Vinegar and Salt to Taste

NEVER CLEAN COINS!                         NEVER CLEAN COINS!

Some collectors are wanting to clean their new hoards of copper cents. Of course I advise against it even if they are currently low-valued cents. Still the internet is full of not so helpful advice that tells them that vinegar is fine. So I got to do an experiment to confirm my suspicions.

Equipment:

• Heinz Distilled White Vinegar of 5% acidity
• Glass candle holder
• Himalayan Pink Sea Salt 
• 3 dirty copper coins
• Tap water and cloth for rinsing

1st Cent - 15 Minutes in Vinegar:

Before left and after right.

1st Results:
I wanted to get rid of the spot, fingerprints, and crust and the base. Unfortunately it did not work well. Yes the coin did turn bright dull-pink. The spot stayed and the fingerprint is still visible at a tilt. The crust was mostly gone.

2nd Cent - 45 minutes in Vinegar:

2nd Results:
This coin was not dirty but had that brown patina that happens over time. Only the highest point remained brown but that is because I put very little vinegar. It was left with a very dull pink finish.

3rd Cent - 5 minutes in Vinegar and Salt:

3rd Results:
Started brown and dirty. The fingerprint stayed highlighted, the back stains also remained. The front turned dull pink but the back kept a nice copper color. The salt did not completely dissolve and was in contact with the back, although I am not sure if that mattered. This one looked the best in hand.

Conclusion:
If you see a penny, cent, or any other copper coin that is dull pink then someone has cleaned your coin.

Despite the fact that this mild acid should not affect the surface of copper it does. Since the browning of the coin is already damaging when the dirt and air damage is removed you are left with an uneven dull surface. Some baking soda would add luster but will also further damage the coin.

Vinegar and salt is great for chips and steak but horrible on coins. Colas, ketchup, and A1 sauce are also on the list of coin cleaners I think are better left in the fridge.

Feel free to share your experience with any type of coin cleaning.


Do you have a coin cleaning issue? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to advise you

The Myth of The Dollar Coin

As many may have heard the presidential dollars will cease production of new circulating coins at the end of the year. That means 20 of 38 scheduled coins made it to circulation. Collectors issues of the remaining will still be made.

Now this is third failure of dollar coins following the Eisenhower and Anthony dollars, even add the Sacagawea to that list if you want. Despite 40 years of rejection their is a certain segment of people who want to force it on the U.S. by eliminating the dollar bill instead. (The same rich fools call for the end of the pennies and nickels.)

You want to see the future if the dollar bill gets eliminated...

Coin-Op Laundromat: A True Story 
Ten years ago my local laundromat took quarters and had machines that would convert quarters. Today the same 1960s washing machines are still there but the coin slots have been replaced with card slots. These re-loadable cash cards serve one function, to hold money. No names, IDs, or validation required. My card is six years old and has not failed. It has hundreds if not thousands of dollars pass through.

Why am sharing my lack of a washing machine in my apartment? Simple because it works better than carrying quarters.

Read that carefully: TREAT THIS AS CASH

If the dollar bill gets eliminated the rush will not be to dollar coins. The rush will be to these universal cash card that charge no fee, has no personal information, and can collect you change after each transaction. This would also be a great way to reduce the production of pennies and nickels without the whole rounding to the nearest dime scenario.

I do not want this to become a rant but the loud coin-pushers are whining so much something must be said.

Leave You with Some Facts:

1. 50 years of NYC Subway tokens (1953-2003) gave way to Metrocards (1993-present) and even now a system is being tested to accept fares directly from a credit card, debit card, or smartphone.
2. Cash cards can be exact so 8.675% sales tax can be precise without rounding up.
3. Most places that have cash registers need electricity to make cash transaction so if power is comprised then the policy is to suspended transaction and ask customers to return later.
4. The metric system was strongly pushed in 1975 for the U.S., as I sit here drinking my 8 oz can of orange drink.
5. Vinyl, tapes, CDs, may sound better but digital downloads outsell them all.
6. Pennies are an acceptable term for U.S. cents so I will continue using it.
7. Remember the half dollar coin, that lasted longer than most dollar coins yet they are hardly seen or used in recent years.

So yes reduction of dollar coins is great. Heavy coins may be more cost effective but they are not as comfortable as dollar bills. For the young the two forms are obsolete and they already know that debit cards and smartphones are both efficient, cost effective, and comfortable.

