Storage and display device for coins and the like

A device for storage and display of small, generally planar articles such as coins or the like, comprises one or more generally planar compartments for displaying a face of one or more articles. The articles are held in a cavity, preferably a closed, dust-tight cavity, of a generally planar article holder having a pair of opposed walls having the cavity therebetween. The article holder is releasably held in a display compartment by a generally planar retainer member which bears against an article holder which is correctly positioned in the display compartment. The article holder is also prevented from lateral movement in the display compartment and is thus held in an article viewing position in the display compartment whereby an article which is correctly positioned in the article holder is properly positioned in a display compartment and is viewable through an aperture in the retainer and through a transparent wall of the holder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a device for storage and display of small, 
generally planar articles having opposed major faces, such as coins, 
medals, and the like. The invention has particular applicability to 
devices for the storage and display of coins. However, while reference 
will be made hereinafter to the storage and display of coins, it will be 
understood that the device is also useful for the storage and display of 
similar articles such as medals and the like. 
There are several storage and display devices which are commercially 
available, and many others have been described. Each of the known devices 
has shortcomings. Accordingly, there is a need for improved devices of 
this type. 
Commercially available devices of this type for displaying and storing 
coins and the like are described, for example, in the following U.S. Pat. 
Nos.: 
Deese, U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,477 
Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,639 
Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,688 
Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,997 
Mayer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,650. 
Among the commercial devices described in the foregoing patents is a 
plastic or cellophane envelope or the like in which a coin is inserted. 
The envelope is closed by stapling. While this device is inexpensive, the 
envelope is often mutilated when the coin is removed and, of course, the 
container is not sealed to any significant degree. Several commercially 
available systems are described in the Grant patent. Among these is the 
Whitman holder which is said to be subject to tarnishing. Another system 
described by Grant requires complete disassembly to add or remove a single 
coin. 
The various devices proposed in the foregoing patents also have 
shortcomings. Deese, U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,477, relates to a relatively 
complex and inherently expensive device having interlocking elements which 
may be connected to form a sheet of devices. Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 
4,063,639, relates to a device in which a coin is held between mating 
threaded transparent cup members which are screwed together to encapsulate 
the coin. These may be mounted on an apertured board, in which case the 
mating cup members are mounted from opposite sides of the board. The 
device thus requires precisely sized mating cup members and a 
correspondingly precisely sized aperture board, both of which are 
specifically designed for the purpose. Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,688, 
relates to a device which is a flat, generally rectangular container 
having upper and lower members sealed along three edges and having an open 
end defined by fourth edges which permit an article to be received and 
contained within the container, together with a receptacle having 
compartments for receiving a container with an article contained 
therewithin. The receptacle has container closing means which cooperate 
with the fourth edges of the container, urging them together to close the 
open end of the container when it is located within the receptacle. Thus, 
the device requires the use of a container having little or no utility 
apart from the combination and is inherently expensive. Grant, U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,425,997, is similar to Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,688, in showing a 
device in which an article to be stored is first placed between a layer of 
flexible transparent sheets which are in turn positioned between two plate 
members. When the plate members are assembled, the edges of the sheets are 
compressed together and a plurality of the storage devices may be mounted 
on an apertured display board. Mayer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,650, 
relates to a tamper-proof coin case defined by two interlocking plastic 
plate members which are ultrasonically bonded together to define a unitary 
assembly within which a coin and its certificate of authenticity may be 
permanently secured. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for displaying 
and storing generally planar articles having opposed major faces, such as 
a coin, medal, or the like, which is readily provided in the form of an 
album or the like suitable for storing a plurality of such articles. It is 
a further object to provide such devices which are attractive, yet 
relatively inexpensive. It is a further object to provide such devices 
which can accommodate an article which is itself enclosed or sealed in a 
conventional holder such as a pair of opposed films. It is still a further 
object to provide such a device in which an article can be removed without 
disturbing other articles stored and displayed in that device. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The foregoing and other objects which will be apparent to those of ordinary 
skill in the art are achieved in accordance with the present invention by 
providing an article display and storage device for displaying a generally 
