Coin identification and care questions 0

[Mike from Mercer]

Hello all, I am not much of a coin collector but I have a small pile of coins I have collected over the years such as wheat pennies, buffalo nickels, some silver dimes and quarters and a few silver dollars that I either got when I was a paperboy or accumulated through the years.  I have them in different vials etc. to store them, what is the correct way to store coins?  I noticed that some of my pennies have a green spot forming on them, what is that?  And finally my main question, I have just inherited this from a neighbor lady that I used to do little things for over the years, could just never take any money from her as I knew she didn't have it.  Her daughter brought it over and gave it to me, I am not sure what it is or why it is in the plastic case. Can some kind soul please let me know what I have?  Thank you all very much and be safe.

[comicdonna]

Saint Gaudens Double Eagle.

[Greenstang]

Welcome to the Forum-

That Double Eagle is about an ounce of solid gold and probably worth around $2200.00. Nice gift to get.

That plastic case means that it has been graded by PCGS with a grading of MS62. Do not take it out of the case as that is proof of its authenticity.

The green on your cents is corrosion on the copper, something like when copper water pipes start to turn green in areas.

 

[Mike from Mercer]

Thank you vey much for your reply.  Yes, I agree, it was a fantastic gift.  I was stunned when I got it and when I called her to tell her what it was and it had value, she told me she knew and I should still have it.  Wow, never expected anything let alone this.  Again, Thank you.

[Rummy13]

Is that Mercer Pa?

 

[Mike from Mercer]

Yes.

[VKurtB]

I keep telling you guys how awesome the Pennsylvania coin scene is.

[JKK]

If your coins with green stuff on them are in clear plastic tubes (I can see why you'd call them vials), they are probably getting PVC-slimed. This is not good. Older plastic holders used to contain PVC, which deteriorates and covers coins with a disgusting green slime. You should post a picture of one, just to get some confirmation. Most people here have seen plenty of PVC.

This is conservation, not cleaning, since the objective is not to remove healthy toning but to eliminate a surface corrosive that if uncorrected will ruin the coins completely. With that in mind, and if they are confirmed to be PVC-contaminated:

• Go buy some acetone. No, not nail polish remover; real acetone, comes in a can like paint thinner at Home Despot or Blowe's.
• Take them gently out of the tubes. Avoid scraping.
• Throw away the old tubes. Have some modern plan to replace them.
• Put them on a glass or unpainted porcelain platter, and cover them with acetone. Cover the platter.
• Come back in a bit, pour off the acetone on your driveway pavement.
• Repeat until the slime is off all the coins and the acetone is clear. Then repeat one more time just for good measure.
• Lay the coins on a cleaned cloth to air dry.

That Saint was a princely gift. You must have been very kind to her to deserve that.

[Mike from Mercer]

I will certainly have to give this a try.  I will post a picture or two when I go through them and put some kind of plan together for storage.  A long time ago at a coin show that I think was in one of the malls,  I bought some Whitman small coin PVC free storage poly bags, I can start using these.  Do they still they make  plastic coin storage tubes? After I see what I have maybe I could invest in some of those.  How should I store silver coins?  I have some silver dimes, quarters and a few halves that I need to properly store.  I have always heard that you should never clean silver coins, is this true?. I did hear once of a person who cleaned them with Heinz ketchup.  The Saint Gaudens was a most unexpected gift, I did not even know what it was.  Thank you to all for your help.

[Just Bob]

The acetone rinse that JKK described is safe, as long as you are careful, and make sure your last rinse is contaminate free. Otherwise, Do Not Clean Any Of Your Coins. Especially with something acidic or abrasive, like vinegar or toothpaste. You will ruin them, numismatically speaking.

[Rummy13]

16 hours ago, Mike from Mercer said:

Yes.

I  come from between there and Grove City.

 

[VKurtB]

8 hours ago, Rummy13 said:

I  come from between there and Grove City.

 

So then are you a whitetail deer, or do you only play one on TV?

[JKK]

The instructions I offered were very specific to a very specific situation, and I was very specific that before you do anything to any of them, you show us what you are seeing, so that we can confirm that the cure is right for the disease. I do not suggest you try any other methods or get any ideas that cleaning coins is a mainstream normal sensible activity. The key here is that the PVC--if that's what it is--is currently chowing down on the coin surfaces. The goal of the acetone treatment is to remove it completely so that it ceases this corrosion.

