Dansco Albums

sumnom · January 6, 2008 1:36PM

What are the pros and cons of Dansco albums? I have never used them but I am considering them. I am sick and tired of 2x2s and plastic pages.

I am concerned about two things:

1) It seems rather easy to hairline the coins or to otherwise damage them as they are placed in or removed from the album. How do people deal with this?

2) If you use blank pages (if you collect a series defined in some way other than those sets found in existing Dansco albums), how do you ID the coins? I can write all over a 2x2 if I want but Dansco albums don't seem to be conducive to such markings.

ahooka454 · January 6, 2008 1:41PM

I had this same issue awhile ago. I like buying sets already in the albums, snatch out the keepers and place them in 2x2's. I love them. Only thing I dont like is storing them in my red long boxes. You always have to worry about a staple scratching a nice coin to $h!te. I only put circulated coins in an album. Just to be able to look at it. Unc coins are all in 2x2's. Good luck.

sumnom · January 6, 2008 1:44PM

Right now my entire collection is in 2x2s. I like to be able to write on them but they just look junky. The Dansco albums look so nice...

If you put the 2x2s in plastic pages the staples won't scratch other coins. Getting a flat stapler helps as well.

Bochiman · January 6, 2008 1:54PM

Sumnom,

If you are concerned about hairlining, try not to add coins to that section until you have them all, then just push in once, and push the tab in over them (push the coins lower so it doesn't touch).

If you don't have all at once and still want to use them, just push down before pulling the slide out. Pretty safe if you are careful.

I think that dansco may have blank pages.....what you can also do is get a label maker.

I have dansco albums as well as 2x2. I don't have a problem with the dansco.

sumnom · January 6, 2008 2:09PM

Even pushing down worries me. Perhaps I worry too much? I guess I need to examine one in hand to get a feel for how they work. I stopped using albums long, long ago and have never really looked at them since. I assume you need to use gloves when putting the coin in the folder. It seems like finger prints could be a problem.

Bochiman · January 6, 2008 2:17PM

Yep.
I have the cotton gloves.

If I had a coin I thought was 69/70 or BIG bucks like that, I wouldn't dansco it.
But, for our 7070, my son's silver roosies, the SAEs, the Franklins and Kennedys, they work just fine

coinsarefun · January 6, 2008 2:25PM

I agree with Bochiman. Just be careful with the plastic slides. If you have a very, very expensive coin it should probably be by itself or slabbed.

I used to use 2X2's then I switched to Dansco's. I love them. I have standard sets. And, I also have my own different collections.

In one album I have toned Kennedy's, toned Franklin's, toned Walkers and toned Morgan's all in the same album.The theme is toning. I just buy a plain album with plain sheets and mark it myself. I use clear removable plastic tape and write the year and mm. This way if I change them(which I do) no harm, no foul.

I also collect Russian and Hungarian coins and I do the same thing.
They all sit on my desk and I pull it out all the time to look at them.

And another album for my tokens, so called dollars and medals.

Dawg144 · January 6, 2008 2:32PM

I use 2x2s for most of my world coins and anything worth less than $100. For everything else, I either have slabs or stick them in my 7070. Since I'm too lazy to put on gloves, I just stick the coins in with a specific handkerchief. One problem I do have with the Dansco, however, is that pushing the slides in can disrupt the cardboard and push debris onto the coins.

Coinhog · January 6, 2008 11:19PM

I only use the plastic slides on the back side. I also do not let anyone touch the album unless I am right there. People have a tendency to want to touch the obverse of a coin if there isn't a plastic slide there.

Walkerguy21D · January 7, 2008 12:59AM

Several friends of mine complain about the Dansco's for residual particles, holes sometimes too small, and red copper cents toning over time....Does anyone have experience with the newer line of albums from Littleton? Any better, or worse, than the Dansco's?

MajorDuty · January 7, 2008 2:15AM

You don't have to push down on the sleeves at all to pull them out. Just carefully reach in the end with a pair of skinny needle nose pliers, grip the end of the sleeve, and pull the sleeve out. No risk of hair lining your coins at all unless you're a completely ham-fisted animal and don't possess the dexterity to complete such a menial feat.

dbldie55 · January 7, 2008 2:17AM

As an anti-American, I like them. Use them for all of my raw coin sets.

