There are many ways coins can be damaged, such as touching the surface of them, dropping them on the floor, harshly cleaning them, etc. However there is another type of damage that can easily happen. You may not even be aware it could happen, until it's too late. When you put a staple in your 2x2, the part that sticks out, called the clinch, can drag across the Mylar window. These windows are not very thick, and a steel clinch can easily go right through, and put a nasty scratch in your coin. Now those who may be reading this article are going "I already know this", and that's fine. However a lot of people don't, as I see MANY coins at auctions, flea markets, etc being sold by a collector, not a newbie, that have the staple clinch sticking out like a sore thumb. So what does one do? Now I'm sure you have seen those "flat clinch" staplers on the market. While they do flatten the clinch, they don't flatten it enough, leaving a sharp edge sticking out. Personally I like paper pro staplers. When used with Name brand staples, such as Swingline, I've had very few jams. The next part is flattening the staples. Lowe's sells a pair of pliers that fit the bill perfectly, and will run you $10. http://www.lowes.com/pd_253683-16878-50508_0__?Ntt=kobalt+7"+linesman+pliers&productId=1208049&rpp=16 You don't have to flatten them so much that it crushes the cardboard, just flatten it enough where the ends of the clinch are not sticking out. Flattening staples has 3 benefits. - Eliminates staple drags on coins. - Makes 2x2 store closer together. - Makes sliding 2x2's in pages much easier. Thanks for reading, and tune in next week for RAOTW!
RAOTW....go easy on that cell phone.....I can`t even imagine having to shell out over $300 for a phone bill. But on the serious tip....You would think that this issue with staples would be obvious to most coin dealers, but I guess not.
It's not a months worth, it's 3 months worth. I've been late that long. Close to being shut off. Sprint was generous enough to give me 21 days past today to pay.
I have those pliers and find them way too big and leave pliers teeth marks on the 2x2. Try these http://www.lowes.com/pd_253679-1687...Ntt=kobalt+pliers&pl=1¤tURL=&facetInfo= They also have 4", which I like the best. They are smaller, leave no teeth marks and work infinitely better to remove staples from 2x2's. They're also small enough to carry with you to clamp down errant staples "on the go", so you don't run the newps.
$10 for a pair of pliers to flatten staples ? You could also use a bench vise, hammer and anvil or your teeth and save the money.
This is good advice Detecto, I use swingline SF4 staples myself and the stapler I use has no overhang that can clamp down on the coin itself. I use bull nose pliers that are pretty big but it still takes two squeezes per staple. Bigger is better since the tool does most the work. The staples themselves are flawless, anything cheaper usually fails and I think we all know what those look like when they crumple. Staple placement is important. I stay about 1/3 inch away from the coin and use 4 staples per 2x2. When the pliers are used it actually stretches the window plastic and makes a seal over the rim and the window does not touch the devices or field of the coin, my coins tend to stay where I placed them too. 3 RAOTW Acronym Definitions found in Google search Rocking All Over The World Rockin All Over The World Reader Art of the Week
Finally!! Someone else who agrees with 4 staples per 2x2!! And I just use the pliers that I claimed from my dad's toolbox
Sorry Nickel Guy, bigger is not better in this case. You really should try a smaller pair of pliers to see how much better they work. So much more precise.
I will try smaller bullnose pliers and see if you are right but I have large hands, I've gotten used to this pair though. You may be right and I have a stack to do laying around. My pliers do not have much of a groove pattern, they are very fine and shallow so it leaves no marks on the 2x2. I did like that idea of taking a small pair along to a coin show to do the crimping right away so that the days purchases don't scratch each other. You can also fit a lot more coins in a 2x2 box flattening out the staples and the 2x2's keep the 20 pocket pages in a binder in nicer shape. It is also easier to remove and replace them in the pages.
I like Detecto. He is enjoying this forum and minding his own business. Often, I find his posts very interesting. Recently I heard somebody say that they don't learn something new everyday. They learn something old, it is just something new to them.