Dang it! I think this did turn into a rant.

NumisMaster

Do you have a coin and want to know how much it's worth? Leave a comment

The latest tool in coin identification and pricing is online guides. There are a few guides out there but the most well known is NumisMaster powered by Krause Publications. Krause is the one of the top collectible and hobby publishers in the world. Expanding their reach from newspapers to magazines to books and now a searchable database.

The concept is simple they just put all the data they gather on ancient, world, Canada, and U.S. coins and currency online and you can search it for value or varieties. At the same time you can keep track of each coin you have or want.

The screenshot above shows the series of Bermuda 1 Cent 1970-1985. The first column gives all the years and versions, like proof , matte, mintmark, design, etc. The second column gives you the mintage, if available many moderns are not. The next columns are the value for fine, very-fine, extra-fine, uncirculated, brilliant-uncirculated, and proof. The final column lets you add the coin either to your portfolio or want list.

After adding the coin and grade the next visit to the same page will have the coin you added highlighted.

Notice a problem?
You can only add one coin at a time. So if I added 1970 then I have to start the search all over again to add 1971 or 1970 at a different grade.
Solution: simply add a checkbox to every year and grade and maybe even a blank box to add quantities because sometimes I have multiple coins from the same year and grade.

I am using a one month free coupon to access every coin guide. Normally to have full access to all seven guides it is either $79.95 a year or $12.95 a month. There are also cheaper options if you want to buy just one of the guides.

What's good?

• Huge up to date database
• The ability to customize each coin's description saved to your portfolio
• You can upload your own images

Disappointments

• Hard to navigate
• Many pictures missing
• You have to join and the sign in page is not automatic
• Values seem a bit low
• Price is good but I still feel weird buying something you cannot hold in your hands (this point may only be valid to me)

Overall
It is a great tool but needs some improvement. I put up 193 coins and it says my collection is valued at $8.70. Granted none of these coins were rare but still just for currency exchange rates or base metal I would expect two to three times that estimate. Notice the first screenshot where anything below extra-fine has no value.

There is a great future in this service especially when it becomes smartphone compatible.

Do you have a coin and want to know how much it's worth? Leave a comment

Bermuda is Warm

Do you have a coin from Bermuda and want to know its value? Leave a comment 

Wind speed should never be higher than the temperature, 17 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 mph wind is not fun.

Although this is common Canadian weather these two coins give me a tropical vacation, coinwise of course.

At this exact moment Bermuda is 65F and raining, which to me sounds wonderful.

I got these two in December of 2009 in my change while shopping for gifts, the stores were packed and I got quite a few nice coins that I will share this month. I assume someone just got back from a Bermuda trip and decided to shop for gifts not caring that their money was funny.

Here's the stats ...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / Bermuda
Year: 2004
Mintage: 800,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.40 in XF


Type/Country: 25 Cents / Bermuda
Year: 2004
Mintage: 800,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.75 in XF

I usually take pictures using the sunlight which gives coins a great natural look but recently I've been using artificial lights. Not just artificial lights but halogens or those swirly new high efficiency light bulbs. Both kinds are horrible, sure I can find some proper lighting but for these coins I'm not too worried.

I will keep adjusting but winter is not the season for natural light plus who new these new light bulbs take minutes to fully light when cold. 

Do you have a Bermudian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Jamaica Proofs not 100%

Do you have a coin from Jamaica and want to know its value? Leave a comment

With no new finds from my change I will complete clearing any coins I have from my desk that I have not blogged about yet. Also everything technological is currently turning on me.

There are four proof Jamaican coins and two circulated coins.

Can you tell which are non-proofs?

All the proofs were minted by the Franklin Mint or the Royal Mint. Royal Mint issues have the word JAMAICA extend beyond the headdress. Look at the two five-cent coins to tell difference.

The coins themselves are slightly hazy, a theme that will continue, and that is why they weren't kept by the original owner. Haze is permanent and if not trying to remove it will destroy the mirror-like surface.

The dollar coin is great. It is thick and heavy like a coin should be. The five cent coin is just the opposite it is very light and almost feels like a toy.

Nice edge on that dollar.

