When shipping coins, paper money, tokens or medals, it's clear there are two ways to do so - the right way and the wrong way.
When you're sending valuable or irreplaceable items - such as coins, paper money and other numismatic items - through the United States mail, it's important that they are packaged and shipped the safest way possible to ensure intact delivery to their destination.
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INSURING YOUR PACKAGE is smart, because it could be damaged, stolen or lost during transit. A USPS Insured Mail receipt might look like this before it's postmarked. Insurance prices increase as the value of the insured items increases.
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Many readers submit items to Coin World for either of two weekly columns, Collectors' Clearinghouse, which focuses on error, variety and related coins, or Reader's Ask, where collectors can ask questions about their numismatic items.
Judging by the envelopes that arrive at our offices, improperly packaged from time to time, it seems like a refresher course in safe shipping might be welcome.
Packaging
The first key when shipping coins, whether it's to Coin World, the winning bidder of an online auction or a dealer interested in potentially purchasing them, is ensuring safe packaging.
A single coin, token or medal in a holder can be placed in a protective bubble-wrap mailer for easy shipment. Do not simply drop loose coins into an envelope. Over the decades, Coin World has received a number of envelopes showing evidence of being shipped with loose coins, but that arrived at the offices empty. The loose coins slid back and forth in the envelope during transit until they wore a hole in one corner and slipped out.
Whether shipped in an envelope or a box, coins, exonumia and paper money should be sufficiently protected and padded against any possible damage from being handled during the delivery process. Never tape coins to an envelope or paper, unless you're only concerned with spending the coins, because tape will damage them by leaving on them a sticky residue from the tape's glue. The item should be protected in a secure holder before being packaged.
There are numerous inexpensive products meant to protect coins and other numismatic items for shipping or storage for short periods of time. The most common of these is a 2-inch by 2-inch cardboard holder with clear windows so both obverse and reverse of the item is visible while keeping it secured.
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NEVER SHIP coins loose. Putting them in encapsulated holders or 2-inch by 2-inch holders inside a cardboard mailer will ensure they retain their condition and keep them as safe as possible as they head to their destination.
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However, if you plan to store the item you're mailing for a lengthy time, make certain the storage option you choose is not sulfuric, which will cause toning to certain metals.
Also, certain plastic items will cause degradation to numismatic items because of plasticizers, which make an otherwise hard and brittle material soft and "plastic," according to Susan Maltby, who writes the monthly "Preserving Collectibles" column in Coin World.
Maltby has discussed the topic in several columns, including a nice overview in the April 26, 2004, issue.
Find something that works best for you given your shipping and storage needs.
Another option, especially for items of greater expense, is an encapsulation-style holder similar to those used by grading and authentication firms.
Several firms sell these holders in various sizes and specifications (including Amos Press, publisher of Coin World). Be sure to find the one that works best for you.
Local coin dealers and mail-order firms can often provide access to supplies like these (so does Amos Press, through its Amos Advantage program).
When shipping paper items, place them inside a protective plastic holder sandwiched between stiffened cardstock to prevent bending in processing and handling. Special holders designed to hold paper money safely are available from the same sources mentioned previously.
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AN ENCAPSULATION, called a "slab" by some, should be used for higher-value items.
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It also doesn't hurt to mark "Please do not bend" on the package.
Packages so marked have arrived bent or dinged - considering the volume of pieces in the mail stream, it's not a surprise. Erring on the side of caution is always best, though a series of boxes inside boxes, a la Russian nesting dolls, will only add unnecessary weight and expense.
For shipments of more than one item where a small padded envelope won't do, it might be necessary to use a box.
The U.S. Postal Service has a number of quick tips for people planning to mail parcels.
- Choose a box with enough room for cushioning material around the contents. If you are reusing a box, cover all previous labels and markings with heavy black marker or adhesive labels.
- Place cushioning all around your items. Close and shake the box to determine whether you have enough cushioning. Add more newspaper, foam "peanuts" or bubble wrap if you detect items shifting.
- Tape the opening of your box and reinforce all seams with 2-inch-wide tape. Use clear or brown packaging tape, reinforced packing tape or paper tape. Do not use cord, string or twine because they get caught in mail processing equipment.
- Using a complete and correct address is critical for efficient delivery. Use the nine-digit ZIP code rather than just the five-digit number when possible. Be sure you have the correct address for accurate mailing. If you don't know what it is, you can look it up online at the USPS Web site, www.usps.com.
The USPS sells shipping supplies through post offices, and they can also be found at mass retailers, office supply stores, shipping/copy shops and even pharmacies.
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CARDBOARD HOLDERS are useful to temporarily store lower value coins and tokens for shipping.
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Once you're certain the item is tucked safely in, you'll have to choose which service you want to ship the item through. In addition to the USPS, several private carriers like Federal Express (now known simply as FedEx), United Parcel Service and DHL offer various service times and prices. Overall, rates will differ, as will delivery times, based on the service selected.
You can generally find shipping costs at the firms' Web sites, www.FedEx.com, www.UPS.com or www.dhl.com.
The United States Postal Service offers a variety of services for the shipment of valuables, but there are prerequisites and some limitations, including the maximum value of the item or items being sent. If the value of the item being shipped is beyond postal limitations, extra private insurance may be required. The services may be applicable for sending items for sale to a dealer, returning items that were purchased or for consignment of items to an auction house, for examples.
The USPS Web site provides assistance through the following online link, www.usps.com/customersguide/dmm100_.htm#WhatAreYouMailing. The information provides the sender a better idea of what services to use, depending on the items being shipped.
The most common methods of shipping coins are via Insured Mail, or Registered Mail, where a record is kept to track the status of a delivery at any time.
The terms for these services can be viewed online via the USPS Web site at www.usps.com. The regulations will spell out what you can send, and how it may be sent.
While it's always a good idea to check with your local post office to make sure you are interpreting the postal regulations correctly, some dealers and collectors have reported encountering postal employees who are unfamiliar with the regulations or choose to interpret them in unintended ways. Those having trouble at the postal counter may want to carry with them a copy of the appropriate regulations.
The regulations may impose different restrictions on mail being sent outside the United States.
Manuals and pamphlets are available from your post office that can explain many of the available services in detail. For further explanation of these services, review the Beginner's Workshop in the Feb. 21, 2005, issue of Coin World.
The one service you will probably most certainly want to use is to send the items insured. "Insured Mail" provides up to $5,000 indemnity coverage for a lost, rifled or damaged article. It's available for Package Services, First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Standard Mail (prices subject to residual shape surcharge), and official government mail endorsed "Postage and Fees Paid."
For an additional fee, insured mail may be combined with Delivery Confirmation, Parcel Airlift Service (PAL), Signature Confirmation or Special Handling. For items insured for more than $50, Restricted Delivery, Return Receipt and Return Receipt for Merchandise services are also available. Items must not be insured for more than their value.
The amount of insurance coverage for loss will be the actual value, less depreciation. No claim payments are made for sentimental losses or for any expenses incurred as a result of the loss. Insured Mail must be presented to a retail employee at a post office or to a rural carrier. Collectors uncertain over a coin's value sometimes spend more on insurance fees than the coin is worth.
Coin World staff members often see this happen with error or variety coins of minor importance or damaged-altered coins.
Unknowledgeable collectors insure the coins at a high value, overestimating the coin's worth. Such expenses are simply a waste of the collector's money.
If a coin of unproven value is insured at a high rate and lost, don't count on receiving the full insured value. As noted earlier, the amount of insurance will cover actual value, not estimated value.
