Excuse the ignorant/newbie question but what is the fascination with toned coins? Toned = Tarnished = slow coin decay (damage!), is that not correct? Wouldn't it be better to preserve the coin from being tarnished?
This is a good question. I personally like toned coins. Heres why: Nice toning (aka colorful) give the coin some very distinct characteristics over a blast white coin. A nicely toned coin is much more rare then it's clean counterpart. For me, I love opening up one of my Dansco albums and seeing all the different colros, as opposed to every coin looking the same.
I agree, at one time I didn't care for toned coins either. To be clear, there are some toned coins that are butt ugly. I've come to appreciate the colors that can naturally occur with time and there are those that will pay a nice premium for really sweet looking toned coins..
Good point on 'butt ugly'. The term 'toned' covers a huge range of looks and color. Most 'toned' coins do look like what they are, tarnished. The ones that bring the premium are rainbow, target toned, etc.. The ones with a variance in colors. Let's take morgan dollars for example. In general, nice white, or clean Morgans are readily available. They were all in bags when minted. Now to find a truly naturally toned, colorful Morgan that was toned from touching the side of the bag is a lot more difficult. How many of those coins in the bag had that contact? And of those touching the bag, how many actually toned colorfully? The number dwindles quickly. This is why the premium can be upwards of 10x's it's actual value.
What about the original question, though? Is it not environmental damage? (Just asking, genuinely seeking education, not trying to troll )
It's quite funny, because the few that were unlucky to touch the bag got the tarnish. So these are worth more So, I have a coin here with a very unique, one of a kind scratch across the surface. It must be worth a fortune, with the low number of them just like this!
I sort of take toned to be like patina on a piece of old furniture. It can enhance the beauty of the piece and in some sense protect the original surface. Or am I missing something...
I wouldn't say 'damage' because the TPG's will grade them, and in some cases give them a designtaion for extraordinary eye appeal. It isn't considered damage until it reaches the 'terminal' stage. That being, turning black and it is actually damaging the surface of the coin. The 'tarnishing' can be almost halted once a coin is put in the proper environment, ie: a slab. Keep this in mind: Natural toning (not terminal) can be removed by dipping. That's because the toning itself is not actually on the metal, it is on the lustrous layer on top of the metal. (if that makes sense) If the coin is actually environmentally damaged, the color will be removed and the actual surface of the coin will be damaged. See my answer above. A scratch is damage. Pure and simple. On a side note, all coins tone differently. Even same year, same coins will tone completely different. From my experience, truly 'gem' coins with huge luster will actually tone more colorful. disclaimer: These statements are just my opinion and by no means mean they are accurate
I felt like the damage would then occur when one removes the tone (if not done professionally) and even then the possibility of damage could occur..Just my take on the subject...
Ok, fair enough. It's not considered damage until...well...it's damaging. *heh* I can live with that. After all...the only thing that separates "Can you sell me something to get rid of those weeds?" from "Can you show me a nice bouquet of flowers?" is how colorful they are. However...and call this just me putting a fine point on things...would it be fair to say it's a chemical change to the surface of the coin? An attractive form of some sort of reaction? Again...not trying to troll, just seeking clarity.
Absolutely that would be fair to say. In most cases, the actual 'trigger' for the toning is sulfur, in combination with humidity.
That would completely depend on the cause of the toning, and yes, if the diping is not done properly. I am not convinced that the 'professionals' know something I dont about 'conserving' a coin. Except of course, how to charge for it.
What's the fascination ? It's because they are pretty for one thing. Many toned coins are absolutely gorgeous - depending on your personal taste of course for beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. But there is another point as well that experienced collectors appreciate. That being that a toned coin usually indicates that the coin has not been messed with, that it is original. You see, all coins tone no matter what you do to try and prevent it from toning. The best you can hope for is to slow it down. And quite often that toning is downright ugly. When that happens people tend to get rid of the toning by dipping the coin. Once that is done the coin is no longer original. Yes, it is.
Thanks for the insights, gang. Ya know...this place needs a "Thank" feature along with the "Like" button....
Doug, I used to think you were nuts when you once said even Dansco albums will damage coins. That was a year or so ago. I pulled out and looked through my Dansos this past weekend, and low and behold, a lot of the coins were toning. I was absolutely shocked. Not only silver coins, but even clad coins. State quarters, kennedys, you name it. Some of my old German coins were rainbow toning in just a year. So, I apologize, you were right!
AFAIK coin luster, or "mint luster" this is simply irregularities present on the surface of the coin from the die, ie. there is no physical "layer" of luster on the surface. Is that wrong? My analytic mind I would tend to think that toning is indeed damage to the surface of the coin on a microscopic level. (?)
That is the best reasoning I've heard, and makes complete sense. Thanks. I guess technically the coins are always slowly degrading no matter what you do. They will return to the dust in oh, several million years.
yes, I was being very general. Dipping actually removes a thin layer from the metal. The more the damage, the deeper and prominent the damage will be on the surface.
