Here's one of my numismatic pet peeves... are you guilty of it?

lordmarcovan

I simply cannot STAND it when somebody sends me a coin in a cardboard 2x2 that has been stapled shut with a standard stapler and has NOT had the staples crimped (flattened).

Everybody who uses the staple-type 2x2s should invest in a flat-clinch stapler. My wife got me one for Christmas a few years ago and after using it I smacked myself in the forehead for not getting one a lot sooner. I used to use a regular stapler and crimp all the staples flat with pliers. Sometimes after doing several hundred coins I would have blisters from using the pliers!

But at least I DID it. No stickin'-out staples on MY stuff, no siree.

I wish I had a nickel (even a circulated modern Jefferson nickel) for every time somebody has sent me a coin in a 2x2 with uncrimped staples. Some of them were longtime dealers who should have known better.

Ever seen a staple scratch across the face of an otherwise lovely coin? Ever caught your finger on a protruding staple and had your finger bleed?

That's why it's my pet peeve.

C'mon, people- either fork out the money for a flat-clinch stapler or get yourself a pair of pliers and pinch those staples flat.

This rant was not so much brought on by anybody specific here, though some of you have sent me uncrimped stapled 2x2s. Just consider it a public service announcement. Almost all of the stapled stuff I get via eBay is uncrimped. It's time people learned better.

cinman14

You have officialy been off work TOOOOOOOO long Rob....

notwilight

I don't use cardboard 2x2s, period. --Jerry

adamlaneus

Staples are simply a curse for coinage. I do not like them in any of their forms.

Sharp steel is not something I like anywhere around coins.

lordmarcovan

I put an anonymous poll on here so folks can be totally honest with themselves.

I suspect some folks who are guilty of this sin don't even realize it's a sin.

Maybe they'll see the light and redeem themselves.

Edit to add: I used to use cardboard staple-type 2x2s only for the cheaper stuf in my inventory- the under-one-dollar stuff. But for a couple of different reasons, I am starting to use them on some of the slightly better raw coins. I always used to crimp the staples, though, regardless. Even on the 3/$1 bin stuff.

rgCoinGuy

I am sorry!

are you guilty of it?


Yes, I promise to repent!

Cladiator

<< <i>a coin in a cardboard 2x2 that has been stapled shut with a standard stapler and has NOT had the staples crimped (flattened). >>

Guilty. I very rarely use cardboard 2x2's but when I have that's how I've closed them.

lordmarcovan

Thou Art Forgiven, those of you who never knew you were doing wrong.

I see now we have at least one unrepentant sinner who voted in the poll, though.

dlimb2

i do not use 2 x 2's or staples anymore, I use the plastic coin holders now ,the round ones that fit the coin exact. Then they never get hurt.

guitarwes

guilty. I remember you scolding me for this when viewing some of my coins earlier this year. I will repent. Shame on me.

From then on though, I have used Archival Quality flips. They're just alot easier if you want to take a coin out and examine it.

-wes

PerryHall

At a coin show, I saw a nice mint state Lib $10 in a 2X2 where the window was torn and there was a serious vertical scrape across the obverse. The staples on this holder were not flattened and the dealer took this holder out of a box that was cramed full. It was obvious what happened. What a shame.

lordmarcovan

Imagine your favorite coin type. Maybe it's a nice XF-AU Bust half, or a lovely original early large cent. Or a RB Unc early Lincoln cent. A nice original, crusty Barber quarter. Whatever.

Now just imagine that coin, in its 2x2, sitting in a box in your dealer's safe. Its holder rubs up against the holders behind and in front of it. Has your dealer secured all the staples, or is there going to be a horrifying accident while the box rattles its way to the coin show, or the next time he pulls a coin out of there?

Edit: better yet, read PerryHall's anecdote, above. Yikes! THAT's what I'm talkin' about!

If your staples are nice and flat, the coins will fit in the box better. More room. They'll slide in and out of those pocket pages better, too.

