Coins are pieces of art that tell a story. Coins are history in your hands. These stories and history are intended to be memorialized on coins for generations to come. If you acquire the right tools and supplies, you will be able to store the coins in your coin collection and protect them from damage. Follow these guidelines, and you will be on the right track to storing your coins properly and preserving them for future generations. If the coins are in a special holder, for example, from the U.S. Mint or encapsulated by a grading service, you should leave them in their holders or capsules. Removing a coin from a special holder can also decrease its value. Some collectors will remove their coins from their coin holders because they prefer to house their coin collections in a particular album or case. Learn how to properly handle your coins so that you will not damage them, and you will be able to enjoy them for years to come. This includes coin holders, folders, albums, magnifying glasses, proper lighting, books, gloves, and a soft pad to work on. Beginning collectors will only need the basic supplies, while intermediate and more advanced collectors will require a wider variety of equipment and supplies. However, every coin collector will need a magnifying glass or loupe. It should be no more than a 10X. In order to verify that a coin is authentic and not a counterfeit, you will have to acquire coin collecting supplies such as a digital scale, a digital caliper, a stereo microscope, a natural daylight lamp, high-quality digital camera, and coin cataloging software. The larger your collection grows, the more sophisticated your coin collecting supplies need to be. Both options offer the advantage of organizing your collection into a predefined order. This allows you to quickly see what coins you are missing and need to acquire. Coin folders are inexpensive and great for beginners. Intermediate and advanced collectors will want to invest coin albums that provide additional protection for their prized coin collections. But, for advanced coin collectors, these folders and albums may not provide adequate protection for extremely rare and valuable coins. By understanding how each of these factors can damage your coins, you will be able to take additional steps in determining where the safest place to store your coins is. People who live in coastal areas must be especially careful due to high humidity and levels of salt in the air. Regardless of where you live, you must take the necessary precautions to store your coin collection properly. Therefore, your coins will be enjoyed by future generations. Also, trying to maintain a certain level of anonymity and privacy can help protect your collection. Going to a coin club meeting where other collectors are sharing their stories and coin collecting journey is an ideal way to make new friends. However, people outside the coin collecting community may have no other interest in your collection other than stealing it.