The back, or is it the front, has JAMAICA ONE DOLLAR and the year of issue surrounding the Jamaican national coat of arms. The coat of arms has pineapples on the shield and more in the nice lady's basket. An American crocodile stands on a tree while two natives stand on a ribbon that says, OUT OF MANY, ONE PEOPLE which is the same as U.S.A. coin motto E Pluribis Unum.

Notice the dollar has three dates but the latest is the real one.

Here's the stats from left the top row ...
Type/Country: 1 Dollar / Jamaica
Year: 1970 (Proof)
Mintage: 14,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $2.50 in AU

Type/Country: 10 Cents / Jamaica
Year: 1970 Proof
Mintage: 12,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.35 in AU

Type/Country: 5 Cents / Jamaica
Year: 1973 Proof
Mintage: 28,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.25 in AU

Type/Country: 10 Cents / Jamaica
Year: 1995
Mintage: Not yet known.
Metal: Copper plated steel
Value: $0.15 in AU

Type/Country: 20 Cents / Jamaica
Year: 1970 Proof
Mintage: 12,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.50 in AU

Type/Country: 5 Cents / Jamaica
Year: 1972
Mintage: 6,000,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.05 in VF

Purple haze:
No, not that kind I mean my camera is dying and starts going purple. It took half an hour to take a picture of these coins.

Most of the images come out like this.

I have switched to the camera for most of my coin photos and I doubt it will make it to December. Luckily I have two excellent scanners so until that time comes I will look for camera deals online, something with high macro capabilities would be nice.

Do you have a Jamaican coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Coin Drive

Do you have a real Euro coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Thinking about a post I made over at My Box Is Warm about things gone missing like thumb/flash drives I remembered a cool little one I came across.

These USB Flash Drives are made by a company I never heard of called LaCie, a quick search shows they specialize in external hard drives. Although a 7.5TB hard drive sounds cool I liked these little 8GB and 4GB flash drives pictured below.


For $29.99 and $19.99, for the 8GB and 4GB respectively, it's not a bad value for style but seeing how some people can't tell the difference between U.S. nickels and Spanish 20 Euro cents I don't think these will become common. Just a few months ago both were listed $5.00 cheaper so maybe if the have a sale it will be a good opportunity.

Check out how these drives blend with the Euros.

If I had a budget or if this blog were something more than informative I would get one of each and fill them up with the coin books I can purchase in .pdf format along with a complete list of legit coin websites built into a modified Firefox browser made for collectors. Portable OpenOffice with spreadsheets ready for a simple entry to organize your personal collection or install one of those professional coin software programs. Then do some sort of giveaway.

But alas I won't!

Do you have any type of money and want to know its value? Leave a question or comment and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2009 Coin Books

Do you have a penny and want to know how much it's worth? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Yes it's that time of year when I get new coin books and update all the prices in the post of this blog. Note I can't update values quoted in the comments but judging by the date of the comments you can figure out what the current value will be.

The first book I will review is the Krause 2009 Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000 36th edition with DVD included. Ordered through Amazon for $37 this with the discount but added sales tax for NY.

2009 World Coins Book Cheapest Place to Buy

Here is what the DVD looks like in the book.

The DVD has the following contents all in PDF format:

• Smaller Catalog Files
• How To Use This DVD
• Marshall Islands
• SCWC 1901-2000 Complete Book

The Smaller Catalog file is broken down to these, again in PDF formats:

• SCWC 1901-2000_0001-0022
• SCWC 1901-2000_Afghanistan-Chile
• SCWC 1901-2000_China-German East Africa
  
• SCWC 1901-2000_German States-Malta
  
• SCWC 1901-2000_Martinique-Samoa
• SCWC 1901-2000_San Marino-Zimbabwe

The book itself got slimmer with the deletion of Marshall Islands, it now tells you to go to the DVD for the values.

The first set of files are free to print and copy; for personal use of course.
The second set of files are heavily protected.

I put a copy on my older desktop but it is kind of slow compared to just picking up the book and reading. After a while of searching different coins I get values or info in 10 seconds by the book and 15 seconds by DVD.

As for 2009 United States book it is about the same. Few changes except for the added piece about the upcoming 2009 Lincoln penny change and the 2009 Quarters for the U.S. territories.

Mine was a hardcover-spiral bound which is more expensive but I treat the book rough. I sometimes enjoy the books more than the coins. Over then next few weeks I'll post some world coins I have and use the DVD to post information. Lets hope it's faster.

