Q How do you handle your coins?
A The way in which a piece of collectable coin is being handled is important for every collector. The slightest blemish on a coin may cause an undesirable result to a coin and it may be devalued. I personally do not place my coins on any piece of cloth but on clean and large sheet of paper simply because I do not want any dust to transfer from the cloth onto my coins. I do not like the idea of wearing gloves because I feel that it is way too exaggerated but I will clean my hands before touching them. It is essential for me to avoid touching the surface of the coin and hold it only by its edges as I do not want fingerprints and skin oils to appear on the surface.
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Q How do you keep your coins?
A I hate Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coin holders. My coins get damaged and oxidation occurs over time. As I could not afford coin slabs, I have opted for round air-tite holders. These are still quite costly and thus more easily obtainable coins will be kept in sealed air tight plastic bags. Some cupronickel coins will be kept in paper envelopes.
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Q Where did you get your coins?
A Similar to every other typical collectors, I inherited, exchanged, bought and received these coins and the collection slowly builds up over time. Purchasing coins are often not recommended but it is sometimes necessary to obtain older coins that are getting rarer.
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Q When did you started your collection?
A Some of the coins existed long before I started to collect them. The first batch is some older Singaporean coins brought home by my father when I was young. I did not really look into them until 1997 when I started to observe the various designs that the coins bear. It followed by my aunt and also my father’s close friend who gave me a couple of Hong Kong currencies. It soon grew into a small scattered collection and a sense of proper storage and handling began. The interest did not really surface until I met my old friend in 2001 when we started exchanging various coins, banknotes and some stamps.
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Q What do you dislike about coin collecting?
A Handling! Coins, especially copper coins, are too delicate and oxidise really fast and easily. The dodgy and stained surface is really undesirable and cleaning them is forbidden. Cleaning will not return the coins into its original lustre but making them look rather awkward and I will lock them away from my sight forever. The cost of storage is like ants biting me from underneath the skin. It is too costly to the point that it is unhealthy for true coin collectors. It defeats the fun of coin collecting!
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Q How many coins do you have to date?
A A question I am unable to answer. Possibly, hundreds? The most accurate I can provide is, “many”.
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