Coin Collecting Boards

Whether you’re a longtime collector or just started with your first wheat pennies, a coin collecting board is an essential tool. Coin boards predate modern coin albums and helped popularize date-and-mintmark collecting. They also served as a precursor to the coin folder, which holds one-to-five coins in each pocket. Whether your goal is to finish a statehood quarters set or build your collection, you’ll find that a coin board makes organizing your coins easy.

The oldest coin boards were printed in the 1930s and 1940s. They consisted of one large panel with holes or “portals” that held a specific arrangement of coins. They were meant to be framed, and most can still fit into standard 11-by-14-inch frames. They were a popular method of storage for a variety of collectors up until 1939, when the Daniel Stamp Company (now Dansco) introduced coin folders that were more convenient and compact.

These cardboard pages with “ports” punched into them folded up into book form and could hold more coins than a larger coin board. They also offered a higher level of protection for circulated coins. In addition, coin folders could be easily stored in a wallet or other small container.

Today’s coin holders come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from inexpensive plastic covers that slip into a protective pouch to elaborate wood clam shell cases that house just a few special coins. No matter what kind of holder you choose, make sure it’s an acid-free material that will not damage your coins over time.