my 3 submission's....

In one of the coin publications I read an article about a coin dealer who sends in coins to be graded. He talked about using gloves, white cotton I think, so you would not get the oils from your fingers on the edge of the coins.

He also wore a face mask, the plain white one's, so the air that you breath, when it leaves your body, has a certain level of moisture in it. This air will fall onto the surface of your coin and can ruin the surface.

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Many years ago I sent in some of my best stuff to a grading company. They sent me a kit and I graded about 20 coins. Now looking at these coins I can see where I made many mistakes in my handling of the coins. Mostly the copper pennies.

All of the coins I sent in have color or toned from my handling. The edges show a dark color reaction from my finger tips and over all the coins have a cloudy covering from my breath falling on them. The copper coins have a gold or even tan color mixed in with the copper color. I remember removing the cents from mint sets and never touching them again. So I know for sure the tone on the surface is from my breath.

I even took several of the slabbed coins to coin shows and told them of what I did, and everyone agreed, I did breath on them.

Lesson learned.

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A few years later I sent in my 2nd batch of coins and handled them with the best care I could. Now looking at them, I see a white soft surface on them.

How did this happen?

Again I took these coins to a coin show and was told the flips I sent the coins in were PVC type flips. It seems many un-knowing dealers and collectors bought these PVC made flips from a non-coin collector suppliers. Even when the coin sits in the flip for as little as 15 days, the coins develop a white haze on the surface!

Another lesson learned.

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Now for my latest submission, I only buy my coin products from a coin dealer who sends in coins himself. I buy only the best in the way of cardboard 2x2 holders. I make sure everything says its PVC free!

I even bought some nickel tubes to store my rolls of pennies I buy. With all the new cents available I want to make sure they are kept the best I can. I insert the entire wrapped roll into the nickel tube to seal and keep them in boxes with the intercept shield protection. Then when I finally open up the rolls, I put all my coins in 2x2 cardboard holders but "do not" staple them. Then I insert the 2x2 holder in a "Saflip" 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 pocket coin flip. These flips are made for submitting coins, and have no oil or PVC in them. They are kinda of rigid and have no real bend to them! Again no PVC at all!

This way I have double protection and the chance of a coin slipping out of the Saflip is almost impossible.

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I hope this helps you in your desire to save and send in your choice coins properly for grading and or just future protection!

Oh yes, finally I put all my graded coins in Intercept slab holders and keep in the Intercept boxes for the holders.

After all why grade a coin and not take care of it the best way you can.....

Just Coins, aka Sarah coins.