In Depth Study:

BU Roll Buyer's Guide

This section focuses on the issue of proper storage of BU rolls which generates a lot of questions among collectors.  In short, there are a lot of acceptable options and a few wrong ones.

The main situation to avoid is storing rolls in a wet environment or one that is not climate controlled.  Extra precaution should be taken in coastal areas due to the presence of salt in the air and general environment.

Many people choose to store their valuables, including rolls of coins in a home safe.  Those with fire-rated safes should understand that these safes typically trap moisture (ask your safe's manufacturer for details if you have one of these safes).  As a result, storing coins in these types of safes requires extra care in keeping silica crystals or another absorbing agent present and active in the safe to keep any trapped moisture away from the coins.  This requires regularly replacing or renewing the absorbing agent.

Another common roll collector dilemma is whether to keep the rolls in the original wrapper or open them and place the coins in a plastic tube.  As one would expect, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.  On the one hand, a sealed tube better protects the coins from moisture and environmental contaminants.  Sulfur, widely present in the environment and a component of most wood and paper products (including the paper used to wrap coin rolls), causes coins to tone (turn dark).  This is particularly true of silver and copper coins which are very reactive.  The toning concern is less acute with nickel and copper nickel clad coins.  Keeping coins in their original color is usually best accomplished long-term through the use of tubes for roll storage.

On the other hand, coins can be fingerprinted or otherwise impaired in the process of transferring them from a roll to a tube if one is not extremely careful.  Also, coins are typically a little loose within coin tubes which could allow them to rub together and lessen the quality of the coins.  Finally, today's current BU roll market places a premium on unopened rolls.  This has not always been the case and likely will not always be the case.  Notwithstanding, the disparity in price on some issues today is great enough to warrant consideration of this factor in the tube/paper decision.

Finally, the shrink-wrap wrappers are not recommended for long-term storage.  Like any soft, pliable plastic, these wrappers contain polyvinyl-chloride which can damage coins after extended contact.