Hobbies And Interests
Coin Holders
Paper coin holders are folding booklets, mostly with three pages, featuring rows of openings into which coins may be inserted to organize a collection. Each folder has holes sized to hold a specific kind of coins, such as Lincoln cents from 1909 to 1940, with a date and mint mark printed under each opening.
Coin Albums
Coin albums are books whose pages have two-sided openings into which coins may be inserted. The coins are held in place by parallel pieces of plastic that slide back and forth over the openings, underneath the surface of the pages. Albums also offer storage for specific kinds of coins, with dates and mint marks printed under each opening.
Holder Pros &Cons
Holders are inexpensive, generally only a few dollars each, and thus are popular among beginning coin collectors. They offer only a minimal amount of protection for the coins, however, and only one side of the coins are visible when inserted in the openings.
Album Pros &Cons
Even the least expensive coin album can cost $20 or more, with more expensive brands considerably more than that. In an album, both sides of the coins are visible at any time, and albums offer a good--though not perfect--level of protection for coins, especially for silver coins, from particles in the air that cause tarnishing.
Information Provided by Both
Folders and albums both provide handy information about the coins in the folder or album, usually printed on the flap or page facing the first page of coins. There will be a short history of the issue, the number minted by year and mint mark, and information about rarities or any other unusual circumstances associated with that particular coin.