Storage is where collections quietly gain or lose value. A key-date dollar rattling in a drawer picks up rim dings and hairlines; the same coin in a capsule stays exactly as it was. These are the supplies that matter, in the order a collection needs them.
2×2 cardboard holders
The workhorse. Cheap, staple-or-self-seal cardboard-and-film holders fit every denomination, take a pencil note on the front (date, grade, what you paid), and file neatly in boxes or album pages. Every coin worth more than melt should live in one. Buy the right size for the coin — a dollar rattling in an oversized window still takes damage.
Hard plastic capsules
For anything on the key dates list or in uncirculated condition: a direct-fit acrylic capsule is the safest common storage there is. Measure the coin's diameter in millimetres and match the capsule to it. Capsules also make coins far easier to photograph and show without handling the surfaces.
Albums and pages
For organized sets — a run of dollars by year, one of each denomination — a binder with 2×2 pages or a classic folder keeps the collection browsable, which is half the pleasure of owning it. Avoid old PVC ("vinyl") pages: PVC breaks down and leaves a green, value-killing film on silver. Look for PVC-free pages.
Cotton gloves and a loupe
Handle better coins by the edges, always; cotton gloves for photographs and showings. A 5×–10× loupe is how grades are actually judged — mint luster, hairlines, and the small mint marks that separate a common coin from a variety worth ten times more.
The Charlton Standard Catalogue
The reference every Canadian collector ends up owning: mintages, varieties, and price trends for Canadian coinage, updated regularly. A recent edition plus eBay sold listings will identify and roughly price almost anything in a Canadian collection.
None of this is expensive — a lifetime supply of holders costs less than the value a single saved key-date coin protects. Sort first, store second, sell third: the selling guide covers the rest.