planar article having opposed major faces, said article being enclosed in 
an article holder having a pair of opposed, generally planar walls 
defining an article-holding cavity therebetween, at least one of said 
walls being transparent to permit viewing a major face of an article in 
said cavity, said device comprising: 
(a) a generally planar article-displaying compartment for receiving in an 
article displaying position in said compartment, an article holder having 
in said article-holding cavity thereof an article to be displayed; 
(b) an apertured, generally planar article holder retaining member for 
retaining an article holder in said article-displaying position in said 
article-displaying compartment, said retaining member being releasably 
retainable in an article holder retaining position in said 
article-displaying compartment, having an article holder engaging portion 
for bearing against an article holder in a respective article-displaying 
compartment to retain an article holder in said compartment, and having an 
aperture to permit viewing a major face of an article in the 
article-holding cavity of an article holder in said article-displaying 
position in said article-displaying compartment; 
(c) means for preventing lateral motion of article holder, when an article 
holder is positioned in said article displaying position, in a plane 
parallel to that of the article displaying compartment; and 
(d) means for releasably retaining said article holder retaining member in 
an article holder retaining position in said article-displaying 
compartment such that, when an article holder having an article in said 
cavity is in said article-displaying position in said compartment, the 
article holder engaging portion of said retaining member bears against the 
article holder and retains the article holder in position in said article 
displaying compartment such that a major face of the article is viewable 
through the aperture in the article holder cover member and through a 
transparent wall of an article holder.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
With reference to FIGS. 1-9, an article display and storage device 10 for 
displaying a generally planar article 11 having opposed major faces, such 
as a coin or medal, comprises one or more generally planar article 
displaying compartments 30, and an apertured generally planar article 
holder retaining member 40 for each compartment. Each article displaying 
compartment 30 is provided for displaying an article in an article 
displaying position in which the article has a major face in a plane 
parallel to that of the compartment. The device preferably has a plurality 
of such compartments in side-by-side substantially coplanar arrangement, 
the device shown in FIG. 1 having twelve such compartments, each in this 
case for displaying one face of an article. The face of an article 11 is 
shown in the top left compartment of FIG. 1. 
The compartments are preferably carried by, or are formed in, a generally 
planar support member such as support member 20 of FIG. 1 or by a 
plurality of such members such as support members 21 and 22 in the storage 
and display device 10' shown in FIG. 11. Preferably the device is in the 
form of an album such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 in which at least one 
compartment is provided on each leaf or page of the album, with the plane 
of each compartment being substantially parallel to the plane of the leaf 
or page. Each compartment 30 may be adapted to display more than one 
article face. For example, compartments 31 of device 10' of FIG. 11 are 
each adapted to display two article faces. In the device of FIG. 11, each 
leaf or page 21,22 of the album is provided with six article displaying 
compartments, each compartment 31 being capable of displaying two article 
faces such as faces 12 and 13 shown in the top left compartment of the 
left hand page 22. 
Article holder retaining member 40 is intended to retain an article holder 
in an article displaying compartment. The article holder holds an article 
to be displayed and when the article holder is retained in an article 
displaying position by the article holder retaining member, the article in 
that holder is in position to be displayed in an article displaying 
compartment of that device. Suitable article holders are illustrated in 
FIGS. 5-10 and generally include a pair of opposed, generally planar walls 
defining an article holding cavity therebetween, at least one of the walls 
being transparent. 
Retaining member 40 is a generally planar member and is releasably 
retainable in an article holder retaining position in an 
article-displaying compartment. In FIG. 1, eight retaining members 40 are 
shown retained in this position in their respective compartments 30. 
Retaining member 40 includes an article holder engaging portion 41 for 
bearing against an article holder to retain an article holder in its 
compartment and has an aperture 42 to permit viewing a major face of an 
article when the article is positioned in an article-displaying position 
in the cavity of an article holder and when the article holder is 
positioned in the article displaying position in compartment 30. 
The storage and display device further comprises means for preventing 
motion of an article holder laterally out of its article-displaying 
position in a plane parallel to that of the article-displaying 
compartment. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, such means may 
comprise a depression 32 in the floor 33 of compartment 30, or one or more 
upstanding ribs 34 circumscribing compartment 30, or both. 
The device also includes means for releasably retaining the article holder 
member in an article holder retaining position in the article-displaying 
compartment to retain an article holder in an article-displaying position 
in the compartment. In this manner an article which is itself held in an 
article-viewing position in the article holder, is held in an 
article-displaying position in the display compartment and is viewable 
through the aperture in the article holder retainer and transparent wall 
of the article holder. 
