Just an FYI to all that care enough to read this thread. As most of you know I worked overtime for years at the Post Office while I managed it. Lots of extra money so I saved a lot and I invested a lot. My investment in coins is why I now write this. I’m opening boxes that I never opened when working. Too tired and not enough time. I worked, ate, mowed the 7 acres and slept. My wife says I slept too much but she never woke me unless she had to. Today I opened 1 box that’s been sealed for years, 6 years to be exact, to the month. My unopened boxes, envelopes and the like date back to 2009 and seem to stop about 2017, the year I retired. Now I order and the packages sit for a month or two before I get to them. I have 3 boxes from the past month. At any rate, I opened this box today, small but heavy for its size. Wand what do I find in there? 225 Morgan Silver Dollars and $100 face value in junk silver. So far I’ve only look at 100 of the Morgan’s and I have 44 different dates and mint marks. That’s almost half of every date and mint mark minted, not counting all of the varieties. The best find, and I’ll do a separate thread on it later, is a 1878 8 tail feathers coin. The reason for this post is a fair warning to all. They were stored in the correct manner. None of the coins were damaged by any elements. The silver dollars were all packed 20 per in a plastic tube with a small piece of styrofoam on the top coin to prevent rattling. Each tube was wrapped with tape to secure the screw-on lid. The strapping tape was the worst. I removed the tape and it left a sticky residue on the tube and my fingers. Mind you, I’m careful how I handle these but what a mess. And the strings on the strapping tape are stuck on the tube so it’s not like you can remove it in one motion. Don’t let this happen to you!
A razor blade or exacto knife around the rim where the cap meets the tube and you won't have to deal with the sticky's. As for your buy it, sock it away for a decade or two disorder, try opening the box as you receive it. Much less overwhelming than accumulating five dozen packed boxes to open at a later date. Include me in the list of CT members that want to 'help' you open the spoils of your disorder
If you ever graduate to pre-1933 U.S. Gold coins, especially CACed you'll not have that problem in the future. I accumulated a strong 6 figure quantity of pre-1965 Silver coins until my spread sheets were obsoleted by software for streaming, not accounting/communicating. Selling/trading a portion of my accumulation, allowed better space in my voluminous safes for a collection of pre-1933 U.S. CACed Gold coins which are easier to manage/record. I'm glad I made that change as the printer companies discontinued software availability for my many fine operating devices, requiring purchases of new junk, incompatible with new O.S.. I'm back to recording "inventory" by hand, as I haven't yet found that mix of components which will allow recording/extraction of data. The redeeming factor is that dealers generally no longer offer material other than very common dates at elevated pricing, so accumulation is impractical. Modern technology may reduce your morass in the future! JMHO
@Collecting Nut, I accept donations of unopened boxes containing surprises. If you don't feel like opening them, just PM me and I'll give you my shipping address and pay shipping. But... seriously, I couldn't wait to open a box of coins I'd love to see in my collection. The most I would wait would be... minutes, but wait so many YEARS??? OMG!!! Walter
Not a single coin I bought needed to be returned. All were above expectations as I only deal with reputable dealers.
Here’s the simple math of it. 24 hours a day 7 days a week Equals 168 hours a week. Worked from 3 am to 6 pm six days a week. That’s 90 hours per week. Some days were longer but not shorter. 168 -90 That leave 78 hours each week. Some weeks I worked were up to 110 hours a week for 6 days. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to do everything else. Mow 7 acres Shop for groceries Eat Bathe Sleep Gas up the car, etc. I can open boxes later. I bought when the prices were right and I got good coins. I’m just now getting to open them so everyday is like Christmas. Working those hours provided a lot of extra money. My take home pay was between $1500 and $2000 a week. I spent it wisely. Now I’m enjoying opening the packages and finding what I bought. I still have a large pile of unopened ones. I’ll get to them when I can.
CN, I'm still available for adoption!! Would be happy to attend one of your box opening parties and help you!!!!
The tape on those plastics coin cases or tubes will leave residue and we really don’t think about it when we apply it.
Dave, Dave, Dave……. You open a box you have forgotten about for ten years…. You find a treasure trove that anyone on this site would be proud to have…… And we supposed to be worried over your sticky fingers??!?!
Yes, what’s on my fingers can get transferred to those coins when I handle them. I don’t want stick residue on them.
Oh, and @Randy Abercrombie, I’d ask you to come and help me but I know your busy with Ian cleanup. Lol
