Capital Plastic Holders-IMHO Not As Good As They Used to Be

RichR

I accidentally learned a lesson about the decline in quality in a product over time...the items in question were capital plastic holers for 1950s proof sets.

As I was dealing with holders from my collection that were 20 years old, 10 years old and brand new out of the box, I was easily able to compare and contrast the product quality over a period of time.

Essentially, the newest holders seem to be made of a softer plastic that seems to show more scratches/scratches more easily when whiped with a soft cotton cloth, is cloudy and just feels thinner. Also the plastic "screws" now included with the holders seem to crack and break more easily than their older counterparts. The situation was so bad that I was forced to mix and match pieces from older and newer sets to assemble a consistent batch that didn't actually detract from the coins housed within.

Maybe I'm just being an old crump, but I sure know that the price of this stuff hasn't decreased...but the quality sure has!

Just my 2 cents...

jhdfla

Are they made in China these days?

RichR

<<Are they made in China these days? >>

Funny you should ask...and I actually considered adding that to my original post.

I'm not sure that the package actually indicated anything but Capital's corporate address...but why wouldn't I be surprised?

Another thing...you can tell the new holders from the "better" old stock...the new holders have angled plastic edges on the clear covers, while the older stock has a sharp 90 degree edge.

So if you need some holders, look for the older stock.

llafoe

They've probably always been made in China.

dragon

<< <i>They've probably always been made in China. >>




Not true.

dragon

RichR, I wasn't aware that their quality has degraded on their proof set holders, but I guess I'm not really surprised as nearly everything is made cheaper these days.

What upset me the most about Capital is that they discontinued their #145, 146 and 150 series holders a couple years ago which I felt was their flagship product line. Now the only way to get them is to find a dealer with NOS which is getting harder and harder. I suppose with the advent of 3rd party grading and slabs the sales of those holders was steadily falling and then they finally just discontinued them altogether. I sure wish they would bring back at least their #145 3 X 3 screw together holders as I can't find them anywhere these days.

RichR

<<Now the only way to get them is to find a dealer with NOS which is getting harder and harder. >>

Very true about the New Old Stock (NOS) issue...that's actually how I was able to gather enough "good" bits and pieces to house 18 proof sets in an acceptable (at least to my anal retentive tastes) manner! I found a dealer who just had enough of the good stuff to fill the bill.

Very sad actually...I never thought twice about Capital products...can't say that any more.

MrHalfDime

I find this discussion about the perceived deterioration of quality in Capital Plastics holders very interesting, because my experience has been exactly the opposite. I do not have much experience with Capital Plastics holders in the past, but in recent years I became interested in acquiring a special, custom holder for half dimes. While at a FUN Show in Orlando a couple of years ago I stopped at a booth (more of a trade show booth than a coin dealer table) representing Jaco Plastics, and was informed that Jaco had recently acquired Capital Plastics. Jaco is the largest manufacturer of custom plastic products in the country, and was greatly interested in expanding and improving the Capital Plastics line of coin collector holders. We discussed my specific needs, and they graciously agreed to manufacture some holders to my specifications and send me some samples. The samples they sent to me were of superior quality, and precisely what I wanted. Certainly they are receptive to customer comments and input.

If you go to the Capital Plastics website Capital Plastics you will see that they are now indeed a division of Jaco Plastics, and their product line is greatly expanded. Try contacting them through their website and let them know of your concerns. I found them to be extremely receptive, and eager to provide what the collector wants and needs.

BillJones

I used to store all of my better coins in custom made Capital Plastics holders before slabs came along. When you ordered custom holders, you could have anything you wanted inscribed on them and you could also get a hole with a custom drilled diameter. Generally I found Capital Plastics holders to be good for everything EXCEPT thin coins like gold dollars and half dimes. The trouble was the colored coin holder layer was so thick that the tiny coins kind of got lost in them. I found that dime sized holders were about as small as you could go.

Are they doing a custom thickness holder for you, Mr. Half Dime? If so that is a change in policy. In the old days you could order double or triple thickness holders, but thinner was not available.

MrHalfDime

"Are they doing a custom thickness holder for you, Mr. Half Dime?"

Essentially everything is negotiable, and available on custom order. I spoke with a Mr. Bill Carter, who according to his business card is the sales manager, and we discussed everything from overall size (width, length, and thickness), color of the plastic (evidently they can match any color, much like mixing custom paint at Home Depot), engraving, and coin hole size. I was amazed that they even offered to make specific holders for specific coins, with the diameter of the coin hole in the insert custom tailored using my database of half dime diameters. Since every coin (in my case half dimes) has a unique diameter, all approximating 15.5 mm but varying considerably, they can custom drill the holes (even out-of-round) for each specific coin. He stressed that absolutely anything I wanted could be custom made ..... for a price.

BillJones

I should have mentioned it. In the old days Capital sold a fitting tool that enlarged the hole which came in very handy. I don't know if they still sell that device.

keets

as far as i know Capital Plastics is still in business and making their product about 25 miles from where i am right now. the last i knew they were smack dab in the middle of Amish Country in Middlefield, Ohio. i could be on their doorstep in about half-an-hour and they still do custome stuff. you should still be able to take an item to the showroom with you for a custom measurement.

----you guys with the China-talk should be a little more responsible before you post.

MrHalfDime

"I should have mentioned it. In the old days Capital sold a fitting tool that enlarged the hole which came in very handy. I don't know if they still sell that device."

They still have that tool, although as a quality tool it leaves a lot to be desired. You can do much better using a precision hand held reamer. Just be careful with the taper, which is critical for the coin hole in order to secure the coin.

"the last i knew they were smack dab in the middle of Amish Country in Middlefield, Ohio"

They are still there, where they always were, only under new ownership.

keets

They are still there, where they always were, only under new ownership.

actually, they have only been in Middlefield for about eight years. i believe they were in Medina about 40 miles away prior to the move to Middlefield around 2002-3

RichR

<<----you guys with the China-talk should be a little more responsible before you post. >>

Actually, their packaging does not indicate anything but their name and website address...no place of manufacture either way. So I still consider their sourcing an open question.

However, in order of priority, they should really look into why their plastic holders are now showing hairlines when whiped with a moist cotton cloth, and some also seem to dislay a "rainbow" distortion within the plastic when taken fresh out of their packaging.

And their newer generation plastic screws are cracking and splitting in half much more often then the older screws. My very unscientific test was conducted using the same screwdriver and a mix of new and old screws. And not a single older (15+ years old and slightly yellowed with age) screw split.

I just thought others might have had similar experiences with their newer off the shelf items.

Hotfootspin

When I was thinking about a custom holder for Ireland coins a few years ago,
I priced them out at about $1-2 per hole. Is that about right, or do I mis-
remember?

Thanks,
Mark

WaterSport

There is a reason why used Capital holders still retain a fair market price.

WS

MrEureka

WaterSport - Nice set! Have you considered a custom holder with grades added below each date?

WaterSport

These are 1960-70 boards. The set consist of 4 boards to date. I can not imagine the cost!!! As long as they keep making cents, I will buy an old board and rub the dates/mint marks off to meet my needs.

WS

dragon

In my opinion the hobby took a huge turn for the worse when cheap generic slabs with a random number on a tag started to replace Capital holders and albums, and the internet replaced a weekly trip to the local coin shop.

llafoe

<< <i>----you guys with the China-talk should be a little more responsible before you post. >>



Deal, whenever I do China-talk, I'll be more responsible... but for all other talk, including baby-talk, gibberish, miming, etc., I will be irresponsible!