In the device depicted in FIGS. 1 and 11, the article holder retainer 40 is 
releasably retained in compartment 40 by frictional engagement with the 
inner upstanding peripheral wall of rib members 34 which circumscribe a 
respective compartment. Thus, when an article holder is in its 
article-displaying position in a compartment, and when the retainer member 
40 is fitted within the ribs 34 surrounding compartment 30, portion 41 of 
retainer 40 bears downwardly against the article holder, thus preventing 
motion of the article holder in a direction out of the plane of 
compartment 30. Thus, the article holder, and of course the article 
therein, is held in the article-displaying position in compartment 30. 
The article holder has a pair of opposed generally planar walls defining an 
article-holding cavity therebetween. At least one of the walls is 
transparent to permit viewing a major face of an article held in the 
cavity. 
It is preferred that an article in the cavity of an article holder is held 
in a predetermined article-viewing position in the holder to ensure that 
the article in the cavity is in a predetermined article-displaying 
position in a display compartment when the article holder is correctly 
positioned in the display compartment. This can be accomplished by 
providing article positioning means in the article holder or by selecting 
the size or shape or both of the article holder, or, in the case of an 
article holder made of flexible film, by providing an article-receiving 
depression in the floor of a display compartment, or by various 
combinations of these means. For example, the cavity of a round article 
holder such as shown in FIGS. 5 or 7 may have a diameter sized to hold a 
round coin of a slightly smaller diameter, while having a height 
sufficient to accommodate coins of various height. A shim or spacer could 
be placed in the cavity under the coin to ensure that a relatively thin 
coin is tightly held in the cavity when the holder is assembled. 
A first suitable article holder 50 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and comprises 
opposed flexible films 51 which may be separate films, in which case they 
may be made of the same or of differing materials, or a single folded 
film. The films are preferably peripherally securable, preferably by a 
continuous peripheral seal 52, to form a cavity, preferably a closed or 
sealed cavity 53 for holding article 11 between opposed film 51. 
Preferably both films 51 are transparent. 
A second suitable article holder 70 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and comprises 
opposed, rigid generally planar transparent enclosure members 71,72. 
Member 71 is transparent and is intended to be outermost when the holder 
is positioned in compartment 30. Member 72 may also be transparent but 
need not be. Article holder 70 is circular in plan view. Outermost member 
71 has a downwardly extending flange 73 having an inner periphery which 
corresponds in size to the outer periphery of flange 74 extending from 
member 72, flange 74 thus fitting within flange 73 when the members are 
brought together to form a closed cavity 75 for enclosing an article 11 
such as a coin, medal, or the like. In both types of article holder it is 
possible to hermetically seal an article within the article holder cavity. 
However, a dust-tight and substantially air-tight closure will normally 
suffice. While circular article holders are illustrated, it will be 
understood that they need not be. For example, an article holder cavity 
which is a regular polygon in plan view is suitable for holding a round 
article, a rectangular cavity is suitable for holding an oval article, and 
so forth. 
In the embodiment illustrated, the outer periphery of flange 73 of article 
holder 70 is sized to fit closely within recess 32 of compartment 30 to 
position holder 70 in its correct article-displaying position. Member 71 
of holder 70 has a further flange 76 extending peripherally outwardly from 
outermost member 71 beyond the outer periphery of flange 73 and located at 
the top, in the sense of FIG. 8, of article holder 70. The lower surface 
77 of flange 76 is intended to rest on floor 33 of compartment 30 when 
holder 70 is fully seated in recess 32. 
A third suitable article holder 90 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 which is the 
same as the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8 except that floor 91 is adapted to 
hold articles of different size in correct position. Holder 90 is again 
circular in plan view. The inner periphery of flange 94 is of appropriate 
diameter, similarly as flange 74 in holder 70, to hold in correct position 
a circular article of corresponding diameter, or a square article having a 
diagonal corresponding to the diameter of cavity 95, and so forth. Floor 
98 of member 92 is circular in plan and has a concentric recess 99 sized 
for holding an article 11' of smaller size such as a circular coin having 
a diameter corresponding to the diameter of recess 99. 
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, depression 32 may function to restrain lateral 
motion of an article holder in which case it has a peripheral size and 
shape which causes the article holder to be correctly positioned in the 
desired article-displaying position in compartment 30 and to be restrained 
from lateral motion out of that position. In the case of a circular 
article holder, a type commonly used for a circular article such as a 
round coin, depression 32 may be circular as shown but may be of any other 
shape, such as a square or other regular polygon, provided only that the 
recess is sized to prevent lateral motion of the article holder in the 
compartment. 
