Taking Over Family Coin Collection

MtnCoinMan sorry to hear about that, but you can try to complete the Silver Eagle set.. They are still 'gettable'. Many of them go for a little over bullion value, so its not too expensive a set to complete.. :) Lastly, welcome to the forum... I think regarding storage vermontensium has answered pretty much everything.. Oh and those silver dollars are probably MOrgan and Peace dollars btw.. :)

Welcome to CC!

Just to add....DO NOT RUB THE COINS WITH ANY CLOTH! Never rub coins with anything or you chance destroying any numismatic value. Never clean coins.

I'm so sorry to hear about your father. IMO that's the possibly the worst disease in the entire world for a victims family. You have my heartfelt sympathy.

Everyone here has given excellent advice especially BadThad (Ignore his signature for the time being...)(Feel free to check out mine though)

:)

Get the pennies in a Dansco.

Sorry about your Dad. Mine just passed after taking 6
years to slowly die of congestive heart failure. He had
collected stamps, which I knew nothing about, and now I
am a stamp collector by default. I am enjoying it, but
coins are still my first love.

Good luck!
Stick around here and you will learn much.

I think acetone might be flammable, just a heads up.

There are lots and lots of great books out there to read however, if you have the RedBook I think you've got all you need for right now between the RedBook and this forum. If there comes a time that you decide to specialize in one series then I might suggest looking into books specific to that series. But until that time most of your questions can (and will) be answered here if you ask.

Dug coins are a different story (in my book at least) when it comes to cleaning coins. If I have a coin which I can't determine what is I generally proceed cautiously until such point as I have an idea of what type of coin it is. If it's something other than a modern it goes in the pile with the other nasty dug coins which I know what are and they all go in the rock tumbler for a while until such point as they can be rolled up.

If it's something that might be special it depends on what type of coin it might be and what type of filth and nastiness is involved. The first step though is to let the thing sit in distilled water for a very long while. Badly encrusted coins sometimes get zapped for a couple of minutes, but usually I try a peroxide bath before zapping. You'll see a lot of talk about letting coins sit in mineral oil, but this is usually my last resort as it precludes most other forms of cleaning.

As to informing your homeowners insurance... I don't know. I haven't, but I do take quality pictures of my better pieces and have a rough inventory of what my collection consists of. And as someone else said, I keep my keys and major sets in a safety deposit box.

Your in the right place to get advise. As to acquiring Dansco albums, OK but there are other brands also available. With me I use Whitman Classic Albums and there are many more out there. If I were you I wouldn't go running all over the place attempting to find a certain brand of album. If you find a dealer or book store that sells a certain brand, try it out. The main thing is to get those coins out of the cardboard folders. In the rear of the slots as you take out the coins you'll notice the rear of those slots are shinny from glue. OK for young kids but not for coins of any value.
Do not clean any of the coins, handle all carefully and by the edges if possible. Don't go out and purchase any coin cleaning substances including Acetone unless you really know how to use that stuff and have a well ventilated area.
As to coins safety, the best method is to keep your mouth shut about them. Presently all info given to an insurance organization goes into a computer system and someone that has just lost a job there may well have all your personal info. If they need money, your house may be next. The safe place as already noted is a safe deposit box in a bank. Having a safe at home is OK but if someone holds a gun to you or a family member, that safe is quickly opened anyway. Just don't spread the word about those coins.
It's amazing how if you tell someone you have $10 in coins at home, someone will be saying you have millions.

You may be right, but all the folders I've seen have always had that shinny back in the slots. And don't forget that not only Whitmany is now making those folders. Many, many companies are making them for the State Quarters, baby sized Presidential dollars, etc. Think I'll check with Whitman as to their latest process for those folders though. Like I said all the ones I've seen have that glued look on the back of the slots.