Do you have an United States coin and want to know how much it's worth? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Coin Scale

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Along with books and websites I still need more things to accurately find out what kind of coins I have. So I bought a scale after months searching and asking many dealers and collectors.

The scale I finally settled on is the DigiWeigh DW-100AS. It is a pocket precsion digital scale with a 100g x 0.01g accuracy.


It came with a 100 gram weight for calibrations.



Here it is weighing a copper-dime.



The sale is very accurate. It does need an occasional re-calibration when the scale gets moved a alot but it's not annoying.
The feel is solid and better then I expected from a mostly plastic scale. It isn't exactly pocket friendly.

The price was $29.99 + $8.37 for shipping and handling but since I used my Amazon credit card it came out to be free, yes FREE with the first time discount.

Although I saw if you buy it and sign up for a Stamps.com account you get a $30.00 rebate. Here is their official website plus the link to the rebate at the top of their page.

Here is where I bought it from Amazon Scale or Amazon Scale 2

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Ebay, Friends and My Pocket.

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

In the beginning of December 2005 I bought these dimes on eBay then I got this Mexican coin from a new friend and I found a Canadian penny in my change.

Also notice the holders they are made in two and three holes for the mintmarks of each year. If want to put the 1941, 1941D and 1941S in the same place you now can with these holders. They are sold everywhere they sell coin supplies.

Here's a decent place to buy these holders.
Brooklyn Gallery

Here's the stats...
1941-D 1942-D 1943-D 1944-D Mercury Dime Lot VF++......$2.79
Lot 8 Silver Roosevelt Dimes 1947 51 56 60 61 62 64 64 .... $3.27
Coin Supplies Saf-T-Flip Coin Holder 1.5x1.5w/card 25PK...$3.25
It was a total of $11.81 with shipping and handling.

As of today (2012 values) the Mercury dimes are worth.............. $10.66
the Roosevelt Dimes are............................................................. $21.30
and the Sat-T-Flips are ............................................................. $2.00
for a total of $33.99 so I earned $22.18 on my initial purchase. Okay so I'm not retiring but most of the times I lose money when I buy coins so any little that I make I will enjoy.

The Cinco Pesos is Mexican from 1948 it was free from a friend that also collects coins and is worth $29.00 (2012 value was $12.00 when I first got it in 2006).

The Canadian penny is from 1980 and only worth at most $0.10, yeah it's true most change finds are not worth a lot. It is the 5^th 1980 Canadian cent I found in my change.

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

10 Cent Canadian Find

Do you have a Canadian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

I found this brand new 2005 10¢ Canadian coin.

It looks great even though it's a circulating coin. The scanner never does the coin justice, it looks better in real life.

Check out this blurred image, you can clearly see the reflection of my camera. The coins surface is as perfect as a mirror.

Here's the stat for this coin...
Year: 2005P
Mintage: 212,175,000
Metal: 92% Steel, 5,5% Copper, 2.5% Nickel
Value: MS-63 $0.60






This coin was returned in my change as a dime. It's around my 250th Canadian coin I lost track a while ago. They usually aren't high value but they are high quality.

Do you have a Canadian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you

eBay Shopping Experience

One of things I wanted to share was my coin shopping experience. I've bought from at least six companies over the web and through the mail.
The first of these stores is the world famous eBay their motto "New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices. The link is http://www.ebay.com/.
The Google ads on the side often have an eBay coin auction. I've never bought a coin from eBay but I did buy a book. This book was over $50 everywhere else but one guy on eBay sold it for $7.00 I bought and within a week I received it. I gave him a positive comment and he gave me one for my quick PayPal payment.
From the people I know who have bought coins from eBay they all had positive experiences with both private sellers and eBay stores. Problems on other forums complain that some higher-end coins are overpriced and it is possible to buy coins that are damaged by cleaning. Those problems are fewer then I thought.
I hope to buy some coins through eBay but I'm looking for low-end coins or bulk world coins. I will use PayPal again since it is easy to use and set up and the unverified account limits will keep me from spending too much.

0=Avoid at all cost, 5=Best Choice
Overall Ratings: 4 out of 5
Pros: Many choices, their ratings are a guide to good sellers, older coin books for cheap.
Cons: Dealing with with strangers(although slightly exciting), shipping charges are erratic.

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.