Inherited collection

[Guest reluctant_numismatist]

Hello,

I have spent the past few nights looking through the coin collection my late Father put together over 40 years from the mid-1950's onwards and whilst I wasn't particularly looking for yet another collecting obsession, I've decided to keep hold of it anyway. I've therefore got a couple of questions I'd like to pose to the well-informed and friendly community here (I've been lurking for the past couple of days...)

I've been a Notaphilist for the past 25 years and so am reasonably au fait with the art of collecting; dealers, lists, fairs, the joys of spending hours rummaging through grot boxes in dingy backstreet antique and collectors emporiums in the hope of a rare discovery, the pitfalls of buying/selling on eBay and the finer points grading interpretation (like at what point exactly does my VF+ turn into your aEF?) but coins are a new departure for me.

Dad had his collection housed in paper rolls, assorted boxes and flips, but I'd like to house it in the same way as my banknotes to display them to best effect - in transparent leaves in ring-binder albums. I think I'd prefer this by denomination so can anyone recommend a good make of album and leaves that are designed for particular coin sizes? E.g for ha'pennies, pennies, sixpences, florins etc...

I just know (I can feel it coming <groan>) that I am going to want to fill gaps or replace fillers with better specimens so I've ordered a copy of "British Coins Market Values 2009" to get myself informed, is this a good book or is there a better equivalent to my Pick banknote catalogue in the coin world?

Finally, (and I appreciate this is contentious) cleaning. I know the general view of this is exactly the same as in the world of banknotes, but I have a particular problem; Some of the plastic flips Dad used were of early 1960's vintage and pre-date Tyvek, so the oils in the plastic have sweated. I've seen this before with banknotes and it utterly destroys them, coins are made of sterner stuff with silver and n/s coins just being tacky to the touch, but some bronze and copper coins have a gooey blackish film on them. Any ideas as to how I might clean them up so they are at least presentable before I rehome them?

As I was looking through the collection my Mum remembered a time back in 1960 when she'd needed to pay the milkman. Not having enough money in her purse she went and used the coins she knew were in a tin at the back of the dresser. Dad was distraught when he got home and saw the empty tin - those had been his prize Victorian pennies!

[azda 979]

Lol, a great story about your mum paying the milkman, and yes we do know that you are going to start purchasing fillers, so all i can say is "welcome to the world of coins"

As for the rest of your questions, am sure some of the rear guard will be along soon to help you out, i am fairly new myself to collecting, a mere pup to some of the older generation on here, but they are a helpful lot and don't bite to hard.

Welcome to the forum also.

[Red Riley 2]

I've been a Notaphilist for the past 25 years and so am reasonably au fait with the art of collecting; dealers, lists, fairs, the joys of spending hours rummaging through grot boxes in dingy backstreet antique and collectors emporiums in the hope of a rare discovery, the pitfalls of buying/selling on eBay and the finer points grading interpretation (like at what point exactly does my VF+ turn into your aEF?) but coins are a new departure for me.

I will answer this one. The finer points of grading are extremely difficult to assess and in all honesty, nobody does it entirely consistently. I'm afraid the answer is something like 'spend 10 years studying and then guess!'. I would suggest that e-bay is not the place to learn grading but good honest dealers are, which can mean a lot of web-surfing as I would imagine that more coins are reliably depicted online than is the case with banknotes.

[davidrj 194]

some bronze and copper coins have a gooey blackish film on them. Any ideas as to how I might clean them up so they are at least presentable before I rehome them?

Rinse them in acetone followed by distilled water, PVC gunk will be removed, but this wont restore any damage to the surfaces, not usually a problem if the coins where retrieved from circulation.

enjoy, and welcome to coin collecting!

:-)

David

[Mat 2]

Hi, if you stick a couple of pics on here of the coins you would most like to know the real grade I am sure most of on here would give you a more accurate guide of the grade than you might find anywhere else!

