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We picked up an impulse heat sealer (seen above) recently (on eBay for approx $95) and have been testing it sealing coins into pages and flips. A heat sealer can be used to seal plastics such as Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE) and Polyethylene Terephalate (PET). We purchased a heat sealer so we can use it also to seal complete pages as well as the flips themselves. So far we have had excellent results. It uses inductive heating so there is no continuously heated element using less power and is safer to operate than a sealer with a continuously heated element. It simply heats a thin aluminium wire by induction for a short period depending on the setting selected and cools rapidly. It is a very simple and quick process which does not seem to emit any vapour or smells. These sorts of plastics are generally stable and dont contain any chlorine or softeners so when they're heated they don't release noxious vapours (unlike PVC).

We sealed Saflips which are made from PET. These are double pocket flips. The second pocket is for a paper insert for labelling of your coin but we've found using it for a second coin and cutting the flip in half is a very cost effective storage solution. The cost of saflips is comparable with the cost of cardboard 2x2's so using them for 2 coins halves this cost. When sealing a coin in a saflip you need to ensure the coin isn't too big or bulging in the flip. The area to be sealed needs to be flat to allow for a neat airtight seal. Below are coins sealed into a single 2inch x 2inch Saflip.

The heat sealer we purchased was a larger size which will seal up to 40cm. This would be perfect to seal in a whole page of coins without even the cardboard 2x2 or flip. Just slot the coins into the 20 pockets in the page and seal along the top of each row. Of course then the coins can't be removed or changed position without destroying the page. If you have a complete set or are happy with how the coins lay out then the cost for safe storage will be minimal. If you store the coins directly in the page with no 2x2 or flip then that cost is removed also with an acceptable option. When sealing the page as shown above, just sealing the opening in the page is not always the airtight option. Neither of the Purple Penny, Ultra Pro or BCW Polypropylene pages will give you a proper airtight seal as they are not sealed completely around the entire coin pocket. Storing a coin in a 2x2 will not give you an airtight seal, sealing the Saflip is the only option for an airtight seal.

Posted by harrisk at October 7, 2009 11:20 AM
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