Metal Seed Plates vs Paper Envelopes in Humid Jeju Homes

During home safe examinations in Hallim and Aewol, we regularly find paper seed envelopes with softened corners from humidity — even inside rated safes. Metal backup plates survive better but introduce labelling challenges when multiple signatories each hold partial records.

Paper envelopes

Affordable and familiar, paper backups fit attorney escrow workflows. They require desiccant packs replaced annually and explicit humidity notes in the custody map. We photograph envelope condition, not contents.

Metal plates

Stamped or engraved plates resist moisture but need consistent serial labelling tied to device maps. Families sometimes store plates separately from hardware without recording which plate matches which wallet generation.

Mixed strategies

Many Jeju clients use paper in bank vaults and metal duplicates at home — a reasonable split if the custody map states which copy is authoritative for recovery drills. Annual reviews flag when duplicates diverge in seal numbers or storage sites.

What we recommend documenting

Regardless of material, record manufacture date, storage container type, desiccant replacement month, and who last verified legibility without opening sealed inner sleeves.

Book a seed phrase audit after any change in storage material or location.