When placing coins in 2x2s what kind of criteria does everyone use i.e. What coins are worthy of being put in a 2x2? Also what info do you write on the outside of them? I figure year and mint mark. anything else? Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk
I found this a struggle at the beginning of collecting. There is no good answer for all as value is relative. An example is that I had a bucket of old predecimal copper coins. If I put them all in 2x2 flips it would have cost a fortune and as the coins are barely worth the cost of the flip, pointless. What I did was to sort them and kept the best of each type and year. I did this carefully as variants creep in sometimes and you have to know what you are looking at. I put the reduced number into flips and documented what I have. I know what I have, know what I don't have and have hopefully protected those that I want. I wish I could tell you that I got rid of the rest of the bucket but the OCD part of me just cannot. What I write on the flips? Now nothing apart from a small pencil number that refers to a database key. I have written metal composition, mint, year, type, variant etc and again that OCD meant I had to change the flip when something changes. Only you will know what is tight for what you want to do and I am sure that others will be able to offer better stories than I.
I include date acquired, cost (if purchased) in a code I use on the back; Grade, Date, Mint and (variety if one) on the front. I usually put all 19th century coins in 2 x 2 or MS and Proof coins. All other moderns are kept in tubes with specific labels by type.
I put non problem coins worth more than a couple bucks in a flip. I only write the date and mint mark on them, or the MS# if it has been graded by the PCGS certified pre-grader at the local dealer. Anything more than that, I.E. "better date!" or "great toning!" bugs me and if/when I sell them I think it looks cleaner with as little as possible written on the flip.
interesting as I've never thought about it; Any coin that I assume is worth collecting (to me) I'll throw in a 2x2; that includes coins I found in circulation when I started collecting in the '70's. I didn't focus only on USA coins so always wrote the year & country,denomination, mint mark and variety (if appropriate) on them; I also wrote anything on them I found unusual, even though that 'unusual' thing may have no value to anyone else. I have coins in tubes/wraps as well, but anything I thought had 'something' ended up in a 2x2; coins that were actually worth something got put into Quadrum capsules or something equivalent.
Well, I remember the days when I tried to put all my "better" stuff in Air-Tite capsules. That was expensive. And, being still "early days" into my collecting experience, I was putting coins in those capsules that were barely worth more than the capsule itself. Now that I've gotten a bit pickier (well, a LOT pickier) - here's my strategy: Goes to TPG: *High grade Jefferson Nickels *Higher value coins (at least $150 or more) *Key Dates (real keys - not something like a "common" low-MS 1950 D Jefferson) *Coins that I know won't sell for anything unless it's in a slab Goes in a 2x2: *Coins that have already been imaged for sale (because I'd hate to sell a coin and learn that it's now got a scratch on it because I didn't protect it, so the appearance has changed, and I'd also hate to have to re-image the coin) *Coins that are pending a decision on whether or not to send them in to get graded *Varieties *UNC coins I plan to keep because I like the designs *Coins whose numismatic value depends mostly on condition *Toners *Low-value (less than $50) key dates and semi-keys Goes in a tray: *My older foreign silver picks, which I think are WAY more entertaining in a chaotic pile than they would be if they were organized. *Lower value coins that are still worth selling ($1-20 non-PM stuff) Goes in a tube: *UNC coins where I have more than a few of them *Varieties and/or dates of which I have a minor hoard (think 1937 S/1955 D Washington Quarters, circulated Type B quarters or circulated 1945 S Micro S Mercury Dimes) Coins that are worth $1 or less generally get "bulked" out the door in some way or another. Last batch I had I donated to a kid with autism who has fun looking up world coins.
That's actually a pretty good breakdown as laid out by @stldanceartist. As I've never sold my coins... my criteria was always what 'it' meant to me, not the value to someone else. I have coins that I'm sure have no value to anyone else, in nice airtites, because the person who gave them to me. That was the 'value' to me, that will always be the value to me. Nothing in my collection is holdered due to potential sales in the future though, only on what it means to me. I'm sure whomever inherits my collection will likely be selling them to @stldanceartist for $.20 on the $!!
For many years I was putting any coin which has the potential to be salable in my later years into a 2x2 (or 2.5x2.5). I have recently started to photograph all my coins and I am transferring them all into 2x2 envelopes. This gives more space for information. On the 2x2 I used to put country and KM# in the top left, year and grade in the top right, ASW and fineness in the lower left and denomination in the lower right. The back contained only my database code. I did not put any price info as I don't want buy price on it if I sell it and value is subject to change. Now, on the enveloper I type all info the front which is information a buyer would need to know and other info which only I need to know on the back.
Until I get my inventory under control, I currently put my coins either in a 2x2 or an airtite for inventory purposes. This is so I can catalog them. Once I get it under control, the finer examples will go in airtites. I still prefer 2x2s just for general storage because I can store them in containers easier, but long term, I will use airtites more when I get comfortable with my inventory lol