I'd better spread the gospel over on the Darkside, too, while I am still wearing my Crusader cape.

mgoodm3

I used to crimp. Now I am too lazy.

fc

i cannot imagine using 2x2s when flips are available. if you want them
even more securely stored inside the flip use some tape.

FilthyBroke

2x2s? Heck, I just tape them in a Whitman, or I'll glue them if tape isn't available. But staples, never!

savoyspecial

staples have no place near coins.......i toggle between clear (non pvc of course) 2x2 SafTflips and the hard acrylic Harris 2x2s

19Lyds

I've had a clinch stapler for years and prior to that, clinched all my staples. What a pain!

I thought my troubles would be over with the flat clinch stapler but those need to be clinched as well IMO!

lordmarcovan

For those who privately said, "I sure as heck ain't gonna use pliers to crimp the staples on 500-1,000 2x2's AND I'm not gonna pay $25-35 for a fancy stapler" (whatever they cost), you should cough up the dough for the special stapler.

Trust me. When I got mine, I kicked myself for being so cheap for so long. This thing has paid for itself so many times over. It is one of the best Christmas gifts ladymarcovan ever got me. I was so lousy-cheap I might still be pinching staples with pliers and getting a blister on my thumb, had she not gotten it for me.

And yes, unlike some of the unrepentant, I DID take the time to crimp the staples on 500 to 1,000 coin holders at a time. Flips were impractical for my bulk bins- they split or break in half and fall apart with people pawing through the bins, so I have to use 2x2s there.

timcoin

I agree with you on the staple thing, but my biggest numismatic pet peeve is when I buy a coin and the dealer's price tag/sticker is nearly impossible to remove! There have been times when I have bought a coin and wish I wouldn't have simply because of the stupid sticker.

lordmarcovan

Stickers on slabs and other holders are another pet peeve, but particularly stickers over the holograms on some older slabs. I've had holograms come off with old stickers. That's another valid pet peeve, but at least stickers on slabs can't potentially ruin any coins.

jfoot13

I wanted to see what a "Pet Peeve" looked like so I went down to the pet store at the mall and asked to see one. Well they told me everybody has a different one but they would show me theirs.. they took me to the backof the store and had me look in the mirror... I think I've just been peeved

PerryHall

<< <i>Stickers on slabs and other holders are another pet peeve, but particularly stickers over the holograms on some older slabs. I've had holograms come off with old stickers. That's another valid pet peeve, but at least stickers on slabs can't potentially ruin any coins. >>



A few drops of Googone and let it soak for a few minutes. Sticker comes off without damaging the hologram.

originalisbest

Overall I agree with clinched staples, no argument there! However, taping across the open end of a flip is an exceptionally bad idea. If you want it sealed, then heat seal it, or staple and flatten them.

As well, flips are not foolproof; even the best can crack, and coins jostling around within them can get hairlined. The absolutely foolproof coin holder has yet to be invented (slabs come pretty close though.)

DNADave

I ALWAYS flatten my staples and I do get aggrivated when I see them popping out.

I'm also partial to metal detecting with my Bountyhunter II and I'm a little miffed that someone turned you in for being OT. that's crap.

ColinCMR

oh yeah not crushing those staples can definitely cause damage

squish them!

lordmarcovan

Yup. I have a heat sealer for flips.

And precisely because they do crack is the reason I can't use them in my bulk bins, and have to use 2x2's.

BECOKA

I can't remember the last time I used a staple. I started using the mylar flips for anything that does not have a place in my albums. Just easier.

SaorAlba

I cannot stand those old style 2x2's, I use non plasticized flips exclusively.

etexmike

If it ain't already in plastic it goes in a flip.

I haven't used 2x2's for many years.


Mike

Swampboy

<< <i>If it ain't already in plastic it goes in a flip.

I haven't used 2x2's for many years.


Mike >>



Mike, no problems with condensation or hairlines? I was told (o.k. he was a fussy early copper guy) that flips weren't for long term storage.

