I'm asking other people's opinions on this and seeing if there are any other ways people do this I always wash my hands in dawn dish soap, just a bit, in decently hot water. After I got my hands covered in suds I "deactivate" the soap with as cold as possible from the tap, water! Then I dry my hands with only disposable paper towels and once the one hand I plan on using for actually touching the coins is completely dry I put a cotton glove on it. taking care to touch touch the tips of the fingers with my other hand. Then only use it to actually touch the coin while the non gloved hand does the tearing the roll, holding the outer edges of the flip, and stapling of said flip. it's a bit like surgery I would think but I always have perfectly BU coins each and every time w/o any blemishes from the natural oils in a person's skin. also I only do this in less then 30% humidity gotta love dehumidifiers
You do alot more than the dealers I have seen. I usually just hold them by the sides, sometimes with gloves. (I don't have any really valuable coins though)
I personally don't make that big of a procedure about it. I just use the cotton gloves and/or only handle the coin by the edge.
An interesting side note, after one washing with detergent, there is actually more oil and microorganisms on your skin than before any washing. The reason is that normally everyone has "oil plugs" in the tight openings of sebaceous (oil) glands, so really less oil than after using the detergent to unplug them and warm water to relax them. That is why surgeons then use a scrub brush and several repeating washes to be really clean and In lab, I had students press their naked fingers on a nutrient agar plate, wash them and press again on a second plate, repeat , and repeat. First is less, 2nd is more, 3rd is little fewer, 4th is minimal. I don't like cotton gloves myself ( yes, I know they sell them for that purpose) as they are too expensive to use once and discard, as washing them may attach gunk and chemicals to the cotton fibers, and cotton can scratch ( especially proof coins), I prefer the Nitrile exam glove when I need to use them. Much more inert, softer, better grip, inexpensive and throw away. But everyone has different opinions, so what seems to work. Jim
i seldom open my mint roll. if ever i open once. it always fell one or two coins to the floor. i hate to open roll. just think it is wasting the time and effort. maybe i don't sell them and never sell in my whole life. in the future. if i decided. then i will open all roll and check. that time is my retirement i think.
how do you handle BU coins from fresh rolls? I don't know, but once exposed to human air...they're goners....to the trashcan.
Clean, white, lintless cotton gloves. People use powder-free latex gloves. But some people are allergic to latex. In my case my hands sweat too much.
Exactly what I do. I attempt not to drop them from a 3 story building onto a metal plate though. Just open, lay out, look for great ones, back to spending after that.
I think breathing on uncirculated coins is one of the worst things that can be done to them. That's a major source of 'carbon spots' on those pretty and red cents.
I think breathing on uncirculated coins is one of the worst things that can be done to them. Exposing them to the same human atmospheric air was bad enough, but breathing on them??...devastating..for sure.
Just a quick wash and then by the edges until I determine the coin is worthless and then it's full thumbs and on to the nextone.
Uncertain if this is of any value, but I just finished encapsulating my ongoing and entire BU Lincoln Cents 1930 to present (all mint marks), from 2 x 2's, into the capsules. I used rubber edged tweezers and held my breath during each transfer.
Very good D! I hope you don't own any tropical fish or canaries though. The bubbles that guppies can generate can cause damage to pre 1970 post raw silver previously circulated indian head pennies and large amounts of canary flatulance can tear a perfectly good paper dollar. I hope you have the experience to deal with these scenarios.
No pets here..but I think I saw a house fly booting around one day during that effort. On a serious note, I did hold my breath for each one..it wasn't a difficult thing to master.
I hope you don't use REAL rubber edged tweezers, since rubber contains massive amounts of sulfur which will totally blacken your coins wherever it touched...
