Hi guys I've been collecting 1 oz silver kookaburras for a long while now and I can see some toning on one of my 2 oz specimens this has me very concerned, I hope to give this collection to my daughter in 20 odd years but want it to to a shiney surprise not a toned mess. Should I fork the membership fee out for pcgs slabbing on what I have. I buy in mint box with cert.. I'm about but 50 coins deep on the 1 oz privy guilded and proof. I don't want to have all my wheeling dealing and trading go down the drain bwcause I was too scared to crack a 30 yo cap. I've included a perfectly good 91 for comparison. Any advise or ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks Michael
Vaccum seal what you have with oxygen absorbers. As for toning you will never stop that on silver so why bother with it? Toned silver is a delight to the eye if it is natural and worth the wait for collectors looking for the untouched rounds.
Not sure if this helps, but the slabbing is not a surefire protection I think. Consider the currently extremely hot Una and the Lion 2 oz silver coin from Royal Mint, released earlier this year. Folks get them slabbed and flip them because there's no guarantee it won't get milk spots even after slabbing. They were selling for about $400 from the mint, now hovering around $2500. Fear of spotting vs. greed of retaining/increasing in value.... They can spot and or continue to tone even slabbed. Spots are pretty much negative for the value, toning is not (unless it's butt ugly). That said, I have a 1993 Kook with the eagle privy that I probably will end up slabbing, as it likely makes it easier to sell.
Seems I should just keep moisture down and look after them as best I can. I don't even like the look of a slabbed coin I just don't want my money to go down the drain and my kid is a stinker I can already hear the "why aren't they shiney" I guess it's time to accept if I want mint boxes and certs I can't have it slabbed too. I do like nice toning but some looks like trash.. I feel for those with the coins they can't even be sure won't spot that's terrible.
I put my collection into slabbed graded coins to ease of organizing them, Too much irregular packaging consume space on my storage. I did vacuumed pack the OMP together with the coin but my problem is, I can not view them easily, need to unpacked them. The packaging materials will eventually deteriorate soon, let say 15 years above. I observed it on my collection but also depending on its storage exposure. Of course, only the expensive coins or highly numismatic coin to be slabbed, the bullion and semi numis are in vacuum-pack sealed only. Everything more than 100usd is worth slabbing on my part. Even i already slabbed them i still add an extra protection by encasing them in a special plastic holder, aluminum attache' case or to be vacuumed pack again. For my long years of collecting, there is no sure protection that can make them perfectly same as newly minted. I suggest you do it both slabbed and vacuumed sealed.
I inherited alot from my grandfather and the fact there wasn't proper protection back when he was collecting means I have some rare coins that just don't have what it takes to be worth anything just because of the hard life they had. It was kinda heartbreaking to see 40 years of collection in such a ruined state. Granted coins were stored in nothing but pickle jars.
Line it up, research. Some of numismatic items can be sold in good price if you will only spend some of your time. If you learn to grade by yourself and eventually identify the condition, you can still get something from it most especially if they are made of precious metal. Some copper coins are worthy enough. Keep them at present state and research them one by one, avoid cleaning them, put them in 2X2 cards. You can use Numista ( https://en.numista.com/ ) to make your own inventory and make a file exported as xls. to have your own list. It will also help you to further identify including its rarity or something special on those coins. I hope this help, check it up yourself, Regards.... "filipinasbullion" Sample of my daughter's collection which we did together as form of bonding.
Thanks for the heads up on numista that is exactly what I need to get my head around all these coins. People know I like em so I keep getting them lol. All worth more than face to me even if it's a 5 cent piece.
I just thought and I never said kookaburras are of particular interest because of the low mint figures and 30 years of issue. That and being given some as gifts in the 90s.
