What to do with Foreign coins

Anyone know if I should encase any one of these coins ?


1. Great Britain
1. 1921 One Penny
2. 1929 One Penny
3. 1929 Half Penny
4. 1874-S, 1919, 1936, 1937, 1938 & 1940 Farthing.
5. 1924 British Empire Exhibition coin.

State of Jersey
1. 1866 1/13 of a Shilling – (2 holes)

2. West South Africa
1. 1937 Half Shilling
2. 1930 one Shilling
3. 1940 6 Pence
4. 1862 10 Centimes – Misca ? – (2 holes)

3. East Africa
1. 1935 10 Cents

4. France
1. 1916 1 Franc
2. 1922 1 Franc
3. 1923 50 Centimes
4. (3)1924 1 Francs
5. 1924 2 Francs
6. (2)1925 1 Francs
7. 1925 50 Cmes
8. 1938 2 Francs

5. Germany
1. 1907 1 Mark
2. 1898 10 Pfennig

6. Netherland
1. 1925 1 Cent

7. Palestine
1. 1927 2 Mills

 

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Only if any of them are in truly superb and original condition. Don't see anything particularly scarce among your list.

 

Thanks for the imput Numismat. Most coins are Vg to Fine condition. I wish some were in Superb or original state as I like the images on most foreign coins.

 

in a word no,

 

What is this obsession with encasing coins in the US.
Coins all over the world for century`s have survived without being entombed in a plastic coffin.
Is it just when a coin reaches or is produced in the US that it has to be buried.

The plastic used by the slabbing companies is usually some kind of trade secret, but no doubt it's as stable and inert as their R&D departments can make it, and should do no harm to the coins for the short or medium term. But frankly, we simply don't know how any kind of plastic will behave in the long term - plastic hasn't been invented for long enough. They can do all the artificial ageing tests they like, but the only true test of how a material ages is to wait around for several centuries and see what actually happens.

We know some plastics degrade very quickly, and destroy any metallic objects embedded in them as they degrade (the plasticized PVC you often find in cheap coin albums is an excellent example). We also know that plastics are not eternal, and slabs certainly will not last as long as the gold, silver and copper coins they are purporting to protect.

Be Warned.:devil:

 

Davey,
In most cases slabbing is more about added value than conservation. Blame the markets, not the slabber. =)

 

and therein lies the massive difference between us and uk collectors. over here slabbing is very much against the grain.......

 

So if you ain't going to get them slabed...........................You could just give them to me.

 

OK, I guess I used the wrong term. I did not mean slabbing the coins. I indended to say; Should I protect any one of these coins or give special consideration to preservation.

 

Its also market specific. Us ancient collectors are also truly against the act. In fact, not much more in life gives me more pleasure that cracking a slab. Not all Yanks are willing to entomb our coins, even my US coins breath free air, as it were.

It is also true what Numismat says, many US collectors only collect slabbed coins, and seem to have some kind of fascination with the numerical grade someone else thinks the coin is. Many times I believe they collect the graded plastic more than what is inside.

Chris

 

People do have a bad habit of bidding on the slab rather than the coin. It's especially difficult when the plastic covering the obv/rev of the coin has been "conveniently" marred, and then when you crack it you find a problem.
Had this happen with a 1779 Russian gold 2 rouble coin. Looked just fine through the plastic, which had a whizzed look only over the coin viewing parts. When I cracked it (with the help of members in a recent thread) the adjustment marks left on the high points of the design became evident.

 

i thoroughly enjoy the tactile element of coin collecting. when you hold an alexander the great tetradrachm in your hand (cotton glove) you wonder who has held it before you...........that for me is the joy of coin collecting.

 

Don't encase them!

Two things:

1) Does anyone remember the trend in the 1970's when coins and insects were encased in resin? What a crime!

2) Last night I watched a documentary on Cleopatra. An Archeologist was examining ancient coins from the Cairo museum with Cleopatra's image on them. No gloves. His greasy fingers were all over them coins.

Just thought I'd mention that.

 

I completely agree, there is a tactile enjoyment that cannot be duplicated through plastic.

 

Eh, I handle my ancient coins, (sans gloves), as often as I wish. Ancients aren't little sissy coins that a fingerprint will mar. They have thick, sturdy patinas built up over the centuries. I will admit if they are something like a sassanid silver coin just recently cleaned I will not handle it, but clean hands and sturdy patina will lead to no damage.

It was funny you mention Cleo VII, since I literally had poured out a package of about 8 of hers into my hand just a week ago. They were bronzes with nice patinas, so no harm done.

Chris