And to address the OP; I've got me a trick flat crimp stapler but I hear what folks mean about "keep the staples away from coins!"

rec78

I used to use a Brother electric stapler for years with no problems. I agree 100% that the staples should be flat. They also ruin a lot of plastic coin pages from being pushed in and out. I use cardboard 2x2s for low priced coins only. I cringe the first time i take coins from a packed box hoping that a staple does not catch anywhere.

mr1931S

staples have no place near coins.......i toggle between clear (non pvc of course) 2x2 SafTflips and the hard acrylic Harris 2x2s



Also,i like the self-stick 2x2's.They cost a little more but well worth it in my opinion.

BlackBeard

Tools of the trade below. An Arrow P-22 and the needle nose pliers look ancient for a reason. They are pre WWII Germany, nothing special just a good quality pair I picked up with some old tools from an estate. I flatten all staples, however I use flips as well.

ARCO

I crimp my staples all the time, every time. It is the civilized thing to do.

Tyler

zrlevin

I use cardboard 2x2s almost exclusively (yes, I have a $750 coin in a cardboard 2x2) and I coughed up the money for a clinch stapler a few years ago. I love the thing; I use it for all of my stapling needs.

The only problem is that the mechanism was over lubricated and left grease marks on the first dozen things I stapled.

Sapyx

Back when I was a YN, I used to store my 2x2s in slide boxes, and quickly realised the staple-catching thing was a problem. So I flattened the staples on my 2x2s... with a hammer on a smooth concrete floor. I'm not kidding.

It worked really good. Put a few dints in some of my larger coins, though.

I use pliers now.

seatedcollector

in defense of the diehard 2x2 users, i use a small paring knife with a wooden handle, to "roll" the staple ends takes about 5 seconds to do three staples. then put a small piece of scoth tape over the flattened staple ends. i keep all my coins in flips, because they are kept in a box, but my CWT's i keep in a binder, so they are all in 2x2's (because the flips tend to fall out of the 20 pocket pages)

Hotfootspin

<< <i>At a coin show, I saw a nice mint state Lib $10 in a 2X2 where the window was torn and there was a serious vertical scrape across the obverse. The staples on this holder were not flattened and the dealer took this holder out of a box that was cramed full. It was obvious what happened. What a shame. >>



I have not exactly had that happen, but some of my copper coins that in 2x2's, when they got
nicked by a staple on the next 2x2, turned bad and developed ugly spots at the very point
where a little (almost invisible) hole got made there.

And I do flatten all my staples, yet it still happened. I'm pretty p*ssed that I lost some nice
coins that way.

Thanks,
Mark

pendragon1998

Flat cinch stapler, all the way.

lordmarcovan

I've used both the hammer and paring knife crimping methods before. Until I discovered pliers. Far easier.

Far less likely you'll cut yourself or accidentally bash one of your coins to death, too.

Edit to add: of course the flat clinch stapler is easier still. Now I don't have to look around for the pliers, either.

IloiloKano

After I finally purchased a flat cinch stapler and realized how well it staples everything, I have used it exclusively for anything that needs a staple. It is simply a well made machine (MAX HD-50DF).

However, my pet peeve is any ebay seller that obviously way overgrades a coin, then posts a disclaimer saying, "grading is subjective".

NNC

Okay, I've vented. I feel better now.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>MAX HD-50DF >>

Exactly what I have.

Broadstruck

Staples are the Devil...

tahoe98

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc158/katek1304/Stapler_10-DFL.jpg

lope208

LordM-

there's no option for "I use a regular stapler but I hate it and know I need to invest in a flat cinch stapler!"

that's the boat I'm in! I just don't use 2x2's very often, but every time I hate it. Makes it tough to pull a single coin out of a box b/c the damn staples get caught if you aren't careful. I feel your pain and am sorry I contribute to it

Dog97

#2 I use a regular stapler but I crimp the staples flat with pliers.
And it will also have about 15 million holes in it from being reused about 2 dozen times.
Hey those 2x2's cost money, ya know!!!

commoncents123

Reckon their punishment should be waking up one day to find all their *slabs* stapled together?