Coins:
In my experience, coin collectors are -on average- the most passionate collectors. Ask one about the histoy of a given coin and get comfortable, because you are in for it. Kind of like political button collectors in this manner, but coins go way WAY back.
Storing Coins:
You must be aware of the possibility of the acid in curatorial materials. Many valuable heirlooms have been ruined after they were carefully and lovingly wrapped up in acidic paper. Applies double to silver things -like coins. This is a huge, complicated, and confusing subject. I have rather a lot to say on the subject. Check out my articles on...
If your collection is sufficiently valuable, you MUST read up on the subject at the UPPER MIDWEST CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION for more then you would ever want to know about acid free materials.
For slabbed coins, I suppose it depends on how many you have. Do you want to store them laid-out flat, or stood up like rows of little soldiers? If they are slabbed, it also depends on the size of the slab. For example, I made this case....
...for a chap who had his collection in Intercept slabs. (You can just see the little velvet 'pockets' I made-to- order to display then at a slight angle.)
On the other hand, these two cases were for a HUGE collection of coins that lay all naked & exposed on the top side, but protected with tarnish cloth* on the bottom.
Finally, if your collection is slabbed-up in the big graded slabs, you might consider an Architectural Drawer Case or have me build you a Custom or Semi-Custom Drawer Case -the pictures above are custom cases.
*If you collect silver coins -or valuable silver anything for that matter-you MUST know about tarnish cloth. One flavor has tiny bits of sacrificial silver imbedded in the cloth and is ever-loving expensive. Google 'tarnish cloth' and you will find all sorts of sources. Another company Fifield Fabrics, offers what they call SilverShieldTM , which has secret chemistry imbedded in the fabric and does the job a little cheaper.
Paper Money:
Coins are beautiful, but you have to admit that paper money is interesting too. If you collect paper money, check out Riker Mounts & Frames as a display case for your best stuff and if you do go this route, be sure to have a look at my Museum Cases designed specifically to fit these handy flat display cases.
I must tell you a story about Riker Mounts and curating paper money. When I first started selling casework to collectors I did -among other subjects- a number of coin collector's show. (Found coin and bill collectors to be lovely people, but then all people are nice when they are involved in something they love.) Anyway, at one particular show, I bought some cheep old paper money from around the world and put it all in the Riker-Mount display case shown above. It was a simple matter to arrange the bills artistically on the cotton batting and close it all up under the glass lid. This particular mounted collection went around Northern California with me and I would display it in my booth to show people how they might display things like paper money. It was a nice display and impressed show attendees. (The most interesting bill in the collection -I thought- was a Philippine Dollar -printed in English -issued by the Japanese Occupational Authority. The guy who sold it to me explained that when Japan would take over a country -the period leading up to WWII- they would issue their own currency.)
It may have been a year or so later that I had occasion to open the Riker and I noticed that there was a clear impression of this 50 year old bill on the glass it had been placed against. You had to hold it up to the light just right but there it was, a clear reverse image. Think of it -50 year old ink that was still sufficiently volatile to actually flow onto another surface! It didn't appear to have hurt the bill and it came off the glass easily enough, but -and it's a big BUT -if this bill had been placed against a white porous surface, it would certainly have stained it and might well have actually glued itself to the substrate.
INTERESTING LINKS:
Coins:
"We are from the g'ment and we are here to help" ? Well, turns out that the U.S. Mint really has done a nice job here.
Coin Collector is a efficient reference and message site. Also an excellent article on the nature of the hobby of numismatics that applies to other collectors as well. Also has the requirements for the Boy Scout Merit Badge!
Now these people take coin storage seriously, -comic books too. Clearly Intercept Shield has a chemist or two on staff and tell you more then you might want to know about gas and how it messes things up.
American Numismatic Association - A nonprofit, educational organization, chartered by Congress even!
Know what PCGS stands for? Professional Coin Grading Services. Key word is professional -the site is too.
Interesting word, "exonumia" -literally means "outside of coins." This is to say coin-like things that are not actually coins or money, -medals, political button, tokens and the like. Check out, AAA Historic Americana.
Coin-Link is rather a scholarly site -international and acnient -even charts the price of gold bullion.
Maritime International started out as a coin business, but grew into sort of an everything site. Classy & informative.
Paper Money:
AAnotes.com Who ever put this site together has an artist's eye. Some paper money is absolutely beautiful and this site has the pretty stuff and it is all nicely arranged.
Society of Paper Money Collectors Includes information, images, and a downloadable screensaver.