Bochiman · January 7, 2008 2:21AM

<< You don't have to push down on the sleeves at all to pull them out. Just carefully reach in the end with a pair of skinny needle nose pliers, grip the end of the sleeve, and pull the sleeve out. No risk of hair lining your coins at all unless you're a completely ham-fisted animal and don't possess the dexterity to complete such a menial feat. >>

Still wrong....depending on how far the coin was initially pushed down, you still want to be careful. It isn't a question about pushing the sleeve down to get it out, it is more a question about the coins not being far enough down and still able to touch the sleeve as it is pulled out.

dac076 · January 7, 2008 3:07AM

Here's a trick I've learned. Before trying to remove the slide, breath on your fingers. The small amount of moisture will improve the grip of your fingertips, and you won't have to press down as hard. As long as you don't repeatedly remove and insert the slides, your coins should be fine. I agree though, a Danso's not the place for high value coins if only because it's not archival quality.

MajorDuty · January 7, 2008 3:56AM

<< 

<< You don't have to push down on the sleeves at all to pull them out. Just carefully reach in the end with a pair of skinny needle nose pliers, grip the end of the sleeve, and pull the sleeve out. No risk of hair lining your coins at all unless you're a completely ham-fisted animal and don't possess the dexterity to complete such a menial feat. >>

Still wrong....depending on how far the coin was initially pushed down, you still want to be careful. It isn't a question about pushing the sleeve down to get it out, it is more a question about the coins not being far enough down and still able to touch the sleeve as it is pulled out. >>

Well, the assumption is made that the coins are inserted properly in the first place and not crammed in there pushing on the back sleeve, or barely in there and the top sleeve bugling over the coin. I do like the idea, and practice it myself, of waiting to put the coins into the album until you have the whole row(s) ready to be filled up. That way you only have to risk hair lining your coins the one time, save for the occasional upgrade of course.

BigRed · January 7, 2008 4:04AM

something I really don't like about dansco albums is if you want a close look at a certain coin you either have to take the coin out of the holder or hold the whole album up to your face.

BBQnBLUES · January 7, 2008 4:15AM

Add another vote for Dansco's !! I really like the looks of an album (especially for type sets).

Personally, I want to be able to _see my coins in an organized presentation & not hidden away in a safety deposit box for posterity.. This is what collecting is all about !

Just wish Dansco would re-print some of their earlier albums.. i.e. #7240 Cuba Type Set in particular..

old fashioned collector.

JJM · January 7, 2008 4:19AM

all of my coins except for 5 are in danscos

BECOKA · January 7, 2008 5:15AM

I will be buying my first Dansco shortly. I have been toying with the idea for years and I finally decided the modern stuff is just not worth collecting in slabs and is more fun in an album.

jhusman · January 7, 2008 5:15AM

I have an Franklin set in a Dansco, a 7070 type set, and a dollar album. I think Dansco's are the best for having around the house, and I love the way they look. I wait until I have a whole section before I put coins in the album - I finally got my final piece for my small cent/ odd denominations section, and I will be putting them in the album tonight.

I'm a big Dansco fan.

sumnom · January 9, 2008 3:58PM

I would say the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Even the Anti-american likes them.

I am going to have to try one. Now the question is which one to get? I will have to mull over that one for a bit.

Thank you all for your replies.

oxy8890 · January 9, 2008 4:36PM

Intercept Shield that's what I would use to house my coins if I was an anti-slabber!

lordmarcovan · January 9, 2008 8:46PM

<< 1) It seems rather easy to hairline the coins or to otherwise damage them as they are placed in or removed from the album. How do people deal with this? >>

Put the coins in the album while wearing gloves. Keep the album in a dust-free environment, since little grains of dust can sometimes scratch a coin if they get between its surfaces and the clear slide. Always be careful with the slides. I find Danscos to be fine for circulated coins, and, if you're careful, some UNCs, but I do not recommend putting proofs in them. Some folks do, with no problems, but I had trouble with red copper proofs "turning" and others getting hazy or milkspotty, and hairlining from the slides is always a potential danger.

<< 2) If you use blank pages (if you collect a series defined in some way other than those sets found in existing Dansco albums), how do you ID the coins? I can write all over a 2x2 if I want but Dansco albums don't seem to be conducive to such markings >>

I believe they offer sets of rub-on transfer lettering. However, you can't really add a lot of info- just a date and one or two words at most, usually, since there is not much room to work with and your lettering supply is limited. I've never done this, but I have seen some nice custom albums done this way.

BECOKA · January 10, 2008 3:38AM

<< Intercept Shield that's what I would use to house my coins if I was an anti-slabber!

>>

Yeah but then how are you supposed to let them tone naturally.

Bochiman · January 10, 2008 3:41AM

<< 

<< Intercept Shield that's what I would use to house my coins if I was an anti-slabber!

>>

Yeah but then how are you supposed to let them tone naturally.

>>

The oven

BECOKA · January 10, 2008 3:42AM

<< 

<< 

<< Intercept Shield that's what I would use to house my coins if I was an anti-slabber!

>>

Yeah but then how are you supposed to let them tone naturally.

