What is the best way to keep complete uncirculated mint sets. I have been keeing them in the original sealed plastic packaging but have noticed some have fingerprints on them (particularly 1968 - 1970). Should I remove and place them in 2x2's or a Airtites's or will this have an effect on the value?
It's a tough call for many collectors. There may be a set premium to these coins someday which will be lost if you cut them out. By the same token the coins will eventually trade on their own merits. If a set has many gems it will be worth more than a set with all junk. This being said the coins in these sets are actually worth more out of the packages than inside of them now. If you add up the roll prices and the cost to assemble rolls from mint sets you'll see you can nearly buy the sets at retail and profit selling the rolls at wholesale. This may not be wise to attempt since profits are small and markets change. There is a great deal of work and learning also since many of the mint set coins are too poor quality to sell at wholesale. If your primary concern is the coins then your best bet may well be to cut them out and stabilize them in acetone before placing into good holders. Some of the coins from mint sets are all ruined. Look at the 1968-P cents, they are all ruined. There are several others in bad shape too from '69 halfs to '84-D cents.
The sets from 68-70 are pretty cheap so I would just go and buy new ones and sell the old ones. Speedy
I'm still a strong believer in keeping coins in their original packaging. I guess this comes from years of collecting various collectibles and watching the secondary market comparison between "with box" and "no box". One of these days I'm gonna open that Dale Earnhardt wheaties box and eat that darn cereal!
Let me try to confuse you. As soon as I get my mint and proof sets, I remove them from the mint packaging and either put them in albums or in 2X2s. It's all a matter of preference. I store all my raw coins in albums or 2x2s so it makes sense for me. Jack
I was a collector of Mint & Proof sets for more years than I care to remember. Never once did I remove a set from the original packaging. I just made sure that they were stored someplace with a failry consistent temperature. And I always used silica gel packs to keep the humidity to a bare minimum. Never had a problem
You can always take a coin out of a mint set, but you can never put one back in. Because of this, I always leave them in. You are paying a premium at issue time for the packaged set, so when you take them out you destroy that premium. With older sets, of course, the market determines the price. Also, I am not sure what you would do with the fingerprinted ones. Taking them out would not make the print go away, and leaving them in would not make more fingerprints show up. If you are planning to remove and then clean them, that is a whole other discussion.
I was just curious if I was the only one having this problem or if it is common. If fingerprints are going to appear on the others I will remove them. Thanks for the replies.
Fingerprints on Mint or Proof sets are not unheard of - but they certainly are not common, especially on the newer sets. For some years now the sets have been packaged by machine. There are counterfeit sets - it is possible you may have some if they have fingerprints on the coins. Post pics if you can.
Here is a picture of a silver dollar (1971) with a fingerprint. I have 10 sets of each year (68-71) and 2 out of the 10 have prints on the quarters and halves and (71) dollar. These were all purchased directly from the US Mint. None of my earlier or later set have any problems.
Rather obviously if you purchased them direct from the mint there is no worry about counterfeits. As for the fingerprint - it's there forever unless you harshly clean the coin. And if you did - then it wouldn't be worth the effort afterwards. Fingerprints can sometimes - stress sometimes - be removed from a coin if they are fresh. But when they've been there as long as that one - they have already etched the surface of the coin. Your only choice is to replace that set or sets - or keep it as is.
Yup, someone brushed a big sweaty finger against that coin. The fingerprint is either there or it isn’t. If anything, keeping them sealed will delay any from getting darker. However, after all these years I think what is done is done. In other words, if other coins don’t have FPs, then they won’t magically appear now no matter what you do (unless you touch the coin and add new ones).
World Coins? For those of you who collect Word Coins, Do you feel the Same Way about FOREIGN MINT SETS. I find that the other countries mints package differently from the American Mints and there is less trouble with Mint sets toning, etc. Very interested in your feedback.
Not straying too far ... Is it safe to store rolls of nickels in the Mint paper rolls ? I know that some coins have an allergy to the sulphur in paper, but I don't know about nickel or Mint paper. I've got rolls of the new nickels on order, and I'm undecided on whether to leave them in the Mint rolls or transfer them to non-pvc plastic.
World mint sets tend to have coins that are far better made. They will frequently look like proofs. There are numerous exceptions and some are just regular issues of coins that are typically very inferior. The packaging probably isn't any better and is often much worse. Hard plastic cases seem to be best but since they aren't airtight they must be stored under good conditions or they will turn also.
Nickels will be affected by the paper in the paper tubes in time. Under ideal conditions this might take many years and under poor conditions it can occur rapidly. While original packaging will have value in the short run and might have some in the long run it would be best to remove the coins if their condition is important to you. Your best bet might be to trade the nickels off for nice bank wrapped rolls in a few months when the mint rolls have a premium and store these in plastic tubes. While not critical, it's often a good idea to first stabilize new coin in acetone to remove any contaminants and flecks of metal that can cause spotting. This is especially true for very long term storage.
Heck, I get business strikes in chnage here in Germany thatlook lie proofs. As for foreign packaging, I think the US MInt has been a leader in this area. There are some that are as good or even better, but many that are far worse. Not too long ago Canad offered some sets in nice boxes but no protection for the coins, and a South Africa proof set I bought some years ago came with the coins rattling around loosened from their slots. Also, a modern Irish set, for example, looks nice, but it comes in a cardboard folder, and once that gets scuffed or bent there is no prettying it up.
