Tips on Proper Currency Storage

Hi,

How have you guys been. I hope you have been enjoying reading my blog posts. Back to work this week and been pretty busy. But there is always time to blog about my passion.

I have been having a few requests recently on writing a post on proper currency storage and what to do to ensure that the notes that you hold in your collection withstand the test of time and remain in pristine condition.

Before you understand how to store your notes, it's important to know what are the various kinds of damage to your notes and what are those causes. I will then share some important yet simple ways to properly store your notes to allow you generations of enjoyment.

1. Foxing
- Foxing is actually a collector's usual way of describing a note that has discoloured over time. Typically the note will experience brown spots or shades and is usually caused by mold or fungal growth on the paper. It may also be caused by natural paper oxidation especially on older notes. Foxing is a natural ageing process of the note and may not be uncommon even for extremely well kept notes.
- Below is a picture of a note with natural foxing. Notice the brown spots on the bottom left of the note below the serial number.

Foxing on bottom left of note

How to prevent or reduce foxing?
- To reduce fungal or mold growth it is important to reduce or eliminate moisture from the environment that the note is stored. This will help prevent mold from existing in the environment.
- As per my picture below I have a Thirsty Hippo placed in my safe to absorb all moisture in the enclosed environment. This greatly helps reduce moisture and thus potential mold growth.

Thirsty Hippo in my Safe

2. PVC Damage
- Another relatively common currency damage that occurs but is not frequently realised by collectors is the forming of a waxlike substance on the note. This is caused by storing the note in most normal plastic sheets or folders which usually contain PVC.

The PVC deteriorates and then reacts with the note over a long period of time and emits acids and gases which will transfer into the paper. This will cause the notes to appear as if soaked in oil, or so brittle as to shred at the slightest touch.

How to prevent or eliminate PVC damage?

- This is my favourite option. Just send your quality note to a grading house like PMG for grading and problem solved. The pouch that PMG or any professional grading house uses is made of inert material which doesn't contain any PVC.

Clear enclosures for your collections should be made from an inert, clear material. Inert means chemically stable—it will not react chemically with other materials (such as your collection). 

Note stored in PMG folder made of inert material

- The other option available is to purchase plastic holders or sheets that are made of inert materials. A common and favourite option amongst collectors are Mylar sheets, although they can be hard to locate and not a very cheap option. Another less common but more expensive option is to use Polyethylene a softer, clear inert plastic often used in sleeves for photographs or other display mounts.

3. Note Inherent Vice

- This is also a relatively common note damage and I'm sure this had been experienced by some of us before. Note inherent vice is a professional term used by archivers and is just a term to describe the kind of damage that is caused when two materials are in close proximity with each other and have an adverse reaction. 
This is most commonly seen when two or more notes are stacked and stored together. Over time as the notes react to each other the deterioration will cause the paper to turn yellow or brown and become brittle. With this break down of the cellulose fibers, the paper literally falls apart slowly over time.

How to prevent Note Inherent Vice?

- Store your notes individually, simple as that! Even for a series of running number notes it is important to store each note individually in proper inert plastic folders.

- If you have a large series of running number notes a good alternative way is to slot in individual Mylar sheets between your notes.

Mylar sheet between two notes

I hope the above tips and sharing have been useful for you. I sincerely hope it will help preserve your precious collections and help showcase them for many years to come. Please drop a positive comment if you like this post and many thanks for your encouragement!

Best,

Paul's Numismatic Passions