Collecting and Displaying Coin Boards
As a coin board fanatic myself, I seek to have anything and everything, but this is not true of most coin board enthusiasts. There are several ways that one can build a collection of coin boards. I've learned this from my many customers, each of whom has his or her own theme or collecting goal.
Perhaps the most desirable method of collecting is to have one board of each title from each of the seven publishers. This sounds ideal in concept, but the scarcity of coin boards from Gramercy or Earl and Koehler limits the number of such collections that may be built. A realistic goal for some is to focus on a single publisher whose boards are seen often enough to be collectable. First and foremost is the Whitman brand, as it put out a far greater number of boards than other publishers, and these span several additions having very distinctive colors and materials from one to the next. Some board collectors seek only a single title, such as Buffalo Nickels, and then attempt to get as many different brands, editions and varieties as possible for that one coin series. Another method of collecting coin boards is by the varied and often attractive vendor stamps that they often carry. The original sellers of coin boards frequently applied their business names through either stickers or rubber stamps. The sheer variety of businesses that offered coin boards during their heyday is simply amazing, and I have about a hundred different vendors in my own collection.
Coin boards are quite easy to store, as there are several supply businesses offering polyethylene sleeves that fit almost perfectly. These typically are designed for posters or magazines measuring 11"x14", but they're perfectly suitable for coin boards and are quite affordable when purchased in quantities of 50 or more. Some of these same supply dealers offer ring binders to house clear, heavyweight sleeves that are three-hole punched for that purpose. These are likewise readily available in sizes appropriate to coin boards. Illustrated below are examples of both methods of storage, as well as photos of framed boards being used to house complete or partial coin collections. Aside from the Gramercy brand boards, all coin boards were made to fit standard size picture frames, so they make very attractive wall displays.
Perhaps the most desirable method of collecting is to have one board of each title from each of the seven publishers. This sounds ideal in concept, but the scarcity of coin boards from Gramercy or Earl and Koehler limits the number of such collections that may be built. A realistic goal for some is to focus on a single publisher whose boards are seen often enough to be collectable. First and foremost is the Whitman brand, as it put out a far greater number of boards than other publishers, and these span several additions having very distinctive colors and materials from one to the next. Some board collectors seek only a single title, such as Buffalo Nickels, and then attempt to get as many different brands, editions and varieties as possible for that one coin series. Another method of collecting coin boards is by the varied and often attractive vendor stamps that they often carry. The original sellers of coin boards frequently applied their business names through either stickers or rubber stamps. The sheer variety of businesses that offered coin boards during their heyday is simply amazing, and I have about a hundred different vendors in my own collection.
Coin boards are quite easy to store, as there are several supply businesses offering polyethylene sleeves that fit almost perfectly. These typically are designed for posters or magazines measuring 11"x14", but they're perfectly suitable for coin boards and are quite affordable when purchased in quantities of 50 or more. Some of these same supply dealers offer ring binders to house clear, heavyweight sleeves that are three-hole punched for that purpose. These are likewise readily available in sizes appropriate to coin boards. Illustrated below are examples of both methods of storage, as well as photos of framed boards being used to house complete or partial coin collections. Aside from the Gramercy brand boards, all coin boards were made to fit standard size picture frames, so they make very attractive wall displays.
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The various ways to store and display coin boards may be seen in these photos. Boards are especially attractive when framed. At right is a view from the early 1980s of my own collection's humble beginning with just a single board for Lincoln Pennies from Whitman's Third Edition. 
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As the popularity of coin boards grew with the public, two of the larger board publishers began to accommodate requests for an album to hold all of their various titles under a single cover. Below are examples of coin board albums offered by Whitman in 1936 (top) and Colonial in 1939. These are now highly sought.
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