Your skin is covered with oils and acids that can be detrimental to your coins.
When handling your coins with your bare hands can leave them with covered with oils and acids that comes off of your skin. This acid can eventually eat into the surface of the metal and damage your valuable coins. If you must handle your collection with your bare hands, then be sure to wash and rinse your hands thoroughly and dry them on a clean towel before you begin handling the coins. It is always a good idea to handle your coins by their edges.
Another way to handle your collection is to wear gloves, but make sure that the material of gloves will not be harmful to your collection. Cotton, vinyl, or latex gloves are actually the best gloves that you can use without harming your coins. Many museums have their staff members to where gloves to keep from damaging their historical treasures. It is always a good idea even if when wearing gloves to still handle your coins by their edges, because tiny pieces of debris can gather onto the gloves that can also damage the surface of the coins.
It is always a good idea to handle your collection while sitting at a table, but make sure there is a clean cloth placed on top of the table. This will help with cushioning their fall whenever the coin is dropped and it will only fall a short distance. Some collectors prefer to use a velvet cloth or soft mat on top of the surface they are working on. It is important to never drop or drag your collection against hard surfaces.
One other good practice is to never clean your coins, because cleaning your coins will cause them to loose any significant value. Only someone who is experienced should clean coins, and only if the current state of your coins are so bad that the cleaning will increase the appeal and value of your collections.
By leaving your collection inside of their holders when ever you view them will help to protect them from anything that may be on your skin that could be transferred to your collection. Your collection should not be stored loosely inside of boxes or jars, and especially not inside of a drawer where they can slide around and get scratched and dented only to degrade their value.
Never store your collection in a humid area and keep them away from moisture. Also try not to cough or sneeze near your coins, because this can leave marks on your collection. How you handle your precious collection is extremely important, and staying informed on how to properly handle your coins is just as important.
Frequent handling of your collection can be extremely harmful to the value of your coins, especially if it is an everyday thing, which will continually diminish the grade of your collection. Remember that it is important to avoid touching the surface of your coins. If you have to touch your coins, then whether you are wearing gloves or not, be sure to touch only the edges. Fingerprints are extremely hard to remove from your coins, so try to never touch the obverse or reverse. Above all note that any improper or frequent handling of your collection will significantly diminish their value. |
