Last updated on November 11th, 2022 at 12:53 pm
Last Updated on November 11, 2022 Posted by Colonial Acres Coins
Coin collecting is a wonderful pastime for anyone who is fond of these valuable pieces of art and history. Having all of your Canadian coins properly stored and organized is a guaranteed way to keep them in great condition for decades to come. Here are some organization tips and coin storage ideas.
Coin Storage Ideas for Cataloguing Your Collection
There are two aspects of coin collection organization: storage and cataloguing. Coin collection storage refers to where and how you keep the actual, physical coins. Cataloguing your coins means recording and organizing information about each piece in your collection. There are several different reasons why it is important:
- Allows you to track the value of your collection in response to market fluctuations
- Informs your heirs of the value of your collection if they decide to liquidate it
- Provides important tax information
The specific data that you record about each coin is largely up to you, but the following are examples of information that may be particularly useful to you and your eventual heirs or buyers:
- Purchase price
- Purchase date
- Year of mintage
- Country of origin (if collecting world coins)
- Denomination
- Mint mark
If purchasing more than one specimen of the same denomination and mintage, e.g., a roll of coins, you may also want to include the quantity. It is also a good idea to record the coin’s condition and its grade, which is a numerical ranking of its condition.
There are several methods of cataloguing your coin collection. There are traditional low-tech methods as well as high-tech methods that require the use of a computer. Generally speaking, low-tech methods may work well for a small collection of coins, while high-tech methods may be more convenient for a large collection.
Low-Tech Methods of Coin Cataloguing
An acquisition checklist is a pre-generated form used for cataloguing your coin collection. It provides blanks for each of the pieces of information that you might want to record about the coins in your collection, and all you have to do is fill in the blanks. It is one of the easiest methods of coin cataloguing, but the downside is that it may not provide blanks for all the information you want to save. If this is the case, you can create your own catalogue using a spiral-bound notebook. This allows you to choose the information that you want to track and create your own system for organizing the data. Another option is a storage box of three-by-five index cards, with each card corresponding to a coin in your collection.
High-Tech Methods of Coin Cataloguing
There is software available created specifically for cataloguing coin collections. A major benefit of these programs is that they may offer the capability to download the most up-to-date information on pricing and use current market prices to revalue your collection automatically.
Coin cataloguing software ranges in price from free to quite expensive. A free or lower-priced program may not have all the features that more expensive programs have. When choosing a software program to catalogue your coin collection, look for flexibility in organizing your collection(s) and screens laid out intuitively for ease of use. Many programs will allow you to download a free trial version so you can try it out and see how you like it before asking you to download the whole version for a fee.
An alternative to coin collecting software is to create a spreadsheet in a program such as Microsoft Excel. A spreadsheet allows you to choose the information you want to record about your coins and makes it easier to recalculate their value, but you have to research current market prices yourself.
Coin Collection Storage Ideas for Preserving Your Collection
There are many ways to store your coin collection, but make sure to protect them from any elements that could damage them. That means keeping your collection away from extremes of temperature and high humidity. Choose storage containers and displays that don’t allow the coins to touch each other and that don’t contain any chemicals that could harm the coins.
Here are some examples of popular coin collection storage options.
Folders
If you are collecting a particular type or denomination of coin, folders are a good storage method. These contain slots labelled with information for each coin, so all you have to do is slide the coin into the slot when you find it. However, folders do not provide much protection and should only be used for circulation coins.
2x2s
These are cardboard sleeves with transparent windows intended to store individual coins. They are named for their dimensions in inches. You can write identifying information about the coin on the outside of the cardboard, which helps you or your heirs match it up to the entry in your catalogue.
Flips
A flip has approximately the same dimensions as a 2×2 and is also intended to store one coin at a time. Made of transparent plastic, a flip has two pockets: one for the coin itself and one for information about the coin written on a card.
Album
A coin storage album allows you to keep your collection together and view it at leisure. There are many types of coin albums, but one of the most popular is the kind that has pages designed to hold 2x2s or flips.
Coin Holders
A coin holder is a shell of hard plastic. There are holders for individual coins as well as those designed to hold more than one. Like 2x2s, coin holders have transparent windows so that you can see the coins inside. Coin holders are made from neutral synthetics that do not contain chemicals that can harm coins. They provide some of the best protection from humidity and other environmental contaminants.
Additional Security Concerns
Due to the high value of a coin collection, you may want to avoid displaying the whole thing at once. To prevent theft, you may want to place your album, folder, or holder containing your collection into a safe deposit box at the bank or a home safe.
Find More Coin Storage Ideas From Colonial Acres
If you find cataloguing and storage important for all of your coins, go to Colonial Acres’ website and choose among different coin storage ideas, including albums, boxes, or folders. Colonial Acres Coins offers plenty of options with different shapes, materials, and sizes of holders. Don’t forget to check our website or contact our professional staff for deals of the day when you can find the best price on coins, paper money, or coin supplies. With Colonial Acres and all the items to purchase for your coins, your collection will be safe and organized without worrying about clutter or lost pieces.