Okay I could not find the word numismatism but that’s what this blog post is about, the numismatist (coin collector) performing his/her numismatic duty (collecting coins) —but before I go there Tis-the Season (in my area anyway) when the garage sellers start packing in their garage sale items until next year, and the time when most of my antique fortune hunting turns inward (inside the thrift stores) exclusively.
The local thrift stores near me have gone into Halloween mode devoting whole sections of the store to Halloween costumes, makeup and other scary looking props. It’s funny how the little collector’s knowledge I have managed to acquire has changed the way I look at things when I’m on the hunt for antiques, or collectible items, nothing in costumes yet though.
I doubt if I’ll ever achieve the level of expertise of the refined collectors associated with the Antiques-Road-Show or perhaps even the local antiques shop owner but for me the fun is in the search, and right now that search is for model railroad memorabilia, but!
I did learn a few things about coin collecting since my last blog post and wanted to share.
My small coin collection (yes I have one of those too) shown in the picture here-above is more of the stumble across variety than the controlled confident numismatist approach to coin collecting. I say that because I learned that when you collect coins most of the true collectors tend to collect them in groups, you know like 1944 Dollar, Half-Dollar, Quarter, nickel, dime and penny all for that particular year in time.
I suppose you do it that way so as not to end up with the hodge-podge of coinage that I have, that by-the-way is truly a treasure chest to me because while it is filled with coins from many different countries so far I’m rich in money I can’t spend; kind of like having all kinds of money only no cash. Anyway my style of collecting is discouraged from what I understand even though, like me, many people with metal detectors and, in some cases, only a shovel excel in my style of collecting.
I learned that the few pieces of coin I did find in the ground years ago and proceeded to clean and shine them up for an offering would not have been accepted by a true numismatist—because it was cleaned. Seems the pros prefer very old coins, darkened by human finger oils, temperature, and time just the way they are. Now to be honest when I heard that I was left wondering why? Was it because they wanted to be the one who cleaned it themselves?
The condition of the coin is important to a collector just in case you have coins you are considering parting with, the condition of the coin is how collectible coins are graded, I didn’t get all the details but it amounted to three categories “very good” or almost perfect, with the date and other important identifying characteristics clearly visible on the metal of the coin. “Not so good” to poor was the next class down, where there might be a date and other identifiers that were obviously worn and perhaps hard to see.
The last category amounted to the junk coin class which by-the-way still had some value even if greatly diminished because of a coins condition. Some collectors collect only the best or top grading coins, others settle only on the middle market, keeping away from the higher grade and lower grade coins, and there are those who specialize only on what I call the junk coin grade. Then there are the guys like me, a collector with a collection born of opportunity, luck (being in the right place at the right time) a collection made up of no particular coin groupings.
The metal a particular coin is made from is important too; Gold & Silver still rule even though the price for gold and silver does tend to go up and down in value, which brings me to what I was going to say about cleaning your coins, and making them nice and shiny. The coins my metal detector guided me to once upon a time were copper, and silver, I didn’t use anything fancy to clean them meaning I didn’t use a chemical solvent or anything.
The concoction I used was made up of vinegar, and table salt, I mixed table salt with vinegar into a coffee cup dropped my two tarnished black coin into the cup and let them sit in the extra briny mix overnight. The next day I cleaned them with a little dishwashing soap and water. One of them (a 1909 wheat penny) showed a little shine. The other (a 1941 U.S. half-dollar) was only about halfway there. Another treatment of vinegar and salt, followed by a soap & water wash made the half dollar about as shiny as it was going to get. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have left them both the way I found them and not over cleaned ‘em.
If any of you are interested in coin collection, or have a small treasure chest full of coin the way I do and want some idea of what your coin, or collection is worth, do as I have done get yourself a nice sized Sherlock Holmes spyglass and pick up a copy of the publication: The official Red Book, A Guide Book of U.S. Coins, by R.S. Yeoman, Kenneth Bresset and others. The price I saw on E-Bay was in the 12 to 14 dollar range, the book comes in paperback or hardcover version. The Red book lists U.S. and some other coins along with their estimate value and tips about coin condition. Their coin rating system rates on the order of 1 to 70 with the upper end of the range being mint-condition, and 1 being at the opposite end of the scale somewhere under-low. That way if you decide to offer your collection for sale or show them amongst numismatists you’ll have a ball-park-figure idea of what your coin collection, single coin, or coin you plan to buy, is worth.