Quote Originally Posted by cspan37421 View Post
Ha! I hear ya. Turning that over in my mind, I wonder if those minty cards from those days would have been worth what they are today if everyone took care of them carefully. Probably not! The typical abuse they suffered contributed to the scarcity of the minty ones. Not sure that helps you cope.

Another thought that occurred to me ... I probably should never try to imagine what my old coins would be worth if they were all in EF or uncirculated condition. If ifs and buts were ...

At some point you just have to move on to acceptance in the stages of grief.

side note, on cleaning coins. The conventional wisdom is that you should never attempt to clean a coin, presumably because you might take off some of the metal. OK, but ...

a) whose coin is it anyway? Why can't you do what you want with it? (you can ... but a dealer might use that against you)
b) Ever seen a nasty looking coin at a dealer? Why are they all so clean there? You think they all came in that way and were kept so shiny, even the worn ones?
c) I once worked for a coin dealer as a teen. He had me clean coins that came in - and in the simplest/crudest fashion, too. Nothing special.

Saw a thread on this on a coin site. I've come to think that the best comment about the advice to never clean a coin was: "Stop it. Just stop."

Bottom line, enjoy your collectibles however you see fit. They're yours. Be aware of future possibilities, but don't sweat it too much, or you'll strip the fun of collecting away.
dontclean em. Acch. You will ruin them. For collectors.