My tips on how to handle your coin collections

There are many things you need to know about do and don't when you're handling your collections. When you mishandling your coin, most probably you will be lowering the coin grade. This is some of the thing I do to take care coins in my collection is always in good condition.

Some of you maybe think that this tips is a bit ridiculous but for a coin collector like me, I don't want my coin to downgrade just of my own mistake on mishandling them.

Our hands maybe touching a chemical that can contaminate our coin. Before handling your coin, make sure you clean your hand with soap and water. Only handle your coin after you dry your hands with towel. It is much better if you can get a glove specially made for handling coins and banknotes.

Make sure you handle your coins at a minimum. It is better if you don't touch your coin at all if it is no need for you to do that.

Never hold a coin by placing your fingers on the coin's surfaces.

Instead, hold the coins by its edge. You maybe already washed your hand but human skin contains oil and contaminants that can damage a coin surface. I have many beautiful coin which should be in Mint condition but has a finger mark on their surface.

This advice I pick from a book I read "2009 guide to US coin price & value trend". Never speak or sneeze while bending over a coin. While this advice may sound silly, it's practical. Saliva and mucus can damage a coin's surface if contact is made.

Invest in a good and trustable coin album or coin holder. Good and Trustable meant that it will take good care of your coin and it is made from a trustable material. Asked your coin dealer for a good recommendation. you already invest on your coin, why don't you invest on something that can take care of them.

Never put your coins together after you receive them from your coin dealer or coin shop. Putting them together will make them striking the surfaces of other coins during bagging and shipping. This is called contact marks or bag marks.

Like this straits settlements coin I just receive from my dealer, i just wish if he can be a bit caring on putting an individual plastic on them.

As what I have told you before, never ever cleaned your coin. A cleaned coin maybe is much nicer and easy to look at to some but for me a cleaned coin is just a waste on your money. Most of the straits settlements coin I bought from the market already been cleaned by the seller or the owner. A patina (the film that builds up on the surfaces of the coin), exactly help to protect your coin from chemical reaction. Please, just let the expert do the cleaning for your coin.

Don't put your coin in a PVC or paper envelop for a long time. Some of this will make your coins tone in time, Asked your coin shop what is the best item to store your coin. Some coin holder plastic that made from PVC is also a thing you need to make sure you don't used. Some paper envelop has sulfur chemical on them and will tone and damage your coins in a long run.

Do not leave your coins exposed to sunlight, high heat or high humidity for very long, it will damage your coin in times.

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Worlds Smallest banknote; which one?

Do you know which country has the smallest banknote? I am posting this post a long time ago and doing this edited post to tell you this two is still the smallest banknote I can find. What I found out there is two banknote that been said as a world smallest banknote. One from a personal website www.tomchao.com. While another one is from a Guinness Worlds Records 2008 website. Most of my search via google bring me into a website with other smallest thing in this world. So here is the story of the smallest paper money in this world.

From Tomchao website, he put Morroco 50 centimes as a smallest banknote. Small denomination coins were in short supply during WWI. Morocco issued postage size 50 Centimes, 1 Franc and 2 Francs cardboard notes as temporary substitutes for coins. This 50 Centimes banknote only measuring at 41mm x 32mm. The banknote is in red color and issued in 1944.

Photo by: aes.iupui.edu.

Guinness Worlds Records 2008 put this Romania 10 bani issued by Romania ministry of finance issued in 1917 as the worlds smallest national currency. Romania 10 bani banknote printed area measured 27.5 mm x 38 mm. The banknote color is green and you can see the year issued with the word Romania. My blog reader, Alex from Romania ( http://colectiebancnote.blogspot.com/) inform me that this banknote is not really a banknote ,it's a paper coin. It's a divisionary note (100 bani=1 leu ),and the guy from the note is King Ferdinand (1914-1927). King Ferdinand succeeded his uncle on the latter's death (Carol I of Romania died without surviving issue) as King of Romania on 10 October 1914, reigning until his own death on 20 July 1927.

At first, I do think Romania 10 bani bill is the smallest banknote if looking for the size given. After thinking about it for a while, based on printed area, Morroco 50 centimes could be the world smallest banknote. I also wish one day I can put this banknote in my collection. Which do you think is the worlds smallest banknote? Do you have any other banknote that smaller then this two? Please, don't afraid to comment and share what you know with the rest of this world.

Post edited at 21/09/09

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Suriname banknote; the lands of birds

Suriname (Dutch: Suriname; Sranan Tongo: Sranan), officially the Republic of Suriname (traditionally spelled Surinam by the English who founded the first colony at Marshall's Creek, along the Suriname River, but the Dutch spelling is more widely accepted), is a country in northern South America. Suriname is one of four non-Spanish-speaking states in South America along with Brazil, Guyana, and French Guiana. Suriname does not border any Hispanophone nations on the South American continent.

Suriname was formerly known as Nederlands Guyana, Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana. Suriname is situated between French Guiana to the east and Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with Brazil and the northern border is the Atlantic coast. The southernmost border with French Guiana is disputed along the Marowijne river; while the once-disputed boundary with Guyana was arbitrated by the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea on September 20, 2007. The country is the smallest sovereign state in terms of area and population in South America and is the only Dutch-speaking nation in the Western Hemisphere that is not a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Suriname also has the highest percentage of Muslims in the Western Hemisphere.

Suriname is widely known for its birds. They have over 727 birds species recorded so far. Suriname share its birds with Brazil to the south and with venezuela to the north-west. Most of its banknote and stamps is using this birds in its design. The most Common birds is blue-gray tanager which has been used in their 1985 banknote.

Source : wikipedia

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