What is the difference??

Welcome to the forum and also to collecting Andy. As pointed out by Duke and Mark, these issues can be readily had at a very reasonable price, and, you are by no means behind in your collecting endeavors. Have fun and enjoy the hunt. If you hang around here long enough you're gonna get interested in other things too.....

I always thought that this was the proper way to dispose of a worn and frayed flag (one that was no longer suitable to "fly" or display).

 

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Thanks for the welcome green18!

 

On topic you should be able to get those coins for about $2 to $3 each

On topic, you should be able to get those coins for about $2 to $3 each at any good shop or coin show.

Slightly off topic, "the very fact that we can burn the flag helps keep us free" our solders actually fight for our freedoms such as this or even to proserve our rights to protest the very war they are fighting.
I also never have and probably never will "burn our flag" unless done in ceromony to discard an old one. The flag itself is not so sacred or important but what it represents is!
Please don't ever forget the freedoms we have are not cheap, easy or uncomplicated, they don't favor the few but the many. If you as one person do not like a flag burning or protest then walk away. The peoples right to do such (in an orderly fashion) is so much more important than your likes or dislikes that it is not even comparable - it's just that simple!!!

 

It has been illegal to damage or even melt coins in the past, though this was from a time where the coins actually contained near face value of precious metal. I'm not sure if those old laws have been repealed or just ignored.

 

I'll tell you what do - take a full 10 years in coin collecting

I'll tell you what do - take a full 10 years in coin collecting, dealing, buying, selling, and trading and then respond to the question, "is coin collecting a good investment"?
I would be willing to bet that persons who think coins are a great investment have been in it less than three years!

The very best coin dealer I know, and he has at least $900,000 on his table at any given show, still only hopes to earn 10% accross the board on 99% of transactions. Sure there are times when he hit's a better lick and makes more but then take away the time spent, (about 45 hours a week at least), (heck I spend 30 hours on my little stuff), the phone calls, the internet expense, the safes, (he has three and they cost between $7000 and $9000 each, your travel, your supplies (in show cases, ballistic cases, lights, etc. you can easily have $5000 in that), banking taxes, well, you start to see where this is going I hope.

Can you make money, yes, can you make some big money, sometimes, is it a good investment, it's fair and only if you work very hard and for a long time at it.

 

Words of wisdom :high5:

 

How about the British proof gilt copper farthings, half pence and pence of the late 18th early 19th century? They came from the mint that way. There are some other foreign coins that also come from their mints with a gold plating. Yes I know you mean any coin that is gold plated AFTER it leaves the mint is concidered junk. I agree.

True for coins, not true for paper currency. It IS illegal to mutilate or deface paper currency so that it is unfit for reissuing. No fraudulent intent needed. As long as you render it unfit to be reissued it is illegal

Title 18 chapter 17 sec 333
Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or
unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank
bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national
banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal
Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note,
or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined
under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

 

What if your intent is to make an artistic statement? Or a humorous one?

 

Maybe, but is seems to me that if you do something to it that you know will render it unfit for reissue then the intent is there as well.

 

Sage advice!

Never "invest" in coins unless you know EXACTLY what you are doing. Collect for the fun and enjoyment....that's how it works.