How have foreign coins been stored, generally speaking, over the past 100 years.

ANACONDA

There was a thread posted not long ago about foreign coins not generally coming toned like US coins.

As is generally known, with regard to US coins, Morgan dollars toned in canvas bags, many other coins acquired their toning in manilla
envelopes and then many other coins acquired their toning from being put into Whitman type folders. There's probably some other
ways (wrapped in tissue paper, end coins in rolls) but i think those are the main ways.

Is anyone here familiar with how Europeans generally have stored their coins in the past 100 years? We have all seen images of coin
cabinets. How extensively have they been used in Europe over the past 100 years? How else have Europeans been storing their coins over the past 100 years?

adrian
(DQ )

dorkkarl

like this

K S

Lakesammman

I met a Italian collector 3 years ago at a B and B north of Rome. He and his wife will get out the metal detector after a good storm and check around some of the castle districts or walled cities. He has built a large collection this way, never buying a coin. He was incredulous when I mentioned buying a coin or having one slabbed - what for?? So, that's how his collection was stored over the years - in the dirt, walls and streets of the old cities. After finding them, they go home and give them a good scrubbing.

I'm sure there are other storage stories - lets hear them.

WWW

Here's a nicely toned Mexican 8 Reales. Would this be an album toned example?

Askari

A good question! First off, coins were stored according to their value, just as now. Certainly, expensive coins were generally kept in a cabinet since the only ones who could afford them could afford nice cabinets to display them; this was true in the US too. Less wealthy folks who obtained one would have squirreled it away somewhere in the house or even by burying them in a pot. Otherwise, coins were often stored as casually as many do today in the US. The availability of archive-quality storage materials is still a pretty recent event, even in the US. Albums have been more of a US phenomenon until recent years. At least in Germany, the impetus for them actually came from stamp collecting, and I often get banknotes from European dealers in philatellic holders!

Large quantities of gold and silver would have been bagged, just as here, and kept in a vault as they were more often a measure of account. One of the reasons you don't see so many toned coins offered is because they simply are not favored -- which was also true in the US until the last few years. Since they carried a negative premium, particularly coins with unattractive toning, were more likely to be cleaned.

Proof coins were likely to have been kept in a velvet-lined presentation holder. Coins kept thusly rarely have attractive toning. Most of the older silver coins I've seen offered in their original "box" have been toned black or deep violet. They look bruised.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>How have foreign coins been stored, generally speaking, over the past 100 years >>









Hmm...

?

Spinynorman

I just got this nice little surprise today. It was stored in the mint packaging.