What's the best thing to do to...

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

Keep your bill always nice and fresh as now... I mean, I bought some plastic enveloppe that fits the bills but should I do something extra before placing them in my Safety Deposit Box? Does it get damage in there, I don't know exactly.

Also, anyone here uses boxes or other types of container to place their bills? Thank you!!

-Marc

1) It's best to put each note in a separate Mylar holder.  Make sure your holders don't have PVC's in them as these can leach out of the holders over time and damage your notes.

2) When storing your notes, store them flat (horizontally) rather than stacking them vertically.  Pack them in your SDB loosely - don't try to jam too many notes into the SDB; rent a larger one if you have to.  Also you should not put any other items on top of your stack of notes (e.g. passports, jewellery, coins, whatever, as these are relatively heavy and can warp your notes out of shape over time)

3) Some people (myself included) believe it's a good idea to put packets of silica gel in the SDB to prevent moisture or mildew from building up.  The silica packets are more of a necessity with home safes than SDBs, as safes are often located in the basement which is cool and damp and subject to growing mildew/mould.  So some people say silica is optional for SDBs but I just throw in a couple of packets for good measure.  I believe these packets are supposed to be changed once or twice a year.

Why would notes being stored in safety deposit boxes require plastic sleeves?

What, you want to place them loose in the box without protection??

Protection from what?

A family friend had a very valuable stamp collection which was placed in a safety deposit box.  The box above contained a rare vial of perfume which became uncorked and leaked.  The stench of perfume never left his stamps.  

A family friend had a very valuable stamp collection which was placed in a safety deposit box.  The box above contained a rare vial of perfume which became uncorked and leaked.  The stench of perfume never left his stamps.

Wow, that sux!  Hopefully, that doesn't happen at every bank (don't they have rules against what you can put inside a safety deposit box?).  I would have thought that putting old notes in an envelope would suffice.  Maybe a small metal box inside the safety deposit box would be better.  Any inert material would be better than plastic sleeves for the long-term, no?

Do not forget that nobody knows what is inside your SDB, there is absolutly no insurance for this reason, you could place a bomb if you want, who is going to know... You can put cash or whatever.

Mylar sleeves are proven to be the best quality sleeves available, and are in use in museums worldwide including the Smithsonian. Most other commercially available currency sleeves are not made of Mylar, and contain PVCs that, over time, leach out of the plastic and into the notes, damaging them permanently.

There are no rules about what you can and cannot put in your safety deposit box.

Mylar sleeves are proven to be the best quality sleeves available, and are in use in museums worldwide including the Smithsonian. Most other commercially available currency sleeves are not made of Mylar, and contain PVCs that, over time, leach out of the plastic and into the notes, damaging them permanently.

There are no rules about what you can and cannot put in your safety deposit box.

Can you tell me where to get these sleeves in Montreal QC if you know? Or online somewhere... Thank you.

BWJM orders these sleeves periodically; as soon as he receives a large enough order he will purchase some more sleeves. Contact BWJM for details.

As for what you can and cannot have in your safety deposit box......I have been told several times by different banks that they do not allow individuals to store cash in the boxes. Obviously they would rather the money kept in one of their accounts. Clearly no one adheres to that rule!