Art by Linda Parker
    |
July 2003 Book Review Part Six Continued
 Special *July 2003* Early Addition Of Our Book Review:Indepth Book Review On 2000 North American Coins & Prices:
A Guide To U.S., Canadian and Mexican Coins....
 Collectible Treasures Antique and CollectiblesBook Review July 2003
Interesting Information On Coin Collecting as noted in the 2000
North American Coins & Prices: A Guide To U.S., Canadian and
Mexican Coins.
Our Final Page Of Our July 2003 Book Review
Interesting Information On Coin Collecting as noted in the
2000 North American Coins & Prices: A Guide To U.S.,
Canadian and Mexican Coins.
CHAPTER 6:
CARING FOR COINS
How to store and preserve your collection by Alan Herbert
Most homeowner's insurance policies will not cover a coin collection
or will cover only a fraction of its value. Special riders are expensive,
but if you keep most of your coins at the bank, this will cut costs.
For details, consult your insurance agent. The American Numismatic Association also offers collection insurance.
Where to store coins is often a problem. The commonest solution is
to put them in the attic or basement. Those are the two worst places
for your collection. Attics are notoriously hot. Heat can damage
almost any storage media, and if there is the slightest hint of PVC,
you've got trouble.
Basements are equally bad. They can flood, and humidity is high.
Mildew can attack holders and other material stored with your coins.
So what's left? Ideally coins should be treated like a family member.
They should be stored in some part of the house where temperature
and humidity are relatively constant year round. If it's comfortable for
you, it's probably much more comfortable for your coins than the
basement or attic.
Protecting coins from humidity is always a good idea, even in areas
where it is not a major health problem. For your coins, too much dampness can become a serious problem, often before you realize it.
A good solution is to get several good-sized packets of silica gel and
store them with your coins in your safe or a container of some kind
that will isolate them from the general climate in the home.
TO CLEAN OR NOT TO CLEAN
Before you store your coins, you should be aware that coins are like dishes: They should never be put away dirty. Ah, but you've probably already heard or read that you should never clean a coin. If you
haven't, I'll say it now: NEVER clean a coin.
OK, so there are exceptions, but be careful of those exceptions and
for good reason. Ignoring the exceptions can be excruciatingly and embarassingly expensive.
Coins get dirty, just like anything else. The impulse is to shine them
up--polish them to a brilliance that will dazzle the viewer. If you've
already succumbed to the temptation to clean even a single coin,
stand up, kick yourself, then sit back down and read on. The one exception is loose dirt, grease, oil, or something similar, and there
are even exceptions to that rule.
Use a neutral solvent to dissolve the grease and oils that usually
coat uncirculated coins as they come from the mint. Follow the instructions on the container exactly, and if the directions say to
use the product outdoors, they mean it.
For circulated coins, lighter fluid will often dissolve the accumulated
"gunk" that sticks to them, but I don't recommend it for uncirculated
coins, especially copper alloy coins. Air dry the coins; don't rub or
wipe them. Even the softest cloth or paper towel can pick up sharp-
edged particles that will ruin a coin's surface. Proof coins are clean
when they are packaged, so this should not be necessary and
should be done only as a last resort if they have somehow picked
up oil in handling.
Using dips, household cleansers, metal polish, and even soap can permanently damage a coin. Avoid acid-based cleaners at all costs.
They work by eating away the coin's surface to remove the
embedded dirt or discoloration. Cleaning a coin with any of these
products will sharply reduce its collectible value. To put it simply, collectors do not want cleaned coins, so they are heavily
discounted.
One of the reasons for this is that once a coin has been cleaned, it
will discolor much more quickly, requiring fresh cleaning. Each time
it is cleaned, the surface is further dulled, reducing the coin's appeal
and reducing its value.
Obviously this advice applies especially to uncirculated and proof
coins, but it applies to any coin that is or has the potential to become valuable. But if you clean it, its career ends right there.
There are products specifically designed for removing the green
PVC slime from coins. They do not contain acid, so they are safe.
They will stop but cannot reverse the damage that the PVC has
already done to the coin. Read the label, and use exactly as
directed.
I frequently am asked about ultrasonic cleaners. They fall under the
same heading as the various cleaning products I've described. In
other words, the apparatus should not be used for uncirculated,
proof, or other valuable coins. If you do use one, do one coin at a
time so there is no chance for the vibration to rub two coins together. Change or filter the cleaning solution frequently to keep abrasive
particles from coming in contact with the vibrating coin.
Like anything else, cleaning can be carried to an extreme, so I'll
give you one horror story of just such a mistake. Years ago I had a collector fly several hundred miles to bring his collection for me to
sell for him. When he laid out the coins on the table, I was shocked
to discover that the hundreds of coins had all been harshly cleaned.
When I questioned him he calmly recounted that he had decided
that the coins needed cleaning, so he dumped them all into a rock
tumbler and left it for several hours. It ruined all his coins, reducing
them to face value. With his passion for cleanliness he had
destroyed several thousand dollars worth of collectible value,
plus air fare, a rental car, and a motel bill.
The key to a long-term collection that might appreciate in value is
to learn what not to do to your coins and what care they need to
survive years of waiting in the wings. Learning to protect your
coins with the best available storage methods and media is a key
first step toward enjoying your collection for years to come.
Where to write for more information: American Numismatic
Association: 818 N. Cascade Ave.,
Colorada Springs, CO 80903-3279.
I hope you have enjoyed July's Book Review of 2000 North
American Coins & Prices: A Guide To U.S., Canadian and
Mexican Coins.
This months book review has been an extensive one, covering
the first six chapters, this book is over-flowing with information
on coins, coin collecting, loaded with historical information
related to coins, as well as the price-guide, and has more
than 1,500 photos! It has a total of 557, in paperback.
NEW EXCLUSIVE LINE of our Jack Russell Terrier Products can
now be ordered at: CT Jack Russell Family thru CafePress.com
We hope you enjoy our site and welcome your feedback.
© 2000 - 2011
All Rights Reserved. No Part Of This Web Site May Be Copied,
Including Images and Text Without Prior Written Consent From:
Collectible Treasures Antique and Collectibles Contact
|
Diamond Eye Our Jack Russell Terrier
 Click Image To See Diamond  Main Page of Items We Have Sold, Plus Additional Pages With Links..These Items ARE NO LONGER FOR SELL, and are included for reference purposes ONLY...
|
USA
USA