Coin Storage

JJ69 · December 2, 2003 2:20PM

OO[pps - Im blind here - Can someone tell me if theres a way to cjange colrs here ?
The backround is black and the letters are dark gray.
Heres my question - I have unfortunatlky inherited a nice coin collection.
Quite fascinatiing,and I can see how you guys got hooked on it - monitary value aside.
I have dozens and dozens of rolls of coins of all demoninations,and apparently quite a span of years,to sort through.These,as far as I know,have not seen the light of day in decadesg
Also have loads of mint sets,proofs,boxes of old pennies ect.
I went through a roll of 20 Morgans the other day,and most are in great condition,and look to be AU.
Of course,who knows what suprises might be lurking.
Heres my plan,when I get the spare time to put it in effect.
I plan on going through the rolls one by one,and coin by coin. with guide book[s] in hand,I will check the various
mint marks/dates ect to see if theres anything special.
Those coins which I deem to be in very good shape (I know 'very good'' as an actual grade is not that good,but I mean coins that have little wear,good luster ect]
I plan on packing individually in those cardboard holders.
Those coins which I think are quite worn (unless they're special,of course) I plan on putting together in a plastic coin tube - All the while catigorizing
the collection.
On the one hand,I'd kinda like to put them back in their original rolls,largely for sentimental reasons,but on the other,I think
they shoud be airtight,seperated from eachother as much as possible,more visible and more accessable.,none of which,it seems to me,paper coin rolls are very good at.
Sound like a plan ? And any suggestions would be appreciated.
My apologies for the spelling errors - I can only see here by highlighting the text.

Geoman · December 2, 2003 2:26PM

A BIG WELCOME to the boards!!!

I store my coins in 2x2's, and then in vinyl pages in a 3-ring binder. You can fit a lot of coins (20 per page) in a large 3" 3-ring binder. Some of the nicer coins, such as my American Silver Eagles, I store in Intercept Shield plastic cases, and then put all those in an Intercept Shield box. But most of my coins are not worth that much. If I had some expensive coins, I would probably store them another way. All of my Proof Sets are in a safe deposit box.

XpipedreamR · December 2, 2003 2:28PM

You should be able to go to "customize" and set background colors, etc.

Welcome the the boards, by the way.

Are you planning on selling these coins or do we have a new collector here?

I would say not to keep them in rolls because you can't see them, and they can get banged around, so what's the point. Liberate the coins! Freedom!!!

Catch22 · December 2, 2003 2:34PM

I wouldn't worry too much about how to store them, other than secure and as moisture free as reasonably possible. Toss in a bag of moisture absorbing silica or equivelant until you know what you have.

richbeat · December 2, 2003 2:46PM

Welcome aboard! Sounds like you have quite a job ahead of you, however that's one job I wouldn't mind having. In your description, you're on the right track. The more you know about coins, the better off you'll be. With such a variety you may have to go through quite a number of books to gain reasonable knowledge about what you have. With the Morgans and Peace dollars, you will want to become acquainted with the different VAM's. Varieties and error coins can be valuable, you'll want to learn about those, as well, as you go through what you have. I'll leave the rest to the experts. Good luck!!!

cladking · December 2, 2003 2:50PM

Welcome aboard. Don't clean anything.

richbeat · December 2, 2003 2:55PM

I almost forgot. There are also RPM's (repunched mint marks D/D, S/S), OMM's (over mint marks D/S, S/D), overdates, repunched dates and the like, that can be of value. There's a lot to know if you really want to go over what you have with a fine tooth comb, so to speak. What cladking says is very important--don't clean anything.

JJ69 · December 2, 2003 3:14PM

<< <i>You should be able to go to "customize" and set background colors, etc.

Woe - I can see now - Quite a world of difference.
I don't know if you guys reply to questions in usenet fashion like this,or just generally reply in one paragraph.
Please do educate me if I'm wrong replying like this before I make too much of a good of myself.

Welcome the the boards, by the way.

Thanx.

Are you planning on selling these coins or do we have a new collector here?

Bit of both.
Any inheritance,obviously,has strong sentimental/emotional attachment,and for that reason alone I wouldn't
consider selling the whole collection.
Too,I've known for quite some time some old coins can be quite valuable,so once this collection literally dropped in my lap,
I knew right away I better educate myself a bit,and am in the process of doing just that.
Just from the few weeks I've been studying this field,and browsing through hundreds of coins - (The majority of
the 'good stuff' is in a safe deposite box,where it has been for years.I quick browsed this collection,which I never knew existed,and now I'm making preparations
to take it home a bit at a time,where I can sort through it,catergorize it,re pack if need be,and put most of it back) - I feel I have been bitten a bit
by the coin bug.
I now know the elementaries of coin collecting,but of course have a ways to go,and I think this forum will be
better than any book I could read.
I will no doubt sell some though. I don't need to for financial gain,,,, But in a way,whats the sense of having a hoarde like this when no one
will see it and appreciate it ?
Personal satisfaction ? Well,yes. That seems to have been the motive of my late father.
To pass on to decendants ? Yes,I suppose - Though I can't believe that this is a primary motive for many when they start
a collection.
I'm rambling .. Sorry.
In short,I'll likely keep the majority.
I would like to see some of it back 'out there',though - And in the hands of others who will value and appreciate it.