In regards to banknote grading, there is a much less uniform system of doing it and each people will use a different one. A lot of people start with a 100 point system, take off 10 points for each fold, 5 for minor creaes, 20 off for holes etc...

However you cannot use the same idea for banknotes to grade coins. As RED RILEY said do not use ebay to judge grading, most on there have grades the coins 1 or 2 x up from its real grade. EF should only show the slightest wear at the highest points. Most people grade a true EF as mint UNC!

[Rob 3,152]

As RED RILEY said do not use ebay to judge grading, most on there have grades the coins 1 or 2 x up from its real grade. EF should only show the slightest wear at the highest points. Most people grade a true EF as mint UNC!

Or a fair to fine as high grade, stunning etc.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Rob

[Peckris 579]

I just know (I can feel it coming <groan>) that I am going to want to fill gaps or replace fillers with better specimens so I've ordered a copy of "British Coins Market Values 2009" to get myself informed, is this a good book or is there a better equivalent to my Pick banknote catalogue in the coin world?

This very much depends. That book you've mentioned is a "market follower", it is a fairly simplistic guide to coin values. If your interest mainly stems from 1797 onwards, then a better book - and a cheaper one - would be the Coin Collectors GB series which this site's Chris Perkins publishes, and has a long publication history history. It contains many of the minor varieties you'd find it hard to see in other guides.

However, if you think your interest may go back to Roman eventually, then the "bible" for collectors and dealers is the Spink "Standard Catalogue" which is carried by most large libraries if you want to look at it before you buy one. As it costs between £20 and £25 that would be a wise move.

As you specialise (if you do) there are more detailed works, most of which don't carry prices. You will hear mention of Peck, ESC, Davies, Freeman, Gouby, etc.

Good luck and welcome to the hobby!

[Guest reluctant_numismatist]

As RED RILEY said do not use ebay to judge grading, most on there have grades the coins 1 or 2 x up from its real grade. EF should only show the slightest wear at the highest points. Most people grade a true EF as mint UNC!

Or a fair to fine as high grade, stunning etc.

Oh right, so exactly as with banknotes on eBay then, where undeserved and mendicacious superlatives abound; Beautiful note! Crisp! Uncirculated! Flawless! You will not find better at this grade!! Rare!!! Scarce!!!! The more exclamation marks there are in the description, usually the more sceptical it makes me!!!!!

Mind you, I can think of a few "respectable" banknote traders who suffer from excessive optimism in their grading (and pricing) too, some of them also deal in coins so it'll be interesting to go back and look at their offerings from the other side as it were.

[Mat 2]

As RED RILEY said do not use ebay to judge grading, most on there have grades the coins 1 or 2 x up from its real grade. EF should only show the slightest wear at the highest points. Most people grade a true EF as mint UNC!

Or a fair to fine as high grade, stunning etc.

Oh right, so exactly as with banknotes on eBay then, where undeserved and mendicacious superlatives abound; Beautiful note! Crisp! Uncirculated! Flawless! You will not find better at this grade!! Rare!!! Scarce!!!! The more exclamation marks there are in the description, usually the more sceptical it makes me!!!!!

Mind you, I can think of a few "respectable" banknote traders who suffer from excessive optimism in their grading (and pricing) too, some of them also deal in coins so it'll be interesting to go back and look at their offerings from the other side as it were.

I can shed a slightly extra perspective on sellers listings with these things as I am a trainee Trading Standards Officer so I am used to dealing with the legalities of titles and descriptions... (although this will be obvious to you anyway!)

The use of an ! after a condition to the buyer is obviously meant to create a quality implication that is really is 'flawless' or 'EF' or what ever they are exclaiming. It means nothing, its nothing more than a character on a keyboard in the sense of describing a condition on ebay. Unless you come accross a a well known reputable dealer to your self that you rely on, your best bet on ebay or closely exam comprehensive high res photos, always ask the ebay seller to send photos to your email address, and you examin and zome in much better then. (!!)