Mine is a denarius of Trajan, who was the Roman emperor from 98-117, so it's at least 1896 years old, and at most 1915 years old. The Romans didn't date their coins, but often they can be narrowed down to within a few years, depending on types and legends. I just received this coin yesterday and I haven't had a chance to study it yet, but I see that the reverse legend says COS IIII, which means it was minted during the time Trajan held his fourth title of Consul. A quick search tells me that would have been between 101 and 102. In 103 he received his fifth title of Consul, after which the coins would have read COS V. So actually this coin can be dated 101/102, 1912 or 1913 years old.
Mine also happened to be Trajan. That pic was to show the high relief on the sestertius, a very large brass coin. You can see how much higher the head is versus the rest of the coin. Here is a bad pic of the obverse. Its larger than a half dollar.
I'm not trying to argue either. I just thought that everybody on the planet understood that any coins put into coin tubes are going to rub against the other coins in the tube any time the tube is moved or there is any vibration. That creates marks on the coins. And Unc coins can easily be turned into AU coins. Coin tubes were only ever intended to be used for storing circulated coins for that very reason. You never, ever, want to put Unc coins in a coin tube. And before you ask - then why does the mint put ASE's aqnd AGE's in tubes ? - they do it because they are nothing but bullion coins and nobody should care if they stay Unc or not. But you apparently do care, so you shouldn't do it.
I agree. All of my junk silver is in tubes because I simply do not care what condition they are in. But, they will get contact marks and rub from inside of them. Want to see? Put a new roll of pennies in a tube, and put the tube on your dashboard. Loook at them at the end of the day. I did that once, ouch.
It's not like I keep these in my car, or move them frequently, so there will be very little wear involved. What I do not want are big dings, scratches, or splotchy/smudgy/fingerprint toning. If they do tone, I want it to be natural and even. I enjoy the stackability, density, and neatness of having them in tubes. I suppose the alternatives are: - Folders: Take up too much room and they don't protect the coins very well. - 2-1/2s x2-1/2s: Take up too much room, risk of staple scratches, not very durable for long term storage, thick coins do not do well in cardboard holders. - Flips: Slide a coin in and out of a flip a couple times and they'll have more wear than I'm putting on my coins by having them in tubes. Not air tight at all. Plus, I just don't like them. - AirTites: More expensive than tubes, take up about 2x the space, coins sometimes get stuck in the bottom half making it difficult to remove them without damaging the coin, less air tight than good tubes despite the name. (Roughly the same air flow for one coin as you get for twenty coins in a tube) - Self Slab: More expensive than tubes and AirTites, take up about 3-4x the space, difficult to remove, can be less air tight than tubes. - TPG Slab: Never! - Loose: Obviously not a good idea. What would you recommend?
You know those airtite holders that have a black or white foam ( I think its foam) insert. Could one get that material, cut it into blanks, and put them between coins in a tube ? Sounds like a good way to store and transport BU coins, no ?
The foam sounds like a good idea, but it would take up a lot more room so you might only get 10 coins in a 20 coin tube. I've thought of putting some sort of thin archive safe synthetic paper like material between proof coins to protect them from scratches in tubes, but I'd have to cut them out, or find a punch the right size to punch them out, or find someone to make them. Scrapbook supply places have some material that would probably work, but I don't know if it would react with coins. I'd hate to get a bunch of rolls loaded up and then ten years down the road all the coins are black.
Ever hear the saying that if you are going to do something that it is worth doing right ? Well, that applies to coin holders too. Problem is, most people tend to ignore it and instead choose "good enough" (in their minds anyway) over right. They justify doing this with all sorts of reasons - expense, convenience, space constraints, looks/appearance, etc., the list goes on. But when push comes to shove there is only 1 right way to properly store coins. Assuming of course that you have a desire to protect those coins and keep them from being harmed, or having their condition altered. To do that coins have to be stored individually. And the only method that we have to do that will not harm the coins in one way or another is to use the hard plastic coin holders that are available. There are several different kinds of them, and one is just as good as the other, but some cost more than others. I will say one thing more. It is accepted as fact that 80% or more of all unslabbed coins are problem coins. But do you know why they are problem coins ? It's because most collectors choose "good enough".
I disagree with this part. IDK since I really don't shop for them anymore, but maybe 80% of US coins ON THE MARKET TODAY not in slabs are problem coins, but I seriously disagree that 80% of ALL US COINS not in slabs are problem coins Doug. Not counting stuff I store in rolls, (including BU rolls of 39d nickels, morgans, etc), I have a few hundred US coins. None are in slabs, and very few problem coins, (a couple of colonials and a DB dollar with a rim bruise and cleaning). Mine are not on the market though, so no one knows about them. I have to believe there are tons just like mine out there, in "strong" hands. The coin market is EXTREMELY thinly traded, 99+% of coins are never available for purchase, so no one knows about them.
I would accept that since 99%+ of all unslabbed coins are jingling around in people's pockets or have spent some time laying on the street.
When I go to a coin shop and handle raw coins, I always bring a pair of white gloves for the courtesy of the seller, and only handle the coin by the rim with the gloves on. That is just me--I like to err on the side of caution. Most of my buying is slabbed coinage, anyway.
Ok gentlemen. Lots of good stuff said so far on gloves,holders,tubes, slabs and the underbelly skin of a calf (I think it was a calf), now to move onto deeper topics: Vaccum Sealed Packaging and Containers Go !!
How can you possibly play with your coins like that? I guess it would help. Make sure there is no paper in there, of course, and it should remove air contamination from the mix. Not a bad option if you never wish to see the coins. For what purpose would you buy coins but not wish to see them?
I thought it was obvious that the coins I was referring to are collectible coins. My comment includes all US coins held by collectors and dealers, not just those on the market. And you can disagree if you want, but every notable numismatist there is, does agree with me regarding that.
