Marking Proofs

fish on! · May 23, 2014

I'm predominantly a silver stacker. I search boxes to stack silver. I do keep proofs when I see them in decent shape and I also keep commemmoratives. Even so, I cannot imagine why anyone would feel the need to mark a proof that they found in a box. I am definitely of the mindset that marking any coins is a complete and utter waste of time. The information that you gain from marking is very minimal and there really are so few things you can do to change your hunting routine anyway. Proofs, even when they are in bad shape are coins that some of the newer hunters would probably keep. It just seems rude to mark them. Without turning this into a flame war, what do you guys think about this practice? And please do not make any personal attacks on the person here that marked this coin.

SanMartian · May 23, 2014

I do not approve of the practice, seems wasteful/pointless. But I won't pitch a fit if I see one ( not that I am accusing you of such, Fish On!), it's just an inevitable part of the hobby. There are a lot of lurkers on this site who could easily mark someone else's name on a coin who's politics etc. they may disagree with. Just to prod a "flame war" on TN for their own entertainment. Just my 50 cents...

BuffaloBoy · May 24, 2014

I have to admit, I do mark a few coins; however, I don't mark any proofs. I think marking proofs is wrong. I enjoy receiving proofs, I save every proof I find regardless of condition (unless it is terribly bad, I have gotten a few of those)... I have received a few marked proof halves also, fortunately a little soaking will clean off the marker. Its a shame that people participate in such a practice.

Infowarrior · May 24, 2014

Who would mark coins with infowars.com

? weird!!

HH

ArkieBassMan · May 24, 2014

BuffaloBoy said:
I have to admit, I do mark a few coins; however, I don't mark any proofs. I think marking proofs is wrong. I enjoy receiving proofs, I save every proof I find regardless of condition (unless it is terribly bad, I have gotten a few of those)... I have received a few marked proof halves also, fortunately a little soaking will clean off the marker. Its a shame that people participate in such a practice.

Sorry BB, but I've got to take a different stance here. The way I see it, either coin marking (which I personally have no problem with) is acceptable or it isn't. You do not get to choose that its ok to mark certain coins while wrong to mark others. That's your opinion, and that's absolutely what you should do (mark only certain coins). However, you do not get to condemn others for marking coins that you would not have marked. You do not know what everyone collects. You very well may have marked hundreds of coins that would be keepers to someone, somewhere had you not scribbled something on it.

For the record, I am not anti-marking. While that coin is in your possession, it is yours to do with as you please. You can legally sell it, give it away, bury it, hide it, throw it away, melt it (unless its a coin with a melt-ban), or barter it as it was intended. Why wouldn't it be ok to mark, paint, or otherwise disfigure as well?

Zomotion · May 25, 2014

There's a guy in my area that does this. I've actually met the guy and he finds it funny. He purposely does it to piss off the coin collectors. He stacks silver and that's it. I've ran into a couple he's marked that I've needed for my book.

It is frustrating because he simply does it to frustrate other crh'ers.

hotrod · May 25, 2014

Hey that proof looks familiar. Did you happen to make a YouTube video on your first 8 month's?

BigWaveDave · May 25, 2014

I am thinking of collecting ONLY marked coins....amounting a huge stash of them, post pics of them, then see how many tnetters can claim ID of them.

BuffaloBoy · May 25, 2014

marking coins doesn't bother me. I won't condemn others for doing it, I am sure I mark coins that other people may collect, like NIFC's.

ArkieBassMan said:
Sorry BB, but I've got to take a different stance here. The way I see it, either coin marking (which I personally have no problem with) is acceptable or it isn't. You do not get to choose that its ok to mark certain coins while wrong to mark others. That's your opinion, and that's absolutely what you should do (mark only certain coins). However, you do not get to condemn others for marking coins that you would not have marked. You do not know what everyone collects. You very well may have marked hundreds of coins that would be keepers to someone, somewhere had you not scribbled something on it.

For the record, I am not anti-marking. While that coin is in your possession, it is yours to do with as you please. You can legally sell it, give it away, bury it, hide it, throw it away, melt it (unless its a coin with a melt-ban), or barter it as it was intended. Why wouldn't it be ok to mark, paint, or otherwise disfigure as well?

SilverForBrains · May 25, 2014

I mark up and gouge out key dates and send 'em back into the wild! nothing like a 21-D walker in PO-1 condition! :coins:

fistfulladirt · May 26, 2014

I've never marked a coin, but doesn't matter. I dont keep the proof halves, unless they are silver.

fish on! · May 26, 2014

fistfulladirt said:
I've never marked a coin, but doesn't matter. I dont keep the proof halves, unless they are silver.

I'm like you. I mainly only save the silver and silver proofs. I do keep the clad proofs that are in decent shape, but I don't collect them. I usually wait until I have a roll or so of them and then I buy coin tubes and flips from the LCS with them. They usually throw me a few extra supplies and they either sell them or more likely give them out as change to their customers. I'm not really against marking coins and I am the furthest thing from a true coin collector, it just seemed like an unnecessary waste to mark a proof since there are people who would consider it a good box if they found that coin without the mark. In all honesty, it was a good box for me because it had a franklin and a '64 in it.

Holmes08 · May 26, 2014

I don't care one way or the other ( it would have been a keeper to me ) Gotta remember its a hobby for us all ! ! ! However I might be wrong here but isn't it some type of criminal offense to deface American currency ? ? ?

ArkieBassMan · May 26, 2014

Holmes08 said:
I don't care one way or the other ( it would have been a keeper to me ) Gotta remember its a hobby for us all ! ! ! However I might be wrong here but isn't it some type of criminal offense to deface American currency ? ? ?

Yep, you're wrong ! ! !

Its only illegal if its done for fraudulent purposes.

CoinHuntingDrew · May 27, 2014

I hoard proofs, circulated or not myself.
Low mintages have always fascinated me, so I figure even though there's proofs and many of them out there that I should still hang on and hoard them.

I don't CRH halves, quarters, or dimes. None of that, just pennies and nickels. I come across a proof nickel every 5 boxes or so, and I've only found one proof cent, which was weird... A 1979 S proof, and I was like 8 when I found it.

MIhunter · May 27, 2014

It is interesting how rare it is to find a penny proof compared to nickels, dimes or halves?

BuffaloBoy · May 28, 2014

nickel proofs aren't too uncommon for me, although I've only found less than 10 penny proofs over the past 500 or so penny boxes.

MIhunter said:
It is interesting how rare it is to find a penny proof compared to nickels, dimes or halves?

iontyre · May 28, 2014

Though there may be nothing 'wrong' with marking the coins, I do think it is slightly rude. Sure while in your possession it is yours to do with as you want, but that is true of anything in this life, and the earth itself. To selfishly misuse anything that is passed on to others, no matter how legal, is unfortunate and unthinking.