I was reading some coin literature lately, and I like to read all the coin books I can get my hands on, but it's hard to. Finally I get a chance to choose a coin or a book, and although it was a hard one, I choose the book and I'm glad I did. I have been collecting for roughly 2-3 years now and I just realized how much I don't know. Heck, I was that bad I couldn't tell what wear was. Now with grading, I am much better at grading Mint-State and AU coins, but for lower I'm yet to learn more about. Of course when I say much better I'm comparing to what skills at grading I used to have, it's going from hardly anything to rookie. Anyways, I read a sentence in the book that truly shocked me. It said "Toning is unlike the process of tarnish, as tranish is quick and irregular, and toning is formed from many years and even centuries and can be quite beautiful, but is always the coins process in to turning to complete darkness." Before I didn't even know there was a difference between tarnish and toning, and what struck me the most was that all toned coins was to turn into complete darkness. That being said, firstly is that true, and does that mean that all the common dated morgan's with absolutely gorgeous toning in every aspect that go for outrageous premiums, won't matter as it will change and will turn into complete darkness in a matter of centuries, and this profound beauty is only temporary. And one more thing since toning is the metal reacting to air, the PCGS and NGC air-tight holders would they prevent change from the toning to turn into darkness, or would it lengthen the process of it turning to complete darkness, or do nothing at all. Lastly, does that make toned coins temporary premiums, and technically it shouldn't add a premium to the coin at all. That is my question, thanks for looking.
I won't really touch the toning vs. tarnish vs. corrosion debate since it appears to be to be rather firmly embedded into the psyche of the individual using the terms and can illuminate a bit about the agenda or philosophy of the person who uses the term. Therefore, call it what you like if it makes you feel warm and fuzzy. The NGC and PCGS holders are not airtight and they do not claim they are airtight, either. Toning occurs when the coin is subjected to an environment conducive to toning and can occur relatively quickly or essentially not at all. Folks who write that all toned coins might progress to black may be correct in a theoretical sense that in 1,000 or 10,000 years the coins will be black, but I do not care about that timeline. This is similar to fretting that your home will be rubble in five centuries; no one frets over that possibility.
No the book is not right, toning and tarnish are exactly the same thing. Toning is merely what tarnish is called when talking about coins. And toning begins at the very instant that a coin leaves the dies, and it will continue as long as the coin is exposed to the air. Under certain conditions toning accelerates very quickly, I'm talking just a few days. Under other conditions it goes more slowly. But it never completely stops. And no the TPG slabs will not stop toning, but when proper storage is used they do help to slow it down. If stored properly any good quality hard plastic holder will slow down toning to the point that you will notice little change in your lifetime. But proper storage is the key.
I love toned coins. I have a very small collection of U.S. toned coins. so far they have not turned black. I think that woul;d happen over very long period of time. so enjoy them.
Is the period of time it takes for toning to progress to black really that long though? Bright multicolored toning is much rarer on 18th century U.S. coins than on 19th century coins. I do agree that it's still not a length of time that the average collector needs to worry about, at least for those of us who are mere mortals.
It all depends upon how the coin is stored and if it's in an environment (wet, high sulfur content, low pH) that is conducive to toning. With the advent of climate control in the last century (central heating, central air, humidity control) most coins will not see routine and wild swings in setting and won't be exposed to rapid toning.
Love toned coins there's many late 18th c coins in unc with great color so if they've lasted 200 years I think my toned Morgan's will make it another 40 after that I doubt I'll care and theirs still many blast white ones too the rainbow toning is often as a result of cardboard albums or paper rolls due to the acids inherent to paper products the plastic will slow it down tho
Can you elaborate on what contribution the TPG slabs make to slowing down toning? I've always thought it was entirely dependent on the environment and since slabs aren't airtight they don't really do much. Thanks!
Sc actualli I wonder what long term effects the plastic tpg slabs will have on coins we may be purchasing formerly blast white coins with now amazing colors 50 or 100 years from now from the plastics in their pcgs or NGC slabs I wonder which will have the prettiest toning
Slabs do a lot to protect, as do air-tites, ziplock food bags, other inert plastic containers, and others, all which are not airtight. The causative agent of toning/corrosion are active chemical entities such as sulfides, oxides, etc. that can form a thin interference film on the surface of metals ( the environment as you say). But with a tight fitting slab, there is very little exchange of atmospheric type of gasses in and out of the interior of the slab ( unless you squeeze it like an exercise ball, or blow through the edges, apply and release vacuum ( How some coin doctors tone within a slab), etc. Normal tight fitting enclosures only allow very minor diffusion of say sulfides, which is almost zero when compared to a coin open to atmosphere which circulated over it and allows renewed exposure to sulfide every second. Toning will not be determined by the plastic slabs unless there are defective or ill-sealed procedures by the TPG. Only such slabs which allows greater exchange of gases will allow ( not Cause) toning.
As said already, it depends on how the coins are stored. Under certain conditions a silver coin could turn black in just a few months. Or, it may take a century or longer. There's several reasons for that, first among them the number of coins involved between the two. For 18th century you've got 9 years worth of coins, for 19th you've got 100 years worth. So the one outnumbers the other by a factor of 10 to 1 to start with. Then you have to consider how many coins from the 18th were saved, vs how many from the 19th were saved, that likely factors in the hundreds to 1. Then you have to consider that plain, ordinary grey toning outnumbers colorful toning by factors of tens of thousands to 1. Not really. There have been literally millions and millions of collectible coins ruined by unchecked toning because collectors were not aware of or did not use proper storage. There are millions more being ruined right now by the same thing. Just a guess on my part, but I'd wager that only 10% or so of collectors utilize proper storage.
It is dependent on the environment, but simply put it's a matter of air flow. The slab, or any of the hard plastic coin holders, by the very nature of their construction, greatly slow down the amount of air that can flow across the coin. The air itself, and the contaminants it contains, is the primary culprit that causes toning. So the more you can reduce the amount of air that reaches the coin the more you can slow down toning. So, if you put your coins in the hard plastic holders (of any type including slabs), that slows down the air. Then if you store those holdered coins in a closed, inert, container that slows down the air even more. And if you put a silica gel pack in that container that helps control humidity in the air that does get into the container.And if you then store that container in a safe, that slows down the air again.
The plastic used in the slabs and holders is inert, so the plastic itself has no effect at all. The benefit of the slabs/holders is to reduce air flow, and to protect the coin from contact marks, hairlines, and scratches. But using the just the slab or holder to reduce the air flow is not nearly enough to keep the coin from toning or even slow it down very much. You have to use the other steps involved in proper storage as well. As an example of what I mean consider how many copper coins there are that were slabbed as Red, but today are Red no longer. Based on my own observations I'd say that probably 50%, maybe more, of the slabbed coins designated as Red are today Red Brown. Those coins toned in the slab because they were not properly stored. As for those blast white coins you mention, not long ago they weren't blast white, they were toned. And more than a few of them toned to the point that they were dark brown, black or close to it. You have to understand that 80% or more of all older coins have been dipped to remove all toning at least once in their lives. If it were not for that there would be virtually no blast white coins, except for maybe a few Morgans.