>>

The oven

>>

True you could naturally speed up the process.

sumrtym · February 6, 2008 3:54PM

Does anybody ever use Airtite holders and the AirTite albums? Looks like a nice way to display / save higher grade coins or those worried about the way Dansco Albums work....

AirTite albums

silvermonger · February 6, 2008 4:58PM

<< Intercept Shield that's what I would use to house my coins if I was an anti-slabber!

>>

I have two Intersect Shield Morgan albums and I Peace album and I give them an A for preservation concept and an F for craftsmanship
The ones I have are overpriced crap! They were peeling apart right out of the new package. Not even the quality of some very old Blue Whitman toner albums I have. VERY disappointing after all the hype I read prior to chosing.
I moved my nicer coins to new DANSCOs and use the IS for a 2nd string set. The Dansco is well made, looks right and even feels right.

droopyd · February 6, 2008 5:17PM

Dansco albums tone all coins from what I can see. After about a dozen years, all the Unc./AU coins in my 7070 have started to turn.

Silver coins get a brownish-goldish toning around the rims that can be rather attractive, though occasionally not so much.

Nickel and CuNi coins get kind of overall grayish and dull. This happens pretty quickly, actually. I had a set of SHQs in a Dansco, all plucked from circulation but still minty fresh with blooming luster. After about 5 years they had all dulled.

Copper coins tone more slowly, but they also start to get a little rim toning, especially proofs.

Circ coins at EF and below don't get the toning effect, at least not that I've noticed yet.

This is an an older Dansco album, so I don't know if newer ones have better anti-toning mojo or not.

Again, this is my personal experience with one album. Make that two albums counting the SHQs.

droopyd · February 6, 2008 5:19PM

<< A for preservation concept and an F for craftsmanship >>

That was my experience with the IS Lincoln cent album.

I'm moving that set into Eagle 2x2s as soon as I get them in the mail next week. Hopefully that will be satisfactory.

ArizonaJack · February 6, 2008 6:30PM

I have a Dansco 09-2007 Lincoln set, and I have bought a Little Archival 09-58 for my BU/high grade set. High value coins go in airtites in 2 1/2" safety flips.......

perfectstrike · February 6, 2008 11:54PM

The Littleton albums seem to tone silver faster than the Dansco albums. I had received a Littleton silver eagle album from somebody and had a Dansco silver eagle album and filled them both about 5 years ago. When I moved last year, I checked them and the Littleton eagles had some nice toning happening but the Dansco eagles were clean.

David

BRdude · February 7, 2008 12:36AM

Nearly my whole collection is in dansco's, 7070 type, UNC Peace, Statehood quarters. Some good info here about placing or removing coins. You have to be careful. I also take my new albums and a cotton ball, place the cotton ball over the end of my shop airgun and blow all the excess debris I can out of the album before I put anything in it. Works pretty good, but still get an occasional fleck of cardboard or whatever it is in there. I use the "place the coins in with gloves and insert as deep as possible" scenario I never take out the back strip and am extremely careful when inserting the front strip. The coins don't fit real tight so it is easy to push it deeper and against the back strip, and allowing you to remove the front strip without sliding it on the surface of the coin.
As far as toning goes. My state quarter set (which was started in 99

) does have some of the golden, edge color mentioned, but only a few of the coins do, not all of them. This set has the bus strike, silver and silver proofs, and MOST look fresh as they came out of the mint packaging. Only maybe 2 or 3 are getting any color to them.
I'm also a patriot, and don't really like Dansco, the company, due to their leftist propaganda but I do like the albums and only have the slipcase for my 7070 typeset, but they are cool too

quickwing · February 7, 2008 2:03AM

If you "flex" the pages in the Dansco albums both plastic sides will slip out. Once both plastic pieces are out it becomes very easy to remove or add coins. The problem is with loose coins that don't fit well falling out. Love those albums.

relicsncoins · February 7, 2008 2:10AM

I really ripped my album to shreds trying to jam those big plastic rectangular slabs into those tiny circular holes.

JJ

Enjoymint · February 7, 2008 3:10AM

Sometimes the holes are too tight to easily get the coins in. I keep a "cull" type coin in the last spot of the album so that I can use it to test the hole safely before adding the "good" coin. This also pushes most of the fibers out of the hole before they can get on my new coin.

I only put coins in when a full row is ready.

I put the coins in from the back of the page but that's just me not wanting to put even a glove on the obverse.

Elglide · February 8, 2008 4:56AM

My whole collection is in Dansco except Gold. It looks so good having them all lined up and they are easier to look at then in 2x2's.

