2X2's?

JadeRareCoin

whats wrong with good old 2X2's?

STAPLES.

However, 2X2's are a much better alternative than PVC flips. I like them for coins that are no thicker than a quarter. The halves and dollars are thicker than the 2X2's and when stored in a 2X2 box, the coins rub each other. The mylar windows are so thin, that they afford little protection. This is clearly evident when Morgan and Peace Dollars are stored in 2X2 boxes.