I would say not to keep them in rolls because you can't see them, and they can get banged around, so what's the point. Liberate the coins! Freedom!!! >>

I tend to agree with that.
I'm not positive about this,but might it be that when some of these coins were rolled (from 20 to 40 years ago)
plastic tubes were not an option ?

JJ69 · December 2, 2003 3:36PM

<< <i>I almost forgot. There are also RPM's (repunched mint marks D/D, S/S), OMM's (over mint marks D/S, S/D), overdates, repunched dates and the like, that can be of value. There's a lot to know if you really want to go over what you have with a fine tooth comb, so to speak. What cladking says is very important--don't clean anything.

>>

Yeah - You know,a few weeks back,me and my 10 year old girl were going through a pile of buffalo nickels.
We noticed some were dirty of course,so I had a bright idea.
I have some jewelry cleaner,with a little scrub brush... So we soaked the coin for a bit,and she started scrubbing
away.
It removed a bit of the tarnish ,, But I figured that there must be a better way,some sure fire solution that the
pros all use.
Well,google to the rescue. I typed in 'cleaning old coins' ... And right off the bat I was reading threads about
why that is about the worst thing you can do.
It instantly dawned on me why this advice is correct ... I had to tell my girl the next day why we can't clean
any more coins.
And my little girl even chided me the other day when
I was rubbing a Morgan with a soft cloth,saying that I'd better not leave any scratches on it - So she saw the
justice of this sediment also.

I do have some coins that are so loaded up with gunk/tarnish that I can't even tell what they are,so I might
try a little cleaning/dipping on them.
I tried a little acetone on a gunked up [common] Morgan - Quite a bit of gunk came off on the Q-tip,but even after washing
and drying,it seemed to leave an unremovable residue,so thats an experiment I'm not likely to repeat.
I've heard pickle juice/vinegar can do wonders for pennies,but haven't tried it yet,and when I do,it won't
be on a 1914 D.

As to terms like RPM's ect,there quite a few I'm confused or in the dark about.
Any links to a site which explains these ?

richbeat · December 2, 2003 4:23PM

I don't know of a site off the top of my head that you could go to. Someone will probably link you to one before I have a chance to look. In the meantime, here's a quick tutorial on what those abbreviations (RPM's, OMM's, etc.) mean, courtesy of the "Cherrypickers' Guide To Rare Die Varieties," a book I highly recommend:

RPM: Repunched mint mark. A mint mark that has been punched over the same mint mark one or more times. Example: D/D/D is D over D over D. Most of the RPM's overlap, but not always.

OMM: Over mint mark. One mint mark punched over a different one. Examples: D/S is a D mint mark punched over an S mint mark.

RPD: Repunched date. A date, or portion thereof, which has been punched in addition to the regular punch, in a different position or location. Repunched dates are the same date. See below.

Overdate: A date on a coin over a different date. May be one or more different numbers.

1jester · December 2, 2003 5:58PM

Welcome to the boards, JJ, and to the wonderful world of coins and coin collecting. I wish you a lot of fun and luck with your job of identifying and storing your coins. I'd recommend taking an inventory of what you have as you go through the collection. Include the date, mint mark, condition, etc. Also, it's great advice to not clean the coins. There are some substances which can be used for certain purposes, but if I were you, I'd wait a long time before getting into that. As an example, acetone is great for removing PVC residue, but if your coins are in rolls, there's no chance of having PVC residue. So just go through the coins, do an inventory, and see what you have. Then do a lot of research; get some good books and reference material, and you can even do searches on these boards for info on certain topics. I've learned a lot from these boards.

Have fun and happy collecting!

hamiltonjh · December 2, 2003 8:58PM

Already suggested, but very important....put some moisture absorbing silica or whatever it's called with the coins until you go thru them and find out what you have. I keep all my coins in a safe with a moisture absorbing thingy...not sure what its called. i got it here in Japan and cant read it. I just know it keeps the moisture down. You can probably pick them up at Wal-Mart, K-Mart or....wherever. Lots of places.

Try not to get fingerprints on them either when you go thru them. Acid from your fingers will transfer to the coin which might not show up right away, but a week, month or year(s) later...it could start showing up as ugly brown lines. Always hold the coin by the edge between thumb and first finger. I tend to wear powder-free latex surgical type gloves if I'm going to be doing alot with my coins, but still avoid touching the surfaces.

Dont bang them together either, as already suggested. Avoid scratches, gouges, dings, dents...whatever.

Everyone beat me to the suggestions. Shouldna went to the yakiniku restaurant with the wife

OOPS....edited to say WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!

Have fun, ask questions and enjoy

commoncents · December 3, 2003 4:45AM

If any of your coin rolls are " bank wrapped ", don't open them until you get some opinions here about them. Some of the older "Original bank wrapped " rolls are worth alot more to some collectors if they are left original. Good luck.

Coin Storage

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