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<p>[QUOTE="Hookman, post: 3840941, member: 99642"]Yes, as Fred says, Canada is different than the U.S.. </p><p>There are 2 kinds of alignment for coins : Coin alignment and medal alignment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just as the names imply, coin alignment is used mostly on coins, and medal alignment is used mostly on medals. But be aware there is always exceptions to the rule, as you can see with your Canadian coin. Now there is probably one, of some type, out there, but I would be hard-pressed right now to name a medal that is done with coin alignment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now to me, the easiest way to understand them and keep them straight is to think about how they look when you turn, or flip, a coin or medal over.</p><p><br /></p><p>With a medal, you TURN IT OVER from left to right, or right to left. The designs (called devices in numismatics) will both be upright, looking at you straight.</p><p>With a coin, you FLIP IT OVER from top to bottom or bottom to top. The designs will both be upright, again, looking at you straight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Take your Canadian penny and a US penny, put them on a table and practice flipping and turning. In just seconds you'll have it down pat. Now, this may seem silly to practice, but as Fred pointed out, there are many countries that do the opposite of us. This knowledge is important because as you progress as a collector you will want to be talking to people about the coins you're finding, wanting to buy, wanting to sell, etc., and the alignment of the item, whether coin or medal, is important.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another consideration of alignment is what I call " non-alignment ". What that means is that when you turn or flip the coin it doesn't align like it is supposed to.</p><p>Depending on how much out of alignment the coin is, it can be worth some money. Generally, it needs to be a lot different than it is supposed to be.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm sure some of our members have some examples of non-aligned coins, and it would really be cool if one of those members would post some pix to illustrate those non-aligned examples.</p><p><br /></p><p>The easy way I use to check for non-aligned (N/A) coins, is to use a cardboard flip. </p><p>Since we're on cents, let's use them for examples. Take a Lincoln Memorial Cent (LMC), place it in an open cent flip, Lincoln side up. Using the bottom edge of the motto on the left and the bottom edge of the date on the right, imagine a straight line running across the coin from one to the other. That is your "base line". Line up your baseline parallel to the bottom of the flip. Carefully close the flip on the coin without moving the coin. Do not staple it, just hold it closed and carefully flip it over until you're looking at the back (the Memorial). Immediately you should be able to tell if it's properly aligned or not. If it's just a little off, don't worry about it, it's not worth anything, but if it's a lot off, say 1/4 to 1/2 of the way around, it could be worth some few dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>I hope all of that has helped explain alignment and given you something else to look for : N/A coins.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Let's talk about Canadian pennies for a minute. For the most part, they are not very valuable, however, there are a few, mostly in the 1920's that are worth a few bucks. 1920 up to the present are referred to as Canadian Small Cents. I've collected several Whitman albums of these. Then there are the pre-1920 Canadian Large Cents which can be even more valuable. I have not collected any of these.</p><p>To go with Canadian cents there are also Newfoundland cents, Nova Scotia cents, New Brunswick cents, and Prince Edward Island cents (and maybe some I've forgotten) all of which have varying degrees of collectability and values. Remember, as with anything collectable, especially coins, condition is very, very important.</p><p><br /></p><p>As you move forward in the world of coin collecting, you will find that world will get wider and wider and wider.</p><p><br /></p><p>Good Luck Jugg, and please keep posting pix and asking questions.</p><p><br /></p><p>And of course , " Learning Something New Every Day ".[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Hookman, post: 3840941, member: 99642"]Yes, as Fred says, Canada is different than the U.S.. There are 2 kinds of alignment for coins : Coin alignment and medal alignment. Just as the names imply, coin alignment is used mostly on coins, and medal alignment is used mostly on medals. But be aware there is always exceptions to the rule, as you can see with your Canadian coin. Now there is probably one, of some type, out there, but I would be hard-pressed right now to name a medal that is done with coin alignment. Now to me, the easiest way to understand them and keep them straight is to think about how they look when you turn, or flip, a coin or medal over. With a medal, you TURN IT OVER from left to right, or right to left. The designs (called devices in numismatics) will both be upright, looking at you straight. With a coin, you FLIP IT OVER from top to bottom or bottom to top. The designs will both be upright, again, looking at you straight. Take your Canadian penny and a US penny, put them on a table and practice flipping and turning. In just seconds you'll have it down pat. Now, this may seem silly to practice, but as Fred pointed out, there are many countries that do the opposite of us. This knowledge is important because as you progress as a collector you will want to be talking to people about the coins you're finding, wanting to buy, wanting to sell, etc., and the alignment of the item, whether coin or medal, is important. Another consideration of alignment is what I call " non-alignment ". What that means is that when you turn or flip the coin it doesn't align like it is supposed to. Depending on how much out of alignment the coin is, it can be worth some money. Generally, it needs to be a lot different than it is supposed to be. I'm sure some of our members have some examples of non-aligned coins, and it would really be cool if one of those members would post some pix to illustrate those non-aligned examples. The easy way I use to check for non-aligned (N/A) coins, is to use a cardboard flip. Since we're on cents, let's use them for examples. Take a Lincoln Memorial Cent (LMC), place it in an open cent flip, Lincoln side up. Using the bottom edge of the motto on the left and the bottom edge of the date on the right, imagine a straight line running across the coin from one to the other. That is your "base line". Line up your baseline parallel to the bottom of the flip. Carefully close the flip on the coin without moving the coin. Do not staple it, just hold it closed and carefully flip it over until you're looking at the back (the Memorial). Immediately you should be able to tell if it's properly aligned or not. If it's just a little off, don't worry about it, it's not worth anything, but if it's a lot off, say 1/4 to 1/2 of the way around, it could be worth some few dollars. I hope all of that has helped explain alignment and given you something else to look for : N/A coins. Let's talk about Canadian pennies for a minute. For the most part, they are not very valuable, however, there are a few, mostly in the 1920's that are worth a few bucks. 1920 up to the present are referred to as Canadian Small Cents. I've collected several Whitman albums of these. Then there are the pre-1920 Canadian Large Cents which can be even more valuable. I have not collected any of these. To go with Canadian cents there are also Newfoundland cents, Nova Scotia cents, New Brunswick cents, and Prince Edward Island cents (and maybe some I've forgotten) all of which have varying degrees of collectability and values. Remember, as with anything collectable, especially coins, condition is very, very important. As you move forward in the world of coin collecting, you will find that world will get wider and wider and wider. Good Luck Jugg, and please keep posting pix and asking questions. And of course , " Learning Something New Every Day ".[/QUOTE]
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