I am a rather avid photographer and am wondering if I should take my gold coins out of their plastic display case to take pictures of them??

I am a bit paranoid about taking them out, both because I am worried about the plastic screws breaking after all this time and the chance I will not be able to reuse the cases, as there are a few which have really escalated over the last 40 years.

I am also wondering about getting the gold graded and slabbed, however I am not in the position of dropping the cash for slabbing right now.

Thanks in Advance,

Dean.

Are they in Capitol holders with plastic screws? I opened some of those from the '70s and I didn't have a problem with the screws breaking. Be careful if you use a metal screwdriver, though, because it can moosh the plastic. If the containers are really old, you might consider replacing them. Capitol makes some great holders for gold type sets or single coins.

Besides, if a screw breaks, you can use the token in your avatar to get a new one.

I have never had a problem with opening these holders, I have opened many proof sets housed in these holders. I do recommend buying ait-tites with soft foam ring, and removing the coins from the plastic holder, and storing them in these air-tites. Older plastic tends to have adverse affects on coins, and PVC is just one problem, but not the only.

Yeah, older holders (even Capitol) can tone coins, which may not be desired. I really like the Intercept Shield holders. They're expensive, but if you're using them for gold coins they should be worth it. You can get them on eBay for about $1 each.

Greetings RHM, and thanks for the help.

They are older Capitol type and they DO have the plastic screws. The screws are discolored a brownish tone. (see pic at other reply on this thread)

I was thinking if I used a regular screwdriver I could put a piece of Duct-tape over it to protect the screw, and I suppose if I break one it wouldn't matter as I should transfer the coins to individuals then, or just use my avatar....

Thanks

D.

Thanks for the help Daniel,

Attached is a pic of the Capitol holder. I was not sure of the plastic type, however I was assuming, maybe poorly, that it was safe for coins.

Maybe I should consider getting them graded at this time?? I guess I could 'off' some of our Peace dollars to fund the grading.

Thoughts?

Dean.

That holder isn't that old, and will probably be fine. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) is added to certain plastics to make them soft and flexible. Since Capitol holders are rigid, there probably wouldn't be PVC even in an older one. That doesn't mean that there aren't other 'bad' chemicals, but you probably don't have to worry about the big one. So, unless I had a key date or a really high-end piece in there, I'd just let them stay in their holder, since they look really nice in there and they don't seem to have taken on any ill effects yet.

Nice collection, by the way! I love that Liberty head double eagle. Now you just need the Type I gold dollar and three dollar gold. Watch out if you buy the $3 though, because most of them have been cleaned for some reason.

What are the dates and mint marks of each coin? Depending on the grade, but even at that, you have a few thousand in gold coins. Very nice. I will have to do some research on these holders. I do know that PCGS and NGC use inert plastic, and I don't know of any other plastic holder save mylar flips that's inert, and doesn't have a reaction on coin metal. However, gold isn't very reactive, but if they where silver I would waist anytime removing them.

All of these coins are worth a submission.

Thanks for the reply RHM,

Through our little group here, we have learned through a show grader that these 2 quarter Eagles (1911 & 1902 ) are very special, along with a few others we have, and they should get properly slabbed. Most of our Goldies are nice but not 'special'.

I have heard many times from my Grandpa and others about very shady dealers and grading companies (shaving, switching, undergrading, losing them, and soiling ) coins. This has me extra cautious, and almost at the point of walking them through our friends in FL or CA for grading.
I work with Architectural Brass so I am not afraid of removing them from the case, I just want to keep their details preserved.

I was thinking of rounding-out the set, however slabbing would kind of defeat the purpose.
I added the reverse of the set here as well.

Thanks for the help

Dean.

Dates and mints of each of the worthy ones....1928 = $20, 1904 = $20, 1899 = $20, 1932 = $10, 1881-S = $10, 1881 = $10, 1911 = $5, 1882 = $5, 1911 = $2.50, 1902 = $2.50.
These are the worth ones that would grade upper tier. I have a total of 20 MS Golds and a few others.

While I realize most of these would be worth submitting, I have apprehensions (see my reply above).

I have been told by a couple of reliable sources that the ANACS holders are top notch as well, however their grading might hurt my values.

I want to be very careful, however I do want to photograph them properly outside the holder.

Thanks

Dean

If you live in Cal. then I would wait and visit PCGS or go to the Long Beach show and have them graded on the spot. I wouldn't put them in any other holder, not because PCGS is the only grader, but they hold their value in a PCGS holder. It's been proved, and I can prove, that coins in PCGS holder trade for more over all.

If your comfortable removing the coins, then I would and take some good pictures, and post them here. I would love to see these coins.

([I live on the IL/WI border] however, there is a good chance that I will go to CA for a few weeks at the end of the year.)

I have no problem at all handling and photographing the coins, my apprehension was in removing them from the 'Capitol' holder. I would think the holder has to be at least 40 years old, because I remember seeing the coins in it when I was a young-un.

- After I take them out of the 'Capitol' holder, I have fold-over-and-staple-type holders for temporary storage before grading(that may look too cheap). I am wondering if I should just get the better sealed-type holders off E-Bay for the interim??

I shall post the pics to a holding pic site for the class to view(This site limits resolution too much). I will need to work on some 'macro-lighting' for the shots, however from the ones I have taken from other coins, I am really liking triangulated 10-degree angle illumination (3 light sources through diffusers). It really shows all the features and imperfections of the coins. Much better than the hi-res scans I believe.

Whatever you do, don't use staple holders with the cardboard. You can buy mylar flips, and that's what I use to store, and submit my coins in. The only problem with mylar flips is it's a hard plastic, and you have to make sure the plastic edge doesn't put hairlines on the coin when you put them inside.

I will fix the resolution issue.

I will attain "Mylar-Flips" for my Goldies.

That would be quite cool if the site could take a compressed 8 meg pic. Actual file size is about 1.5MP.
Right now, mostly for simplicity, I have to send an E-Mail of the pic to myself to downsize it easily, then I save the pic from the E-Mail into another folder. Then access the file to post onto a site that have lower resolution limits. Small hassle.

Thanks for your help.

Dean.

I believe that coin holders cannot be stapled shut or sealed when sent off the to grader.

That's correct, you could be charged extra for removal. I fixed the picture size issue, so you should not have any trouble adding any size attachment.

Excellent, I'll try one here---------

Well Done Daniel!!!

Large file load perfectly.

Bravo!!!

Alright, good picture, but might I offer a tip on proof coin pictures? I wrote a guide on this, and through trial and error, I found a decent method. I use a black object, to make the fields dark, before I take the picture. I would love to see the contrast of this coin, and this will do it.

That's a great tip! I'll try that next time. Maybe a piece of black construction paper with a hole cut for the lens?

That's what I use, a piece of black cardboard with a hole cut out for the lense. Here's my guide on taking proof photos, and I have many picture examples http://coinauctionshelp.com/page43.html

I also have a " black camera screen". I just fired this for a base listing.