Have you ever noticed photographs of Mint workers wearing white gloves examining or packaging coins? Did you notice how they were handling the coins? This is the mark of a true numismatist: a person who gives his investment the respect and care due not only their monetary value, but also their historical value as well. You too, can become as comfortable with the care of your coin collection as a Mint employee, if you follow these few guidelines.

The most basic and elemental lesson when working with coins is how to properly hold a coin: place two fingers on the rim, so that you may turn the coin to evaluate both sides without touching the face. Care should be taken with every coin, no matter what the condition, because the oils on the tips of your fingers have a chemical reaction with a coin’s metals which can damage or corrode the surface of your coin. Prevent coins from rubbing or bumping together is the next rule of thumb. Nicks and scratches may identify some coins, but you should always strive to preserve your coin’s condition as much as possible. It should also be obvious that you must always be on guard against dropping coins, since damage can significantly reduce the value. Safe storage of your coin collection is also a must. Substances to be stringently avoided are sulfur, any acids, foam rubber, oily substances, and of course, the dreaded polyvinyl chloride, or PVC.

PVC was initially used in the processing of plastic coin holders. After some time, collectors noticed an oozy substance coating their coins that resulted from the chemical reaction of the metals in their coins with the PVC. Inert plastics, such as plexiglas are fine and can be custom made into beautiful displays for transportation and viewing. Inexpensive cardboard albums and holders helped to popularize the hobby of coin collecting in the 1930s and are still available today. These are acceptable for inexpensive coins, but coins may be “dusted” by the paper, and they may also tarnish as the cardboard reacts with the metals in your coins.

Slabs & Grading

The most popular storage method, introduced less than twenty-five years ago, is known as the slab. A slab encapsulates the coin in inert plastic, along with the date, denomination, grade, mint mark or other relevant information. Originally developed by a commercial grading service, slabbing quickly caught on with coin dealers and collectors as a convenience and appropriate method of storing and selling coins. The American Numismatic Association (ANA) also uses a slabbing method in their certification service, in which collectors may send in coins for grading and receive them back encapsulated with the grade.

Take Care of Your Coins

If you inherit coins or receive some as a gift, be sure to check for PVC and transfer them to proper storage, if necessary. To identify a holder with PVC, hold it up to a light. It may have a rainbow effect or shine to it, and it will feel slightly greasy and sticky. PVC holders are also more pliable than the safer polyethylene holders. If you have some coins that have been degraded by PVC, do not attempt to clean them yourself, although cleaners do exist that will remove the nasty stuff. Always get expert advise and assistance before you do anything that may devalue or deface your coins.

Similarly, cleaning a coin is not recommended in most cases. Soap or scouring powder will damage your coins. Sometimes even a simple polishing or rubbing with the wrong material can diminish the value of your coins, so best leave that to the experts. Of course, there are some cases where cleaning will be necessary, such as coins that are removed from the deep sea by treasure hunters, and commercial cleaners are available to do the trick, but any risky procedure should be considered thoroughly. Some collectors value a “tarnished” coin more than a pristine one, and indeed some tarnishing can enhance the color and character of a coin. Of course, if you find a coin on the ground and you need to wipe the surface dirt away to identify it, no numismatist could find fault with that. That’s part of the curiosity that will keep the hobby of coin collecting alive through the ages.

Final Comments

We have discussed several items about cleaning, storage and presentation warnings to keep your coins in top notch condition. Among them are mere facts that ultimately can leave you devastated with improper cleaning and/or storage or with a crispy coin that just keeps getting better with time. But no matter what the outcome is when you clean or don’t clean the final resting place of all your beauties lies in their storage facility. Here’s a basic fact to remember – storage problems lower grades. And when grades get lowered you lose money among other things in keeping your coins bright and beautiful. Let’s face it no one wants an ugly coin no matter how rare it is so the value of a coin mistreated is significantly lower than usual.

At the Coin Wholesaler we urge you to do the following:

(1) Clean only if you know how.

(2) Store your coins in modern flips or grading service slabs that are free of contaminants.

(3) Check your coins regularly so that any storage problem may be corrected ASAP to avoid damages.

(4) A cool, dry location without environment fumes, odors or moisture is preferred.

(5) Use 3rd party slabs to own if all possible but no matter what handle your coins like one of your children and always make sure they are properly sitting in a moisture free location. And, by the way … if you live near any ocean, take extra special care from the air and salt water environment.

Most of all HAVE FUN !