How to search BU and OBW rolls?

**cranky** · 01-28-2015, 02:44 PM

Original Bank Rolls "OBW" Buying Guide rev1 - Lincoln Cent Forum

http://www.lincolncentforum.com/forum/showthread.php?26219-Original-Bank-Rolls-quot-OBW-quot-Buying-Guide-rev1

I've had a couple requests for my considerations when buying OBW rolls. I've written a bunch of them down in various posts, and eventually will pull them all together, but here are a few of them I pulled together today. Comments welcome. OBW Cent Roll buying guide 1) Don't listen to anything the dealer says about the rolls.

Go here tells you all you need to know. Read and learn it's very informative.

**jfines69** · 01-28-2015, 04:28 PM

If you are concerned about possible gems in the rolls you may want to get cotton gloves to prevent any oils from your hands getting on the coins... That and check out the link above!!!

**Maineman750** · 01-28-2015, 05:52 PM

I use either cotton gloves, or rinse the coin in acetone before putting it away (if there was a chance I touched it). If you are careful, you won't need to do either.....but it's better safe than sorry.

**GrumpyEd** · 01-28-2015, 09:22 PM

Mineral oil is more for slowing corrosion on a coin that already has some problems.
I've seen rolls of unc coins that were oiled up with it and they're a bit mottled even if you rinse the mineral oil away with acetone.

With copper I would think that if you had an MS-70 RD and got mineral oil on it at all that it's probably not going to be a 70 anymore. (just my thought)
Acetone is pretty harmless, it's a solvent for getting certain things off. I think it shouldn't hurt most coins although some say that it can change color slightly on copper. I'd also be afraid that if you had a super high grade that even acetone is a risk if for no other reason than handling etc.

If I pull a super high grade cent out of a roll that means it doesn't need any mineral oil or acetone (or I wouldn't have thought it was a super high grade). Sometimes being in a roll keeps them pretty nice, I've put fresh coins from old long stored OBW rolls in flips and seen the color change in a year so I think that once out of the roll they are at more risk. If I thought I had an MS-68-69-70 red that I pulled from a roll I would do nothing and very carefully get it in the mylar flip and send it for grading before anything can change it.

**ray_parkhurst** · 01-28-2015, 09:55 PM

I never wear gloves when searching rolls. I have tried cotton, latex, and nitrile and have had more mishaps wearing any of these types of gloves than I have with my bare hands. Of course I always wash my hands before doing a roll search, and wait a few minutes after washing for the water to evaporate. I have a small mirror at my desk, and if when I touch it I leave any steam around my fingerprint then my hands are still too wet. I should not leave a fingerprint on the mirror either. And of course I only touch the coins by the edges.

For the last 20 years, my process for tubed rolls starts by viewing the edges of the coins, and the visible sides of the end coins. For original rolls that have been properly stored, the edges of all coins should be fairly uniform. The end coins are often not the coins, or at least not the side of the coins, that were exposed if the roll came from OBW. Most folks will put a "nice" coin on top and often on bottom of the roll to make the roll look "better". The quality of this end coin can tell you a lot about what to expect from the rest of the roll.

I continue the process by carefully dumping the the roll out on a velvet-pad tray, spreading the coins evenly across the tray to maximize visibility. If the roll is original and unsearched, the coins will be in a very random orientation vs one another. No two coins will have the same orientation. I pick each coin up by the edges, rotate them so they are all in same orientation, and stack them in 10-15 coin stacks. Any taller and they fall over too easily. I stack the heads and tails in separate stacks and note how many of each I end up with. Original unsearched rolls will have a nearly 50/50 split heads/tails.

I then start the actual searching by viewing each stack of coins using my stereo microscope. I use a Bausch & Lomb Stereo-1 pod with 10x eyepieces, so total magnification is 10x. I have a ringlight for even illumination. I search in multiple passes. First I look for repunched mintmarks and any doubled dies that show in the date. I put anything I find aside in separate stacks and continue searching. Next I look for doubling in the other devices; for die breaks like BIEs; for any lamination or other errors; and for VEDS coins. Finally I look at the reverses for double dies, errors, etc.

The coins I don't find anything interesting on I place back into stacks, and then view them without magnification, segregating them into 6 groupings: Gem; Choice; Average; Cull; Roll-Ends; and Toners. These get placed into their own separate stacks. If I am searching only a single roll, the Gems go into 2x2 or Lighthouse snap-fit holders. The roll ends go into an ongoing Roll-End roll. Toners go into small snap tubes I get from TAP plastics (yellow tubes hold 15 Cents; clear tubes hold ~30 Cents). Culls are coins with heavy fingerprinting, spotting, damage, etc and go into a box in my desk drawer. Eventually I will spend them, or so I tell myself. Choice and Average coins go into tubes, awaiting more of the same until a full roll is completed.

In this process, I have handled each coin perhaps a dozen times. I am careful to touch only the edges, and never either too lightly (to avoid dropping the coin) not too tightly (to avoid wrap-around to the rims). I have rolls of Gems and Toners that I put away 20 years ago that are as pristine as the day I first searched them. Unfortunately I also have rolls that have degraded, but not due to my handling of them. Most of the degraded rolls have white spots from dust, which is my nemesis, or possibly moisture droplets from not being careful not to breathe on them. Dust and water droplets are far bigger enemies to copper than is handling of coins, as long as your hands are clean and dry and you only touch the edges.

