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 Replies: 51 / Views: 4,428 |
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Valued Member
United States
104 Posts |
First, let me tell you this. My father,(96), read an article somewhere that coins are very popular again. We had an ice storm this week. Dad was bored, he went to his safe desposit box and brought, " a few old coins," for us to play with while stuck inside. MY dinning room, ( seats 8), table is now holding everything from a 1986 golden eagle, to wheat pennies, and everything inbetween. I won't tell you how he was keeping them, you will cry, but it has something to do with tupperwhare. after I picked my jaw up off the floor, I got out the magnify glass, and have worked my way though a good bit. I got out a compostion notebook started with the Golden eagle, the Morgans, the Peace, and some things called Half Dimes ,and so on. I figured out how to find the mint marks, have spent several hours on the https://www. and all I've managed to discover is how much I don't know. Seriously overwhelmed, no idea where to start or what to do next. for instance, I have 70 wheat pennies that Dad wants to take to the melter, I made him wait. He was going to spend or cash in the eisenhauer dollars because they are past 1964.? I have several Morgans, Peace, I have a 1922 uncirculated Peace, in a plastic case, as a good luck charm from some kentucky whiskey brand. It's so pretty, bright white and just perfect.It was on top of the pile. so, what do I do first? how do I find out about these pennies? how do I keep these coins the right way? ok, lets pretned I'm not 56. Lets pretend I'm your ten yr old daughter, and your teaching me about coin collecting. You can't offend me with what you may think patronizing as the depth of my ignorance on this subject is abysmal. thanks for listening, and thanks for any and all help you may give, Sunny in NC several 1923 Peace one of which is amazing!THese coins are beautiful! OK... I think I might be getting hooked. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1042 Posts |
First things first Sunny in NC,  to CCF. Next, it's very late here on the forums and I'm guessing that you'll find lots of help by the time you wake up tomorrow. So don't feel as if your post hasn't been read. My first suggestion is that you get a " RedBook". I think the correct title of it is "A guidebook of United States coins". It is published yearly, and can be found in most major bookstores. Don't worry about getting hooked. That's a good thing!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4989 Posts |
Edited by fenton
01/11/2011 11:17 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1510 Posts |
1. well you came to right forum you will learn alot here
2. don't melt anything
3. dont clean any coins
4. Listen to the people on here who know volumes more than me...
Good Luck.
Retired USAF 1983-2003
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Valued Member
 United States
104 Posts |
first off, I am off to A. hit Amazon for that book, and B. check out those links. I promise NOT to clean them, but I will keep them on the table until I figue out how to store them properly. ( my guess is rolling around inside a tupperware container was not a great idea?) Sheesh. I was going to learn enough about them to give them a fair grade and sell them, but they are, each one, a work of art. I may have fallen in love. Coinstar, I also thank you for your service to our country. Sincerly. My son is in the Navy right now, and will soon be deployed for 8months on a HUGE aircraft carrier. how do I keep these coins stored and cataloged? is there a special way to do it? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1042 Posts |
Quote:
I was going to learn enough about them to give them a fair grade and sell them, but they are, each one, a work of art. I may have fallen in love. Ain't love grand?  2X2 coin holders will help store the coins. Keep them away from any moisture. I'll also add my thanks here to your son for his service. And to Coinstar. God bless. My son will be heading overseas sometime later this year. USAF... |
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Valued Member
United States
64 Posts |
First Welcome to Coin Community!
Knowledge is money in this hobby. Learn all you can about the coins you have before doing anything with them. They have been in your family for years and there is no reason to rush in selling or trading them off.
Feel free to ask questions about specific coins...even include pics if you want.
The people here are really helpful.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
actually I have seen people put coins in tuperware containers before because they are close to air tight. They usually have them in something else before putting them in the tupperware but I don't think the tupperware will actually do any harm to the coins and may help some of them from toning. Now I will say I have never done this and I am no chemist so I do not know what exactly tupperware is made of but I do know the ones I have seen that has been stored this way for 30 years didn't suffer any damage from the container. The ones stored in a old tin can looked horrible in this time but the ones in the containers like you mentioned didn't have any ill effects of the way they were stored at all.
Now with all this said, I noticed the name you have chosen and was wondering if you live in NC and if so what part. I live just south of Charlotte is why I ask
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Moderator
 United States
16677 Posts |
Welcome!
