Hi @rav3n 

I was pretty much the same. I knew that my mum collected the coloured $2 coins, so I would give them to her without thinking about it.

Then once I found out how much some of them were worth, the first thing I did was ask my mum if I ever gave her a red poppy coin. Lol

Apparently, she gave some of her collection to my nephew to sell. Not sure what coins he sold on her behalf, but I have a feeling the red poppy might have been amongst them, as he came back with over $500.

When I moved back home, I started going through her collection with her, and I was astounded to find that she had 3 x 2013 purple coronation coins. I just finished purchasing one which had been lightly circulated for $70.00

Mum made me sit there with my coin value book, to tell me what the value of each of her coins were. She was writing down the price of each one. I was telling her that the price from the book, was for a coin, that was basically straight from the mint and had not been in circulation at all. But I don't think she really understood that all her coins were from general circulation and would be worth considerably less. But still, even dull 2013 $2 coronation coins will get you around $40. Which isn't bad for a $2 coin.

I try to use cash wherever I can, just so I can get the change to go through. I remember when the vegemite $2 coins came out, I got two in my change at the laundromat. You just never know when one will pop up in your change.

I was lucky enough to win a 2012 red poppy in a coin wheel on Tik Tok. It only cost me $20.

I you ever find a very shiny coin that is worth keeping, it is best not to handle it with your bare fingers, as the old from our hands can damage the coin. I have a set of cotton gloves that I use with any coins that I have purchased that came straight from a mint roll or bag of coins. I then place them in these 2 x 2 cardboard flips, to protect the coin from tarnishing from the environment.

2 x 2 Carboard FlipCoin Capsules

It really depends on how you want to store your coins. And you cannot go and buy cheap coin albums off ebay or AliExpress as the plastic in the cheap albums or some storage accessories is made from PVC, or some form of PVC, and this will damage your coins and cause them to discolour over the years. So anything you choose to store or place your coins in, need to be acid and chemical free. And most archival materials are perfect for this.