Modern Coin Grading

Okay well Cadre, I'm going to share my experience and hope that someone jumps in here to either yae or nae my advice because goodness knows I think we should all take ownership in welcoming new collectors like yourself to the hobby by offering helpful advice.

Last summer my 9 year old grandson and I had great fun roll hunting to build a loonie and toonie album. I didn't actually count how many rolls we looked through but we had 10 or so going at one time and every weekend I exchanged them. He got great delight in opening each roll, how many shiny edges would appear? We thought we'd made a good find, then a better one would come along, on and on. So the albums got completed, the new school year began. They were kept at my house for safe-keeping and a couple months ago he asked about it. I got it out, opened it. What I saw surprised me. Maybe it was my imagination but I don't think so......I was greatly disappointed at what I saw. Many of them had lost some of their shininess.

I don't proclaim to understand chemical reactions but based on my experience I'm certain coin that has passed through countless hands takes a while for any dinginess to appear, after being removed from circulation the contaminates on the surface are active and still at work for a period of time. Many of us collect coin that is decades old and has been out of circulation for all that time so the concern is not the same. But newer coin from rolls, it may have been handled as recent as yesterday. So that's the background to my advice:-)

Anyone else?

Pocket Change, that's right, only coins made of silver may tone over time when exposed to certain conditions but the last of their kind was made for circulation in 1967. I agree, the newest circulated coin seems to become worn looking very fast. The dinginess combined with the unattractive effigy of the Queen --- perhaps the strategy is to ensure Canadians are wowed with what's in store in 2017, the 150th anniversary and special designs.

Did you notice that both the $2 and $1 coins in these packs (and other gift sets containing circulation coins) are lacquered at the mint? Takes a good soak and a bit of work to remove that lacquer, if you get a GEM business strike. I informed both ICCS and CCCS of this two years ago, when they changed the year gift sets from having special 25c to loons.