The trouble with tubes is that the coins inevitably rub against one another, and that any contamination trapped inside can affect all the coins. Tubes are fine for circulated common coins, but not for uncirculated coins. So it depends. If your coins are circulated and common, tubes are all right. If any of them are nice enough to care about, they're nice enough to put in flips.

[Modwriter]

Can I be specific, or more specific, That is not specific.

I love you JKK❤

[Mike from Mercer]

VKurtB, Sadly,  for some unknown reason the desire for the hunt is all but faded.  Have not gone out in a few years.

[Mike from Mercer]

JKK, Got it, in fact I am working on a plan right now.  My nephew from College is coming to stay with us a few days before Thanksgiving and staying until the Friday after, and he wants to check out the old coins and help me out.  In the meantime, With the help of my wife, we are going to amass all the coins I have "saved" that are all over the house and put them in one location, when the kid comes here, we are going to look them over and see what is what. I am sure at this time I will have some pictures to post.  Not going to clean any coins or do anything to them until I post a picture with the problem I am looking to correct.  I do have 2 glass beer pitchers that are both just about full of Bicentennial Quarters that my wife would like me to do something with and since they are circulated can I just roll these or is something else better?  A second part of current plan is to find out how to store paper money, to find out just what a paper pfennig is and what a "flip" is.  Thanks for the help and as time permits I will be searching to see what I can find out.  Looking forward to posting again sometime around Thanksgiving, Thanks again.

[JKK]

Young eyes are great for sorting out coins.

Two glass beer pitchers of bicentennial quarters should be deposited in your bank account or, better yet, given the change shortage see if anyone will pay a premium for them. It is very unlikely any are worth more than 25c.

There are sleeves you can get for paper money, with sizes from little bitty fractional notes to horse blanket 1800s currency. Some currencies don't really have any good fits, though.

A flip is a small individual non-rigid coin holder. Some are cardboard with mylar windows and you staple them shut around the coin; others are clear plastic with a little sleeve on each half, and you stick the coin in one side and an informational card in the other. The cardboard flips are way cheap. The clear plastic are less cheap but still not very expensive.

[Mike from Mercer]

2 last questions if you would be so kind, are buffalo nickels that have the date worn off worth anything?  I have some old Whitman coin books partially filled, would it be better to remove them from book and "coin flip" them, or just leave them in book?  I really do appreciate the help on this.  THANKS!!!

[JKK]

14 hours ago, Mike from Mercer said:

2 last questions if you would be so kind, are buffalo nickels that have the date worn off worth anything?  I have some old Whitman coin books partially filled, would it be better to remove them from book and "coin flip" them, or just leave them in book?  I really do appreciate the help on this.  THANKS!!!

There is a way to reveal the dates of dateless Buffs. It takes a product called Nic-a-date and a fair bit of precision and patience to get the technique right so that you end up with a visible date and no stain. (Or you could do like most people do and not bother with the details, and you will get to see the date--for a brief time before it's eaten away, so look quickly.) Bummer: it will be very obvious that you Nic-a-dated the coin, and that will count against it on value. You would rejoin, of course, that it's not worth a lot right now, and you'd be absolutely right. My point is this will tell you what it is, but it isn't going to turn the coin into wealth. It can however fill some spendy slots in your Buff collection.

On the Whitman albums, it depends how you want to collect. If they're all pretty worn and none are the key dates, it doesn't matter too much. If some are nice or expensive, I wouldn't keep them in there. The problem is the effect of the old paper's deterioration on the coin metal. I think most of us have mixed emotions about them because probably 90% of US since-childhood collectors got started with these blue albums, or something like them. They are symbols to us of the YNs that we once were, and who we now so love to see discovering our hobby. We know we probably should not be using them, but some love them so much they still do. My best friend actually sold a slabbed 09-S VDB and bought a raw one (haven't seen it; hope it's authentic) so he could fill that last slot in his childhood Whitman album.

[Mike from Mercer]

Thank you very much for your help, I have learned and am learning more as I go along.  Wife will be happy as I am actually going to work on "my coin mess" that is in various places, stored in whatever all over the house.  Coin flips are on order. Kid is excited about checking out the coins when he comes. I am sure I will repost a lot more questions as we get things sorted out, will post pictures this time!   Again, thanks to you and all for the help and I will be looking for it again when we get moving on our plan. Stay safe.