I hope this helps with answering the question of how to search BU rolls. This is my method, and everyone who searches enough rolls will develop their own methods that work best for them.

I'm going to copy the above in response to the OBW roll thread as well.

**jfines69** · 01-29-2015, 05:31 AM

Is it me or do coin collectors sound like we have OCD

**duece2seven** · 01-29-2015, 07:32 AM

Originally posted by jfines69

Is it me or do coin collectors sound like we have OCD

Funny you mention that Mr. Fines! My main reason for this post is based on my need for "organizational discipline", hehe. That means my girlfriend/strawboss has deemed me "organizationally unfit"! Even worse, she's become more addicted to this "coin thing" than I have! Now, I can just hear all of you out there saying "Wow! He doesn't know how lucky he is to have a mate that loves THIS hobby!". Well, you are right except for one thing--she's taken over all my stuff, man! I now have to make an appointment to view my own coins! She's taken over my desk, organized all my stuff, and informed me that if "WE" are going to do this together, then "I" must become more politically correct in my coin handling and organization. I blame my dilemma on all of YOU! She got on here, read some your greatest works on valuable varieties and has taken a particular interest in separating the gems from BU rolls. You see, I think she always believed my spewing about how valuable some of my coins were was mere BS. Then she starts surfing on here behind my back and finds out at least most of what I was saying was true. We have created a monster, boys! She not only likes the varieties but she likes the SHINY coins, too! I have been notified that WE will get FULL value from each roll from now on and that I can no longer throw the SHINY, non-variety coins in a big, messy pile because they are of no interest to me. She instructed me to get on here and learn how to properly sort and store UNC specimens so that SHE can inspect them later for grading! Hell, she's already decided we will be attending the ANA grading course in Colorado this year! In short, she told that me that if she was gonna be involved that being "pretty good" at this is unacceptable. What have I done???????

**mustbebob** · 01-29-2015, 07:56 AM

What have I done???????

You've turned into one of us!

**ray_parkhurst** · 01-29-2015, 08:01 AM

Originally posted by jfines69

Is it me or do coin collectors sound like we have OCD

Hah! I'm definitely not OCD, and you would know for sure if you ever saw my workspace...

I had to develop an organized way of going through rolls because my previous haphazard methods fall apart quickly when I go through a large group of them. Now THAT is a mess. I still make a bigger mess than I need to, but at least things are segregated...

**ray_parkhurst** · 01-29-2015, 08:17 AM

Originally posted by mustbebob

You've turned into one of us!

Perhaps even two of us...

**jfines69** · 01-30-2015, 05:40 AM

We are all peas in a pod!!!

**BadThad** · 01-30-2015, 08:39 AM

Originally posted by GrumpyEd

Mineral oil is more for slowing corrosion on a coin that already has some problems.
I've seen rolls of unc coins that were oiled up with it and they're a bit mottled even if you rinse the mineral oil away with acetone.

With copper I would think that if you had an MS-70 RD and got mineral oil on it at all that it's probably not going to be a 70 anymore. (just my thought)
Acetone is pretty harmless, it's a solvent for getting certain things off. I think it shouldn't hurt most coins although some say that it can change color slightly on copper. I'd also be afraid that if you had a super high grade that even acetone is a risk if for no other reason than handling etc.

If I pull a super high grade cent out of a roll that means it doesn't need any mineral oil or acetone (or I wouldn't have thought it was a super high grade). Sometimes being in a roll keeps them pretty nice, I've put fresh coins from old long stored OBW rolls in flips and seen the color change in a year so I think that once out of the roll they are at more risk. If I thought I had an MS-68-69-70 red that I pulled from a roll I would do nothing and very carefully get it in the mylar flip and send it for grading before anything can change it.

Mineral oil should be avoided at all costs with coins. Acetone should not be used to remove oil, it is not soluble in acetone which explains your "mottled appearance" after rinsing. Xylene is vastly superior at removing oil from anything - like dissolves like, oil is highly soluble in xylene. Use of mineral oil will not affect the grade. However, it may affect the chances of receiving a grade from a TPG if it is detected.

**BadThad** · 01-30-2015, 08:46 AM

Originally posted by duece2seven

I'm curious if you guys have a certain method for searching UNC rolls? My main question concerns preservation after searching. What do you do with the gems you set aside for possible slabbing later? Do you dip them in acetone or mineral oil, etc for preservation? What type of storage do you use? Thanks

My main objective is finding gem coins over varieties. A high grade gem is typically worth much more than a variety so it's where my priority is. Secondarily, I'll look for varieties, since they have value over a "regular" coin regardless of condition.

As far as storage, that depends on the coin. Basic keepers go into a square tube, decent stuff and varieties go into a 2x2 and if I find something really special it goes into an AirTite. For preservation, I simply rinse each coin I'm putting away with acetone. It does a good job of removing any surface debris and minor surface contaminants....all without effecting the coin.

**ray_parkhurst** · 01-30-2015, 02:07 PM

I forgot to mention something important...just before putting the coin into a holder (2x2, lighthouse, whitman 2-piece, etc) I use an air blower (Giotto Rocket Duster) to blow off the obverse and reverse of the coin, and both sides of the holder, to make sure any lint or dust particles are removed.

In a typical searching session, I put dozens of coins into holders, and I can't imagine rinsing each one with acetone. How do you guys who use acetone stand the fumes and fire hazards? My wife would never put up with that.