Читать книгу Coin Collecting For Dummies - Neil S. Berman - Страница 62

Several years back, a dealer friend of mine handed him a well-struck (nearly perfect) 1913 Indian-head nickel with full, complete details, and he asked whether Ithought it was a coin made for circulation or a coin that had been specially prepared for collectors (referred to as a proof). The two men were standing at the reception desk of a hotel, and as Iturned the coin over to examine the other side, it flipped out of his fingers and fell about 4 feet to the hard tile floor. Besides feeling like a fool, Iwas even more upset to discover a big bruise on one of the rims of the coin. The bruise destroyed much of the coin’s value and desirability. Suddenly, the coin was most certainly a proof in my friend’s eyes. I was forced (shamed, actually) into buying the coin for a lot more than it was worth — especially for a coin that no self-respecting collector would buy. He found out a lot about handling coins from that lesson, including this: If you break it, you own it.

The following techniques prevent embarrassing and costly damage to coins. Make sure to practice each of these techniques with every coin you handle.