I am new to collecting coins and therefore full of questions. I don't seem able to ask a question in the ask question section of the site though?! As a new arrival the ask question section would be the one I would be posting most of all, can anyone explain to me why I have had my account limited in this way? I'm not trying to cause bother, but I simply cannot fathom the logic of not being able to ask questions when it's the very thing a new arrival is bound to be full of? Please don't anyone get angry with me, I simply am without knowledge. Help!
Thank you for your friendly reply John, as I am as green as grass and only possess coins left to me by my late father, I ask in all innocence, is cleaning coins good or bad?
This article by Scott Travers explains what slabbing is, and he also lists ten myths about slabbing that every collector should be aware of... http://www.usgoldexpert.com/articles/the-10-greatest-myths-of-slabbed-coins/
And my other question about cleaning did you miss it or were you too shocked to answer? I am as green as grass, I came on here to learn so please don't think I am trying to be funny, I'm just a bit dumb at the moment.
Cleaning coins is not a good idea, especially for the novice, since that can ruin the value and collector appeal of a coin.
It depends on the coins and the type of cleaning. Common coins of little value don't suffer much devaluation from cleaning, simply because they aren't worth much to begin with. Less common coins can be ruined if they are not conserved properly. Your safest course of action is not to clean your coins at all. Post pictures of them on this forum and you'll get some good, experienced advice.
I will try and post some images. If the image system fails me, is it allowed to post the images in a blog and then post a link to it? I have been banned this morning for doing so on another forum. I'm now understandably timid.
No. Speaking only for myself, I dislike slabs intensely. But they do serve a purpose. If I were buying a rare and expensive coin, I would want the security of knowing that it was at least authenticated by a reputable TPG. But I'm not rich, so that's not a problem I have to deal with, lol.
I think you need a certain amount of posts on the forum before you can add images or links - I'm not sure about that. But if you're having problems, send me a PM and I'll give you my email. You can send the pictures to me and I'll post them.
Third Party Grader - the company that grades and encapsulates a coin. The most reputable ones are PCGS, NGC, and ANACS (for US coins).
I have posted a coin, do you see a photo or a little square with a red cross in it, like the site I got banned from?
I can see it. Don't clean it, it looks fine just as it is. It's well-circulated, but cleaning it would only diminish what value it has.
