World coins question

kiona

kiona

Well-Known Member
Silver Stacker
I recently bought some bulk lots of world coins... nothing overly special but since I'm new to silver it's been fun going through them. Most of the coins have 50% - 80% silver content. I don't think any single coin is worth more than $10-15. Anyway, at this stage I'm more interested in their aesthetic appeal rather than value or rarity.

What is the best way to protect and display the coins that I want to keep?
Capsules?
2 x 2 cardboard holders?
Plastic sheets with pockets?

(please forgive me if I'm using incorrect terminology but hopefully you know what I'm referring to)

Also similar question for the coins that I want to move on again... should I put them in cardboard holders and price individually, or maybe in small groups according to country or silver content, or just bundle them up into a bulk lot and let the next person enjoy going through them?

Finally, everything I have read so far about coins is "never, ever, not under any circumstances, clean them". Does it really matter if they're relatively cheap common coins? I understand "patina" and some are quite nicely toned so I can see reason for not cleaning them. But others just look scruffy and you can't clearly see the details. I so badly wanna give 'em a good scrub till they're clean and shiny!
Is this really a shameful crime??!! :eek: or just do it anyway and blame the kids? :rolleyes:
 
Once I bought a large box of silver coins just like you did around silver spot price or less. Nothing was special value amongst them except one coin. I sold that single coin for more, what I paid for the entire large box of silver.
 
I would say that it depends on your goals and the condition of the coins as they are now as to where you store your coins and whether or not you clean them. If the coins are in obviously circulated condition, then I probably don't think cleaning them is a problem (granted, they are not rare or valuable coins even in circulated condition).
 
All good questions and as stated above by coins AZ
(don't ask me how but there is a way to select parts of a post to quote)
Work out your goal
If you have a bag of mixed and each one is worth between 10 and 15. regardless of grade or country there is no way you will increase their value with 'a good scrub'. in fact quite the opposite.
By all means pick out some low value stuff and practice the art of cleaning without cleaning but forget about making an old coin look better by scrubbing it
That's only IMHO
 
The coins are definitely circulated but mostly in good condition with some still having fairly sharp details and traces of lustre. But a lot of the detail is lost on some, not because they're worn, but because they are quite dark and grimy. A few have a sticky substance on them. I'd at least like to clean the dirt and sticky stuff off them.

I'm only interested in looking at and enjoying the coins that I'm planning to keep... not out to make a profit, long or short term. And same goes for the ones I don't want and intend to resell... not trying to make money, just wanting to know how others might prefer to buy... individual coins (buy only what they want) or lucky dip as a bulk lot.

Edited to add... most of the coins aren't worth more than $2-5. Maximum value for a few of the rarer dates seems to be about $10-15.
 
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I store low-value world coins in plastic sheets with pockets. It's cheaper, easier to store, and view.
That's just works for me, but everyone has their own system. Sometimes it is trial and error.
In regards cleaning, I tend to not bother. Exception is round fifties - soak for a week in a diluted vinegar an distilled water and then a final soak in plain distilled water with a light rub. I like my fiddies shiny, and hey, they're bullion anyway.
I agree with kilo- have fun and experiment with them
 
Nice tip Casper!
One of my favourite cleaning without cleaning methods ;)

Not into solvo or silver dip but hey that's just me. (Having said that there are coins in my collection that have been subject to such methods)

Try as many methods as you can kiona experiment to find what works best for you. Sounds like you are embarking on the mystical path of coin enhancement :cool:

My tip as an old fuddie duddie is to evaluate your success by taking a good close look using a standard 8x loupe before and after the process.

Have fun with it mate!
 
Bullion value coins I like to be shiney, warm vinegar and a bit of salt in a glass bowl, soak the coins for a day or two, then wash em under water, that will remove most tarnish and corrosion, if you want them really shiney, after doing the above, mix a thick paste of bicarbonate soda and water in a plastic container with a lid and give it a good swirl, don't shake or you'll ding up all the coins, then wash off with water, try not to rub the coins with a cloth or you will leave scratches all in one direction that will really stand out, the bicarbonate paste polishes and won't leave big marks, don't do this to any coin worth more than about its bullion value

As for storage the various sizes makes it hard to find exact size tubes or caps, round 50s go In tubes, the rest I have in plastic bags, 1 type of coin per bag and I put 5 Troy of silver in each bag, but like Casper says in his post, storage is just whatever works for you, any coins worth a bit more than bullion go in 2x2 then in a folder
 
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I have a different view, if it has little numi value like 50c and regular predecimals I tumble them for super polish look.

Basically it is only worth spot or -5% to 5% than it's not going up in value.
 
One point to note, is if you decide to use plastic sheets to store coins, vinyl plastics will over time produce a green tinge to the coin.
This is a reaction to the copper in the coin. Not a major issue but could be disconcerting to you if caught unawares.
 

If you are looking to make any money selling the coins the worst thing you could do would be to clean a valuable coin. You will lose money.

It is easy enough to check though. Just go to a website like Numista https://en.numista.com/catalogue/index.php and put in the coin details. You will immediately find out the mintage and composition of the coin and be able to gauge a rough rarity of the coin. Numista also has links to current ebay sales so you can see how much similar coins are on sale for.

Checking eBay completed sales is a good way of checking how much your coin is actually selling for.

If the coin is only selling for melt value then you have nothing to lose by giving it a clean.

Before and After cleaning

Before and After cleaning

  • Media owner Jislizard
  • Date added
Two damaged coins, soaked in cloudy ammonia and rubbed with sodium bicarbonate. Several cleans...
Before and after Cleaning

Before and after Cleaning

  • Media owner Jislizard
  • Date added
Soaking in Cloudy ammonia followed by a rub with a paste of sodium bicarbonate
Cloudy Ammonia without Sodium Bicarbonate

Cloudy Ammonia without Sodium Bicarbonate

Before and after shots of a coin cleaned by soaking it in Cloudy Ammonia for five minutes and...

