Saturday, October 25, 2014

Tips for Building an Attractive and Memorable Collection


I try to feature different collectibles in these intermittent blogs, but this week I just want to talk about collecting in general and how to build your own collection.

Collecting is more than just a hobby.  It also involves history, science and a keen eye.  There is no shortage of counterfeit collectibles going around, and it’s important as a collector to know the difference between the genuine article and a fake.  Making sure your items are the real deal is just the first step to making your collection more attractive.
 
How can this be achieved?  It can be done in a number of ways.  More experienced collectors may be able to simply use advanced magnification systems to discern quality and authenticity.  These products can range from simple magnifying glasses, to microscopes and telescopes, all the way to advanced electronic magnifiers and eye-glass low vision aids that contour to someone’s face individually.   There are also ultraviolet lamps, watermark detectors, perforation gauges and other advanced collecting accessories that assist the collector in determining authenticity.

The next thing that can be popularly done is extensive sorting and categorization of your collectibles.  This can be more helpful to people enjoying and educating others about their collection.  When things are sorted, categorized and made understandable for someone who isn’t an expert or professional collector, it makes a collection a learning experience, like a museum or library, and by having interesting, well explained objects, the collection gains an entertaining flair for any hound in the collecting trade. 

There are a multitude of cases and albums that help with categorizing and detailing a collection.  One way is with detailed three dimensional (3D) Floating Frames that give observers and the collector a look at an item from all angles, without the danger of touching a valuable collectible.  Customizable albums and pages can be used to cleverly organize your collection of coins, stamps, postcards, pins and/or old currency.   

There are many options in these categories.  There are Collecto Albums, which are sturdy and meant for high-capacity storage.  Setups like these are sought after by hounds with extensive collections.  There are a vast assortment of labels, decals and stickers for organizing collections as well.
Last but not least, there are all sorts of safes, display cases and chests of drawers that can personalize a collection, adding class and beauty to valued belongings.  There are universal storage systems like the Beba Storage Case, which can be used for a varied assortment of collectibles.  There are also elegant and timeless chests made from wood, acrylic and aluminum that can be used for coins, rocks and many other detailed forms of collectibles. 


One Gold “Mohur” circa about 1841
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Having the right chests and storage units make a collection attractive and informative, and make you proud to display them to friends, family and other interested individuals.  There are many other collectibles that these can be utilized for aside from the ones listed here, like jewelry, perfume bottles, comic books, DVDs, trains, matchbox cars and much more. 

Find these products and more at SAFE® Collecting Supplies.  We offer free shipping on orders $99 or more.  We have been serving professional and amateur collectors since 1953.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Eagles, Eagles, Eagles....we love those Eagles

In honor of my local football team, and their surprise entry (and quick exit) into the playoffs, I thought I would talk about Eagles.  No, not the Philadelphia Eagles.  American Eagles.

Silver Eagles.  Gold Eagles.  The standard bearer in this country for beauty and preservation of wealth through legal ownership of commodity metal.  We love our Eagles.


American Silver Eagle Dollars are the official silver bullion coins of the United States.  It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the one-troy ounce size, which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver.  It weighs exactly 31.103 grams, it is 40.6mm in diameter and 2.98mm thick.  Simply one of the most beautiful coins ever produced.  That is not just my opinion...it bears to the millions that are collected and traded each year.  Take a look at the beautiful design on the coin's obverse which was taken from the "Walking Liberty" design by Adolph A. Weinman, and originally had been used on the Walking Liberty Half Dollar coin of the United States from 1916 to 1947. The obverse is also inscribed with the year of minting or issuance, the word LIBERTY, and the phrase IN GOD WE TRUST.

The American Gold Eagle Dollars are the official gold bullion coin of the United States and was first released by the United States Mint in 1986.  Gold Eagles are offered in denominations of 1/10 oz (16.5mm), 1/4 oz (22mm), 1/2 oz (27mm), and 1 oz (32.7mm) and are guaranteed by the U.S. government to contain the stated amount of actual gold weight in troy ounces. By law, the gold must come from sources in America, alloyed with silver and copper to produce a more wear-resistant coin.  The obverse design features a rendition of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' full length figure of Lady Liberty with flowing hair, holding a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left, with the Capitol building in the left background.  You would know the diameter of each if you had a coin caliper.

SAFE offers coin capsules, coin cases and coin albums for Silver Eagle Dollars and Gold Eagle Dollars.  Rather than letting them sit loose in your safe deposit box, why not organize them nicely in one of our coin cases, or at least protect them for the elements in our air tight coin capsules.  They are much too beautiful not to protect. If you need help selecting, just shoot me an email or give me a call at 877-395-SAFE.