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Valued Member
United States
327 Posts |
Just a couple of thoughts. I'm not sure what your plans are for these coins. Do you plan on collecting or are you just preserving them for your kids or ? I ask this because that overwhelming feeling is understandable. Many collectors focus on only one or two series and even that can be a life long challenge. If you are just trying to determine which coins are valuable and which aren't, then you can probably use the guide in the previous post or research the completed auctions on ebay. I for one had a lot of Eisenhower dollars that I was given by a friendly bank teller. I ended up selling them as a lot on ebay. I think they go for around $1.40 each or so. But if you are interested in collecting, they are kind of cool. So I guess it just depends on what you want to do with them. I do not recommend selling them at a coin shop, pawn shop or any other place that may take advantage. Do the research and then if there are some that you want to sell, consider ebay or one of the coin auction houses. Good choice not to melt the wheat cents for the copper! Here again, date and condition are key. I collect Lincoln's so I probably have to many but you could also consider selling the lower grade/value cents elsewhere. You will have to put in the research time and then decide what is worth working on. Exciting stuff. I wish you all the best with your endeavor. Edited by johnstac
01/12/2011 02:41 am
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Valued Member
United States
268 Posts |
Welcome to Coin Community, coin collecting can become addictive. I am pretty new to Coin Community, and only been collecting my self for about 2 years. Take your time and research what you have and also ask alot of questions there are a lot of knowledgeable people here at Coin Community.
There is no dumb questions, the dumb question is the one that is not asked. Also if you looked around the forum, you see that we take alot of pictures. I think anybody here will tell you, we like pictures. That will also help everybody ansewer your questions about your fathers coins.
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Valued Member
United States
104 Posts |
ok, thanks to all. I see I am in for a tutorial, LOL> that's fine, I love to learn. At this point I have no idea what I'll do with them all, I like to make informed decisions, and I know nothing at this point.
hey, I guess the next thing is get that book. ( the links you gave me were great,) The pennies are all dark, and from 1936 to about 1959. good shape, just dark, to bad no 1943, LOL.everything but. I do have a couple 1933 that are kinda silver in color, I need that book I guess. so learn about coins, then learn how to take pictures and post them on here.
off to bed, thanks again all. I guess I go to coin shoppes for holders or maybe e-bay?
I live around Raleigh, Bryan. How'd ya like the snow/ice?
one more obs. I was a nurse for 20 years, and after a day of handling coins, I notice a funny taste in my mouth. Must be the silver absorbed through skin? Very metallic and unpleasant. Perhaps gloves are in order as well? and I'm kinda itchy around my mouth. ( no, I didn't eat them)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4000 Posts |
Welcome to CCF! So glad you decided to ask here first before doing anything. I'm with Bryan on not knowing if tupperware would do anything long term, but I do know the "rolling around" in them part isn't good. A huge part of a coins value is it's condition. Fingerprints, dings, dents and scratches will all reduce their potential value. Sit back, take a deep breath and a little patience will go a long way with the learning process. You have at your fingertips lifetimes of information and people willing to share it. And, by all means, quit licking the coins. We prefer to just  on them. Edited by Scooby Due
01/12/2011 02:37 am
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
Welcome!
You won't be collecting coins long if you were to melt the pennies and get caught!
Current law prohibits pennies and nickels from being melted.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Tupperware is manufactured from polyethylene. So far as coins are concerned, it's inert.
(I guess that is the opposite of 'ert'?)
Seriously though, unlike PVC it does not come with a plasticiser which can leach out as a gas, nor is there any chlorine in it's makeup. That's why plastic bags are safe for use with food. (So is Tupperware).
Tupperware boxes would also be perfectly useful with silica gel included with coins stored therein. The only problem with Tupperware boxes I have come across is that they have tapered sides, and so stacking 2x2's inside becomes a problem.
A lot of dealers use them as junk boxes.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
880 Posts |
I will second this site: http://www.numismedia.com/It has been, in my opinion, the easiest way to get a general idea of what your coin is worth. Of course prices vary, but it's quite helpful. Learning what grade the coin is... well I started collecting about 6 months ago and it's not the easiset thing. I'm pretty profficient in 2-3 types of coins, but to have such a large assortment such as yourself could be very hard. As for the gloves, you sound like you need them. I too have a serious allergy to metals (unfortunately I've never been tested for which ones), but coins don't do it to me. I always have to wear latex gloves when working on a car, but on coins cloth gloves work okay (they also keep that nasty smell of coins off your hands if you're handling a lot). I haven't had a ton of coffee yet, so I'll stop rambling and check back later in the day :). |
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Replies: 51 / Views: 4,428 |
Posted 01/11/2011 11:16 pm
