How to identify, clean and "catalog" coins?
I want to start collecting coins and I already have a few, So I wanted to find out how to clean them identify them and then catalog, Also what other things would I or should I have to do before I actually "catalog" them? * when I say catalog I mean actually put them in a folder and write it down etc.*, Finally I also want to collect bills like paper money I have a canadian dollar bill lying around my house and my grandma passed away and we found a Chilean bill which reads "Banco central de Chile" and on the bottom "Un Escudo" It appears that it is 1 dollar of sorts *it’s in terrible condition*. So basically how would I go about cleaning, identifying, preserving and cataloging money in general. Anything you want to add like tips, Advice for getting more coins anything goes as long as it is relevant to coin collecting and maybe money collecting or collecting in general. please answer *I have been posting questions for a while and they seem to go unanswered* Excuse my grammar.
thanks Ohno but If I took clear pictures of each coin I have both sides and such would you be able to grade them like all I want to know is if they’re worth a signifigant amount of money b4 I clean them so could you
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first,do NOT clean coins.cleaning them destroys almost half their value.second there are plastic sleeves for bills and coins at your local coin shop where you can also get more coins,and theres coin books that you press the coins into that already have the date,type,mint mark,ect on them
FEEL FREE TO SKIP DOWN TO MY ANSWER TO YOUR PICTURE/GRADING QUESTION(ITS YES)
im not a professional at grading, but if its american then identifying would be easy.say,if it was a nickel,you would need to find the kind(buffalo,v-nickel,jefferson wartime,ect)year,mint mark,then try at the grade.if you want to start doing this yourself,a book by r.s.yeoman called the handbook of united states coins can show you how to do all of the above,and even has guidlines to grading.there are new editions every year and there are two versions.the blue book handbook of united states coins, gives prices for selling.the red book shows prices for buying.i hope this helps.good luck!
i could try to identify them through photo but it would be slightly inaccurate,because some things are very small.in fact, if i was grading a 1864 indian head penny,one small letter would be the difference between 150 dollars and 200 dollars.if you just wanted a shiny coin to examine to start of with,many wheat back pennies are only a few cents(1944,1951,ect) but be careful, because if you have an oddity,(the mint had many oddities durting this time{1944 d over s is a big one})it is worth much more.
only hold coins by the edge,on finger on the top of the edge,another at the bottom.
if you had a one thats worth very little,altough i would make sure first,then any metal polish would do.(the coin would look pretty as a decoration or to show with others,but would have very little value because it started out with so low value.)
if there was one with very high value,or you wanted to show/perserve one,the coin shop sells pieces of cardboard that have small holes with plastic covering over them.if you do this,ask them to show you how to staple them in.here is a brief way to do that.
put the coin in the middle of one of the two small plastic holes in the cardboard.fold the other side over,the staple it to the first side.be careful not to staple the coin.
like i said, it is better if you see it in action to know what to do.
here are some definitions that you will need to know
1.obverse:front
2.reverse:back
3.mint mark:a small letter somewhere on the coin showing which mint it came from.
4.grading letters/numbers:these are the basics
1.g-4(good):the lowest grade you can get.
2.vg-8(very good):better than g4 but is still pretty bad
3.f-12(fine)alright at best
4.vf-29(very fine)about average
5.ef-40(extremely fine)slightly above average
6.au-50(about uncirculated)almost uncirculated,but more wear
7.ms-60(uncirculated)only light blemishes
8.ms-63(choice uncirculated)very light blemishes,slight impairment of luster is possible(this is where grading gets tricky)
9.ms-64(uncirculated)few scattered scratches
10.ms-65(gem uncirculated)no trace of wear
11.pf-63(choice proof)nearly perfect
12.matte pf-63(choice proof)no major flaws
13.pf-65(gem proof):hardly any blemishes and no flaws
and so,in short, yes i can grade/identify them through a picture although not spot on accurate.
Start by getting some books from the library on US and world coins. This will help you identify what you have. You will learn the basics of grading as well from reading these books. Any good hobby store sells supplies for storing your coins. 2×2 cardboard ‘flips’ to hold the coin, and plastic sheets with pockets to hold the flips, and D-ring binders to hold the sheets. Those are the basics. You can get fancier later.
The most important thing, though, is never, EVER, clean your coins or paper money.