If I have a silver coin that it isn't worth going to the effort and fees of putting on eBay then I tend to clean them.

The normal way of a short soak in cloudy ammonia to remove grease and oils and then a quick polish with sodium bicarbonate to remove the patina is all they get.

Once they have been cleaned there is little point in putting them in 2x2s or in an album. You could put them in an album if you want to make them easier to find but why go to the expense and additional work for a coin that is only worth melt value? If it was worth a bit of money then it is worth spending a bit to protect them, but otherwise...

185_zpshaj50wqf.jpg


Most coins that have been circulated already have wear and scratches so a little extra wear when you clean then is not really going to make much difference. However collectors do not want their coins to be bright a shiny if they are 100 years old and will usually avoid cleaned coins or ask for a discount.
 
Thanks to everyone for the advice and encouragement! I finally got brave enough to give it a try. I experimented with a) plain soap and hot water, b) warm vinegar and salt, and c) sodium bicarbonate. (I have yet to try cloudy ammonia, will do so as soon as I'm able to get hold of some).

It was a great learning experience and I'm really glad that you all gave me lots of encouragement to give it a go. Honestly, I reckon I learned more in an hour spent cleaning a few grimy coins than I would have gleaned from a years worth of reading and studying why not to clean them. I think I will now be better at spotting coins that have been cleaned, including those which might have been cleaned many years ago. I also have a much better understanding and greater respect for what a coin has to go through over the decades to develop its toning... and how bicarb or other cleaners can remove 100 years of patina in a matter of seconds... so you'd better be sure that's what you really want because it could take another 100 years to get that patina back again!

Also, while I'm very pleased with the dazzling results of the grimy/badly toned coins, I've found that I actually prefer (nicely) toned over clean and shiny, so unless cleaning is likely to be an improvement I'll probably leave anything that's looks okay as it is.

So thanks again, everyone for all your replies. Jislizard, wonderful pics and info, thanks for going to the time and trouble to post, it's been really helpful. I'd actually been thinking about getting a small treasure chest as a display for the coins... now I'm convinced... yours looks great!
 
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If you want to clean but keep the patina then try soaking in acetone.

It is nasty stuff for skin but doesn't do anything to coins.

It will dissolve oils and grease off of the surface of your coins, it is this oil and grease that is holding the dirt in place. Acetone will also remove sticky tape residue and quite a few other contaminants.

After soaking you can get a cotton bud (on a stick) and dip it in acetone and then roll it over the surface of the coin. This is the best way of picking up the dirt without rubbing the surface of the coin.

It is time consuming, the acetone will give you a headache, it is highly flammable and it will strip all the oils out of your finger tips, you can wear rubber gloves but it will eat through them in no time. I buy big bottles of it from Bunnings for a couple of dollars, if you buy it from a chemist it costs a fortune.

If you want to give them a good clean but keep the patina and your health, a few seconds swirling in cloudy ammonia and then skip the sodium bicarbonate will remove the grease and most of the oils but leave stains and most patina on the coin. It might lighten the coin a little, the longer you leave it in the lighter and cleaner they get.

Soaking in Acetone

Soaking in Acetone

  • Media owner Jislizard
  • Date added
Coin soaked in acetone for 24 hours to removed sticky tape residue. Patina is unchanged and...

In the picture above the coin on the left had crossing sticky tape (probably to keep it in an album) residue as a brown crust on the surface. A night in acetone and a quick dab with cotton wool removed the residue. The remaining marks are where the tape protected the coin from environmental damage. The patina was fine though.

Here is another coin that got the acetone treatment to remove some dried on gunk

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Soaking in acetone

Soaking in acetone

  • Media owner Jislizard
  • Date added

And here is another, it had a green tinge to it, acetone removed whatever that was and left the patina
Slide6.JPG

Of course I couldn't leave it alone...
Slide7.JPG
Here it still has many of the surface stains and a lot of patina, certainly doesn't look like it just came out of the mint.

But f course...

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Here it looks like it is brand new, except for all the tell tale wear and surface marks.
 

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Jislizard said:
And here is another, it had a green tinge to it, acetone removed whatever that was and left the patina
Click to expand...
Hi
The green tinge is usually Verdigris. Copper Carbonate or Copper Chloride. Exposure to sea air or pollutants or stored in vinyl sleeve will cause the copper in the silver alloy to tinge green. Pure silver will not react this way.
 
I have heard it called PVC residue more often than verdigris. I have no doubt that the Hydrochloric acid would be only too happy to produce copper chloride though, I think that there are a lot of other chemicals also being deposited as well. It is a sticky gunk and it leaves an impression of the coin on the coin page.

I noticed before they got this bad
green-pvc-coins.jpg

http://www.australian-coins.com/blog/2010/04/pvc-residue-and-pvc-damage-on-coins.html

Acetone does a good job of shifting it but I usually go straight to cloudy ammonia for the silver coins, much more effective and by the time the coins are damaged there is no sense in worrying about giving them a clean.

Sadly cloudy ammonia and copper or brass coins is not a good idea so I am back to acetone for those.

I keep my pure silver in capsules so I have never had to suffer any problems with them, I would be furious if they had been damaged, I am still going through the albums finding coins I had forgotten I had, I have a big pile of coins to spend and a bigger pile of coins to try and save. Many will just end up in the recycling.

I have had trouble with verdigris in the past on my copper coins, I have used VerdiCare http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/products/verdi-care.html and although not magic, it does a pretty good job.
 
Great information passed on by all. Really appreciate the positive feedback. It allows us that are new to Stacking an opportunity to learn. Thanks again :);)
 
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