How To Hold a Coin

great info,,

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I have Lighthouse curved rubber-tipped coin tweezers which are great for small coins but not so good for larger, heavier coins. Also it's pretty much impossible to press a coin into a hole in an album such as a Littleton by just holding the edge. They have to be pressed in with a finger on the face of the coin. So I have cotton gloves which I use not only for coins but also when handling albums, trays and flips. If the cotton gloves are too big, try washing them in hot water and see if they shrink.

 

You can (and should) use a coin flip. Place the flip over the coin and press. That way you do not touch the coin with your finger and you do not damage the coin by pressing something rough (e.g., cloth) into the coin.

 

I never thought of using a flip. So near yet so far. Thanks for the tip.

 

Mostly people hold the coins in finger which shows fingerprints on it and it difficult to hold the coin safe as well as right.

 

I ordered a few pair of gloves so when I handle the coins in my two cent piece collection I don't do damage. I'm thinking at least one of them was in Abe Lincoln's pocket for a while. How's that for history?

 

I had a dealer once grab my coin from the face and back. Talk about an idiot!

 

I purchased cotton gloves and they will absorb any moisture on your hands and if they fit well it is easy to handle your coins. Even wearing gloves I still hold my coins by the edge. I also purchased slabs made specifically for the denominations and then store the slabs in a slab box at consistent temperature. It works for me.

 

I came across this thread and thought I would give you folks my input on handling coins. When I first started to buy/accumulate coins in 2009, I only handled them by the edge, if possible, but that is not easy if they are small in size and lying flat on a surface. I did occasionally find that I had inadvertantly left some hairlines in the field of a proof coin if I hadn't grasped it correctly while picking it up or flipping it over.

Not satisfied with bare-hands, I then tried cotton gloves, but found them rather slippery, short on tactlie feel, and not form-fitting (either too tight and restrictive, or the fingers are too long and get in the way). They also soil rather rapidly, and if you tend to sweat, soak up the sweat and eventually transfer it onto subsequent coins.

I then tried using Nitrile Exam Gloves (like your Dentist and Medical Practioner use). They come in Small, Medium, Large, and XLarge sizes, are form-fitting, and usually have a non-slip micro texture that enhances gripping. Nitrile is non-hypoallergenic, is more tear-resistant than Latex, and has very good resistance to chemicals (like Acetone, alcohol, MS-70). I usually get them in a box of 200 for about $13 at the major discount Club Stores.

Since I have been using the Nitrile Gloves I have been able to handle ANY coin with thumb and forefinger on its surfaces without leaving ANY marks or transferring any foreign substance. I also have NEVER dropped a coin, even when flipping it over like the TPGs do to evaluate cartwheel. I do look at each coin under magnification to check for hairlines, defects, and features, and this takes quite a bit of time under the lamp; it is very comforting when you don't have to worry about handling issue when looking closely at the surface feature with up to 20X magnification!

 

Handling high grade coins is easy if they are slabbed or encapsulated.
Even the humble Mylar / cardboard 2x2 in a non PVC album is good. Just turn the pages! Very few of my coins are encapsulated, and none of them are slabbed.

Coins in the British Museum just sit in trays, ready to be picked up by the edges.
Then again, the British Museum doesn't bother with 'made for the collector' mint product uncirculated and proof coins, either singly or in sets.

How does the ANA display their most valuable coins? Can study coins in their collection be handled by gloved human hands?

 

If you want to use calipers and scales for dimensions and weight what should you do to keep your coin in good condition?

 

small jewelry scales have plastic tops that won't scratch your coin. I never used calipers for anything.

 

What's a good surface to use if you want to take pictures of your coins? When holding it to get the coin out of the protector is there something to keep in mind?

 

I have used cotton gloves in the past but now I am getting pretty good at handling coins only by the edges. I use white paper, felt, or a wood desk to inspect them on. You should not slide the coins.

 

I like nitrile gloves for general coin inspection and handling if one likes gloves, but they are not recommended for acetone. Actually most lists show latex gloves are superior to them with chemicals.
http://amo-csd.lbl.gov/downloads/Chemical Resistance of Gloves.pdf

Also, SAE and metric plastic calipers with vernier are found at most hardware stores for under $5 and the accuracy is acceptable for coins/ However, remember that many coin metals are softer than hard plastic, so still use care to prevent accidental scratches.

 

I use a photographic "gray card."

 

Many of the grading services use black velvet jeweler's pads.

 

"Many of the grading services use black velvet jeweler's pads."

The big difference to me is that it is perfectly OK for jewelers to burnish and polish out any hairlines induced on the metal they are handling.

 

I don't recall ever putting a hairline on a coin with any jewelers pad I've ever used. I keep mine COVERED, when not in use and Clean it w/compressed air and get a new one every so often - they are cheap. Otherwise, even dirt on a pad can hairline a coin.

 

The same here.