Can slipping coins into mylar flips cause scratches and other forms of damage on coins? I send my coins to A.N.A.C.S. for authentication and grading regularly, so I have to remove the coins from their capsules or original packagings and place them in mylar flips before submitting them. Recently, I sent a consignment of 17 coins for authentication and grading. One of them is a 1999/2000 Double Dated Canada Silver Maple Leaf. I bought this coin from an Amazon seller two years ago, when it was still enclosed in its original Royal Canadian Mint packaging. The reason I decided to send the coin for authentication and grading was because the original Royal Canadian Mint packaging had split apart slightly, so I thought I might as well remove the coin from its original packaging and have A.N.A.C.S. authenticate and grade the coin for me. The coin has been graded as MS65, meaning it must have some minor scratches and scuff marks on it, or, perhaps, the high points aren't full. I am wondering how it got to this state when it had been in its original packaging until just a couple of days before it was shipped to A.N.A.C.S. I packaged the 17 coins well with lots of padding, so the coin could not have sustained any damage during its trip to A.N.A.C.S. The R.C.M. original packaging is also rather soft. Could the coin have sustained minor damage even when it was in its original packaging? Thanks in advance for your help.
Yes, the flips AND the original packaging could damage the coins. That said, you should ask ANACS if they'll allow you to submit the coins in the government holders. I know PCGS allows this for Eagles and commemoratives.
Thanks, NorthKorea, I didn't know. I'll have to ask A.N.A.C.S. next time if they will allow me to submit my coins in their original packaging.
Some companies mail coins in the softer vinyl flips to prevent damage in transit. I switch them out to mylar flips or capsules upon arrival.
It won't matter really. The coins will be removed from their original packaging and put into flips before the graders ever see them. So whether you handle the coins and put them in flips before you send them in, or you don't - they are still going to be handled and put into flips.
You have to be careful when you put coins in or out of mylar flips. That sharp edge can hairline the coin. It can kill a proof coin. With a little practice it's not a problem. It's also important to be sure the coin can not slide around in the flip while being sent in for grading. I put several flips together and use a rubber band. I do the same with soft flips. You don't want a coin to be sliding around in any type of holder. I'm sure some coins get hairlines by the services but they understand the proper way to deal with most any holder. It all starts with us knowing the proper way to ship them.
Just for my own sanity, every coin I get that might have some sort of numismatic value is put into an air-tite. That includes most of my bullion coins as well. I can handle them with a lot less concern to possible damaging them and have less of a worry about toning. I never leave a coin in a Mylar flip and rarely in a cardboard one.
You risk damaging a coin anytime you handle it. I once shot a token with compressed air and sent it ten feet across the room because I wasn't holding it tight enough.
Was it a 10mm aluminum coin or something similar in size/density? 10 ft seems like a LOT for metal blown by air... without lift.
I send in all my proofs to PCGS in the capsule. I was unsure about the proof Ike dollars as the case is so big, but they said no problem they will bust them out. I tape a flip with the number on it to the case. This is more so that they can see/note that the coins were in OGP, as some have colorful toning.
I wonder if, now that they have the larger slabs, PCGS will start grading Ikes in the black holders similar to GSA Morgans...
Thank you very much to everybody here who replied! Your help and advice are certainly much appreciated and will be kept in mind.
Come to think of it -- you're right! I don't usually send coins in their original mint or government packaging for authentication and grading, if the packaging is intact and the coins are sealed completely in their packaging. I decided to send this particular coin for authentication and grading because its original packaging had slightly split open. The coins I submit for authentication and grading are those I buy from places such as Amazon, Ebay and other online sites. The majority of these coins do not come in original government or mint packaging or with certificates of authenticity.
