Tools of the Trade

As the collection begins to grow, one should start to invest into certain tools. The tools are very important and serve a variety of purpose. Some tools help you detect fake coins, some help you see the finer details of the coins, while others help you catalog or store the coins properly.

In this article I am trying to list out some of the basic tools one should invest into and buy very early one. These are kind of essential to have and one should invest into as early as possible.

Flat Clinch Stapler:
It may sound stupid to list this item. However this would be among the first item I would buy. Normal staplers that are available in the house are good to begin. However one needs to hammer out the staples to make them flat. If this is not done, it damages the coins on next page when arranged in album or stacked in coin box. Flat Clinch staplers solve this issue by stapling flat. They are slightly expensive then the normal staplers but worth the money. Note the regular stapler pins work just fine. Although its recommended that one use colored staple pins. The colored pins are more resistant to rust and hence do not damage the coin. The stainless steel staple pins of good quality are also fine, however these may be prone to rust in 10-15 years of time, so keep a watch on your flips.

Coin Weighing Machine:
A handy and good coin weighing machine is must to get accurate measurements of your coins. This is especially helpful if one is into Older coins as documenting weight is quite important. A fake coin can more easily be caught as its weights invariably is different to Original coin. A weighing scale also helps to identify some genuine weight error coins or quite a few different purposes. All in all this is not very expensive and ideally recommended to buy before one buys an expensive coin.

Note all weight machines require "Calibration". Calibration is required before first use and then periodically, say once in 6 months. If the weight machine is for 0-200 g. Then calibration needs to be done using 200 g weight. i.e. you should already have a weighing stone of 200 g [ or for 0 - 300 g , a 300 g]. So best buy from coin exhibitions and have it calibrated.



Magnifying Lens
The first item to buy should be a magnifying lens. This is very helpful to study the detail features of the coin and appreciate its details. It’s very useful to study mint marks and identify then for someone who is into collecting mint marks and other die varities. Quite a few die varities can be studied easily only if one has the right lens. While buying lens there is no one size fits everything. There are simple lens that are quite cheap. Buy atleast 3x magnification. There are some that come with built in LED lights to illumiate the coin. There are some that are small in size and handy to carry in pocket, good while to visit exhibitions to see coins.

Vernier Calipers
The Calipers goes hand in hand with weighing machine to measure the dimensions of the coins. This is a must tool if someone is into Die Varieties as measurements of interior designs becomes quite useful to confirm the variety. The older analog ones are fine and cost slightly more than a regular scale. however one needs some practice and understanding to start using the scale. To make things easier there is also a digital caliper. This would directly show the reading on the screen. Very handy if one is not into engineering profession or hates to reading the analog scale.

Gloves:
A pair of white gloves is also an important accessory once your collection grows to a decent size. Using gloves is a must to handle expensive coins to avoid damage. Ensure that these are made of cotton and are soft. Using a synthetic gloves may further damage the coin rather than preserving it. Ensure that the gloves are washed with mild detergent and rinsed quite a few times when they get dirty. Improper care may mean the dirt accumulated on gloves get transferred onto the coin.