Mounting Coins

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Steven6095

Steven6095

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Feb 14, 2004
Posts
1,352
Loc
Nicholasville, KY
Hello. I need to mount two silver dollars without harming them and they will be shipped as a christmas present.
Any ideas out there?
Those little acylic holders from United any good or would I be better off cutting round holes and sinking into mat and securing somehow?

Thanks!!
Steven
 
Remember that silver is a highly reactive metal and anything acidic or that contains any sulfur
is likely to cause changes in the silver. The coins could be set in sinks and held ther with
windows that slightly cover their edges. The
windows could be held shut with paste on either
side of bits of soft, thick paper that was pressed between the front of the back mat and
the back of the window. This closure would allow
for the window mat to be pulled open, without
tearing the board and it would be truly free from
acid.


Hugh
 
I recently did a job with a silver dollar with some family significance. The client provided a "Kointain" coin container - the ring type. You can see what they look like here . I know she bought just one from a Coin & Stamp shop. Everyplace on the 'net seems to sell them in wholesale quantities.

I made a sink mat for it and since I had that ring to cover the whole coin shows.
 
Clear polyester film may be used to wrap each coin.

Trace around the shape and carefully cut it out of ther film, including four or more "legs" projecting from the perimeter. Poke those "legs" through slots in the mount board (slightly inside its diameter, so covered when mount is done).

You should find plenty on this in the archives. Search for words such as coins, clear film, wrap mount, and medal mount. If you need more details send me a private email.
 
Obviously the biggest concern would be having them rotate in the mounts after they are framed. Especially if you are shipping them. Will the "Kointain" hold them tight?
 
A slick way to hold valuable coins in a frame so that you can see both sides goes like this:

Bore a hole in a piece of clear acrylic the same thickness as the coin. I've used a fly cutter with the acrylic clamped between two pieces of masonite - very dangerous. ( A machine shop can do this for you fairly inexpensively - take them scraps to practice on).

Sandwich the acrylic with the coin in the hole between two pieces of glass.

Tape seal the 3 sheets together and bond to the lip of the frame with a small bead of clear acrylic adhesive.
Or....
I have also used FrameSpace 5 (3/4 inch airspace) backwards on a mirror tile holding the coin "sandwich" to the front of the frame. Very effective. You can see both sides of the coin.
Perfectly reversible!
 
Thanks for the responses! I have a couple ideas now
Thanks!! I will for sure stop by the local coin shop and see what they have. If not the clear film idea sounds good

Thanks for everything.
 
I once had several Roman coins to mount and the woman wanted to be able to take them out and look at them after they were framed

What I did was bought some of the acrylic clay that hardens when heated in the oven. I used a color that looked like stone and shaped it into a square slab. Then I took each one of the coins and pressed them into the soft clay, making a perfect form to hold them.

The customer had given me some information about the coins which had some Roman markings discribing the coins. These markings were easy to duplicate, so I then scored them into the soft slab as well.

Now removing the coins first, I heated the slab in the oven to harden it. This slab had now become a perfect holder for the coins. I then cut a red suede mat board 5" and 5 1/2" larger than the slab itself , and then cut an opening in the suede mat board the same size as the slab to sink the slab into. Then from the back side of the mat, using silicone to edge around the slab, and 1/8" foam core to fill in around the part that was protruding through the back, I glued the slab to the foam core backing board.

Then using LJ's 403IG moulding and museum glass, I used the same red suede to shadowbox the frame. Since the Romans used a lot of red and ornate gold, this color combination looked very authentic when finished.

Remember, I said that the woman wanted to be able to take the coins out...so instead of sealing it up with a dust cover I used toggles on the back. Now she can drop the slab which is holding coins out at will. The coins rest in their places with no problem and she is able to hang the picture on the wall as well as show the coins to anyone who is interested. She is very happy with this piece and has been a great customer for over 9 years.
 
Pat, that sounds like a great-looking project. However, for authenticity's sake, I think you should have used "MVSEVM" glass!
:rolleyes: Rick
 
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