Where the article holder is of the flexible film package type as shown in 
FIGS. 5 and 6, it may be prevented from lateral movement in compartment 30 
solely by sizing the outer periphery of the film package such that it 
engages one or more members such as upstanding ribs 34 in compartment 30. 
For example, the periphery 54 of the films making up holder 50 in FIG. 5 
is sized to fit closely within the ribs 34 of a compartment 30 as shown in 
FIG. 2. Thus, recess 32 can be eliminated. However, it is preferred to 
retain recess 32 in that it can serve to assist in the correct positioning 
of an article 11 held in the cavity of a film-type holder 50. It is 
important to correctly position the article in its article-displaying 
position in compartment 30 and the article is usually free to move, at 
least to a limited extent, laterally in the cavity of a film-type of 
holder such as holder 50. Recess 32 thus serves to restrict such free 
movement. In any event it will be understood that the periphery of an 
article holder may be sized to engage one or more members such as rib 
members 34 to restrain lateral movement of the article holder in 
compartment 30 to ensure that the article holder is held in a correct 
article-displaying position in the compartment. Since an article is 
similarly positioned in its correct article-displaying position in the 
cavity of the article holder, correct positioning of an article in a 
display compartment of the display and storage device is enhanced. 
Normally, in a device having a plurality of side-by-side display 
compartments in which a single article face is displayed in a compartment, 
the article and article holder are positioned centrally in a compartment. 
Circular articles are normally positioned concentrically in circular 
article holders and in circular recesses in the display compartment. 
Article holder retainer member 40 serves to hold the article holder in 
correct position in a display compartment. It serves to prevent motion of 
the generally planar article holder out of its plane when it is properly 
seated and positioned in a display compartment. Aperture 42 in the 
retainer member is sized to permit viewing of the uppermost surface of an 
article correctly positioned in the display compartment. However, aperture 
42 is also sized such that a portion 41 of the cover member bears against 
the upper surface of an article holder correctly positioned in display 
compartment 30, thus retaining the article holder in that position. 
Portion 41 is not within aperture 42 and thus does not interfere with the 
viewing of an article in its article-displaying position in compartment 
30. Retainer member 40 is releasably retained in compartment 30 in a 
position to retain an article holder in its article-displaying position in 
compartment 30. This can be effected in any convenient manner such as by 
sizing the outer periphery 43 of retainer member 40 to frictionally engage 
within the inner walls of ribs 34 circumscribing compartment 30. 
Alternatively or in addition, projections 35 may be provided to positively 
retain member 40 in its fully seated article holder-retaining position in 
compartment 30. 
The device shown in FIG. 1 is in the form of an album for the display and 
storage of articles such as circular coins. In the device depicted in FIG. 
1, twelve individual compartments are formed in a single thermoformed 
plastic sheet 25. Sheet 25 preferably has a cloth-like or felt-like 
surface typical of the type found in coin albums and the like. Article 
holder retaining members 40 may be similarly fabricated. Thus, the album 
presents a decorative appearance typical of that of coin albums and the 
like. Notches 36 may be provided in ribs 34 to facilitate removal of cover 
members 40 from compartments 30. The album-type device is particularly 
suitable for displaying "crown" size coins having a diameter of 38.71 mm, 
and other large coins such as those having a diameter of 34.6 mm. Each 
"page" of the album bearing compartments 30 is typically about 10 inches 
in width and about 11 inches in height. As mentioned above, each 
compartment in the device of FIG. 1 is utilized to display the face of a 
single article. In the case of a coin, for example, one compartment would 
be utilized to display "heads" and one compartment would be use to display 
"tails" of the same coin. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, each compartment 
is utilized to display the faces of two articles. Thus, in a single 
compartment, the "heads" and "tails" of a coin could be displayed. 
Moreover, in the embodiment of FIG. 11, two pages or leaves of the album 
are utilized to display articles. The album may, of course, include any 
number of pages or leaves for display purposes. The album pages or leaves 
are fabricated in any conventional manner such as paperboard, 
plastic-coated paperboard, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, a 
plastic sheet 25 is thermoformed to form a plurality of compartments and 
the sheet is bonded to a planar support member, such as the leaf or page 
of an album, as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 11. The thermoformed sheet is 
preferably formed and mounted on the planar support member such that at 
least a portion of the floor of each compartment is directly in contact 
with the planar support member.