ILikeMercs · February 8, 2008 5:07AM

I have a complete Merc set (XF + ish) in a Dansco. They are toning up nice. I have a complete state quarter set in a Dansco and the oldest ones have that icky Ike Brown Box blue hazy tone.

rgCoinGuy · February 8, 2008 5:15AM

I love my Dansco albums. I have completed sets of Jeffersons, Roosevelts, Memorials, and Kennedys and the new one for Pres Dollars so far. I am working on a 7070, Wheat Cents, Washington Quarters and was working on a Morgan and Peace dollar set, but I am going to start over on those and probably go to slab collecting and sell off the Raw ones from the Dansco. I still have more Albums I need to buy, like the statehood Quarters, Ikes, Sacs, and SBA's, which I have mostly completed I believe but sitting in 2x2s or original government packaging. As long as you are careful, you won't hurt your coins in a Dansco, and I do think they are the most attractive albums out there, and I agree that for modern stuff, they are a great way to enjoy collecting.

renman95 · February 8, 2008 5:19AM

DANSCO!

"Slowly I turn, inch by inch, step by step..."
The Three Stoodges

DON'T BUY THE PRESIDENTIAL ALBUM. THE PRESIDENTIAL BIOS ARE FULL OF RIDICULOUS BIAS THAT I EXPOSED LAST YEAR WITH A 300+ THREAD.

Ok, I'll stop yelling. My outrage was that YN's would read these bios and actually believe some of the trash written about the past 7 or so Presidents. I sent them parts of the "Dansco" thread to show the (mostly) negative outrage. I asked them to reprint with neutral bios and of course there was no reply.

Ren

I do like their 7070 though.

rgCoinGuy · February 8, 2008 5:23AM

<< DANSCO!

"Slowly I turn, inch by inch, step by step..."
The Three Stoodges

DON'T BUY THE PRESIDENTIAL ALBUM. THE PRESIDENTIAL BIOS ARE FULL OF RIDICULOUS BIAS THAT I EXPOSED LAST YEAR WITH A 300+ THREAD.

Ok, I'll stop yelling. My outrage was that YN's would read these bios and actually believe some of the trash written about the past 7 or so Presidents. I sent them parts of the "Dansco" thread to show the (mostly) negative outrage. I asked them to reprint with neutral bios and of course there was no reply.

Ren

I do like their 7070 though.

>>

I saw mention to this on another thread about them. I bought one but not because of the bios, and still haven't bothered to read them, guess I should. I thought they were cool because of the pictures. And check out how well they tone these new presidential dollars

renman95 · February 8, 2008 5:28AM

I saw mention to this on another thread about them. I bought one but not because of the bios, and still haven't bothered to read them, guess I should. I thought they were cool because of the pictures. And check out how well they tone these new presidential dollars

>>

SEE! I told you that album is biased. Look, all the coins on the left have toned.

Ren

MajorDuty · February 8, 2008 5:29AM

<< Nickel and CuNi coins get kind of overall grayish and dull. This happens pretty quickly, actually. ......

This is an an older Dansco album, so I don't know if newer ones have better anti-toning mojo or not.

Again, this is my personal experience with one album. Make that two albums counting the SHQs. >>

My experience with my Jeffersons is that yes, in general, they have started rim toning fairly quickly but the toning is actually colorful and attractive...to me. There is a blue tint to the toning and not the dull gray described in the quoted post but this is my experience with just this one album. I do have a 7070 but most of those coins are still in their slabs :-).... for now

droopyd · February 8, 2008 5:35AM

<< I have a complete state quarter set in a Dansco and the oldest ones have that icky Ike Brown Box blue hazy tone. >>

That's what I was experiencing too,

droopyd · February 8, 2008 5:37AM

<< I thought they were cool because of the pictures. And check out how well they tone these new presidential dollars

>>

Ick.

BECOKA · February 8, 2008 6:19AM

<< 

<< DANSCO!

"Slowly I turn, inch by inch, step by step..."
The Three Stoodges

DON'T BUY THE PRESIDENTIAL ALBUM. THE PRESIDENTIAL BIOS ARE FULL OF RIDICULOUS BIAS THAT I EXPOSED LAST YEAR WITH A 300+ THREAD.

Ok, I'll stop yelling. My outrage was that YN's would read these bios and actually believe some of the trash written about the past 7 or so Presidents. I sent them parts of the "Dansco" thread to show the (mostly) negative outrage. I asked them to reprint with neutral bios and of course there was no reply.

Ren

I do like their 7070 though.

>>

I saw mention to this on another thread about them. I bought one but not because of the bios, and still haven't bothered to read them, guess I should. I thought they were cool because of the pictures. And check out how well they tone these new presidential dollars

>>

I put mine in a week ago and they have already started toning.

This will be fun

Dansco Albums

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