How do you sort your coins? The only other collector I know keeps his in large ziploc bags, is that common?
you can buy coin seperaters from coin mags, or i use gem jars because my wife is a gemologist and has tons of little see through jars... be creative w/ it. Its your collection. Dont try and be like anyone else. Entice your mind...
zabb: It would depend upon what you have in your collection. There are many different types of coin holders, from 2X2's to flips. Check them out on coin supply sites.
Zabb, I Just paid about $100 as I'm a total noob to coins, but I bought about 100 2x2 Flips, Stapler, 100 Plastic Penny Rolls, 20 Dime, 10 Nickels, 10 Quarters, 5 half dollars roll/plastic with the end cap things.. That includes shipping.. So many resources out there.... Just google for coin collecting holders that should give you one or two thousands results.. As for sorting coins, I just sorted about a freezer size bag tonight of wheats in 3-4 hours. I followed the Cent Project method, modified a bit.. Basically took 16oz Tupperware containers, put tape on each one and labeled them 0,1,2,3...8.9 Then sorted the last digit of each coin into it's matching tupperware (it could be fake tupperware). My next step is to break it down into decades and then by year, mint, variety, etc..etc..
For storage purposes, I sort mine in "Red Book" order. But for enjoyment or sharing with other collectors, I arrange them in whatever order makes sense. For instance, I might pull 'em out in order of my 1923, 1928, and 1961 sets (in honor of my father, mother, and brother). Or my Seated Liberty type set. Whatever suits the occasion. For storage, I took advice I got here on CT... I use the Intercept Shield boxes + silica gel.
I just read about that sorting tecnique. It sounds interesting http://www.thecentproject.com/sorting.php Is it actually more efficient?
Yep.. I couldn't tell since I never had an old sorting technique.. But I finished a Freezer ziplock bag full of wheats in about 3 hours.. That was in between restarting the shows on the DVR for the kids..lol.. I posted some of the coins from the first sort online..
I think you should spend a little more time on this forum prior to sorting, handling, storing coins. You will find there are many suggestions by people that really know what they are talking about when it comes to coins. To just dump them into bags, cans, jars or little jewlery bottles may damage a coin far more than you think. Just hang around here and ask, ask, ask.......
I am more of a collector of semi-old coins, and I stick them in plastic tubes. I label them according them to their type, dates, and anything else.
Circulated coins I handle gently, usually by the edges, when I take them out of the albums. Uncircs, proofs that arent in original cases are in taped two by twos.... Did anyone see Las Vegas last friday? Sam got into a high stakes poker game with her boss, and had her lucky coin, an 8195 proof morgan dollar. She handled it, passed it around and everything. THEN SHE USES IT AS A BET!!!! Can you believe that? To make her bet, she just tosses it into the pile of poker chips on the table. My wife and i cringed everytime someoen touched the coin or anything. On the lighter side of the story, it was the last morgan dollar her boss needed for his collection to complete it lol
If you need mass storage devices, perhaps you are collecting too many different types of coins regardless of their condition.
Its true, I collect lots of coins, not caring about condition. Mostly its because I dont care about their actual worth, more of the history behind it. None of them are in exceptional condition, so I dont take very much effort into storage.
