Cleaning and Toning of Ancient Coins; Opinions and Controversy Expected

I'm late to the show, but I think you did the right thing and it turned out very nice. I like the toning.

 

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You have taken a common issue of common eye appeal and made sure that collectors will Love it for generations to come - That's a kind of stewardship any collector could understand & appreciate. A bronze is a more delicate issue but, silver is quite resilient & if the metal will bare the process I say " Bravo "

 

Of the choices, I prefer medium gray. The blotchy colors distract unless they follow the devices of the coin and my experience suggests they will change in a short while so selecting coins for their tone may result in colorless which I consider better anyway. All of these are better than the original so I do not mind the juice or foil methods as long as they do not go too far and leave porosity. This can be especially dangerous on later silver that is mostly base metal anyway. I do not pay extra for color. Eventually all these coins may turn black or the dark gray like natural 'fund patina' so it is good to learn to love them all in their own time just like I prefer my gray hair to the other choice enjoyed by my bald friends.

Cleaning is OK but good cleaning does not scream out what was done to the coin. If you easily can tell what was done, it was probably not done well. The idea is not to cause the viewer to say 'well scrubbed' but to say 'nice coin'. I do not like bright silver that was coated to keep it bright or polished/buffed to make it look as good as it was new. If you want new looking coins, get US. The 2015's should be showing up in your change any day now.

 

I think your results speak for themselves- the #2 cleaned version is vastly superior to the untreated original version...and tend to agree with many others that a subtle toning is preferable as well..

 

=> OMG => are you fricken cheating on me!!



I think the coin looks awesome ... but I also know that your "toning" is because you recently cleaned it ...

=> so if I was a stickler for modern coins and cleaning, etc => this coin's cleaning process would be a huge negative-effort!!

... however, we all know that ancient coins have usually been cleaned to death, so this attempt is certainly "okay" if the dude that buys it thinks that the rainbow toning is a plus!! (who needs to know?)



... if you were awesome (and I know that you are), you'd tell the buyer that it is recent toning

=> in 2000 years it'll be flat-grey toning (cha-chinnngg!!)

 

I'm not planning on selling my coins but if I did, and if I'd done something substantial to a coin (other than routine cleaning or unintentional toning), I'd disclose that fact.

 

For 90% of the history of coin collecting, routine cleaning or 'unintentional' toning were normal and accepted. Recently we have a fad for coins only being 'restored' by TGP technicians. This, too, will pass. Many of our coins with 'natural' looking toning were cleaned before Morgan dollars were converted from bullion. All ancients have been cleaned. Those with an inch of dirt still on them used to have a foot.

 

huh? ... "obviously" ...

yah, I didn't think that my comment even merited a comment from you, my friend

... I like you


sadly, when I was very young (10-ish years old) I used Silvo on all of my coins because I thought that I'd make 'em all look purdy!!! (40+ years later it was still a poor idea, for even though some of them have awesome toning => sadly, I know that I f-ed all of 'em!!)

... so even if a potential buyer didn't know this fact, I'd definitely tell them about the coin's unfortunate history

 

Anything TIF does is allright by me, but for those contemplating doing the same thing, refer . . . . . .. . (interesting article)

http://www.ngccoin.com/news//viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=2160&USA-Coin-Album

 

I like you dudes ...

=> have a good night

 

I think of the three I actually like the third the best..it's just pretty. I'm totally cool with cleaning, and long as it doesn't penetrate the surface or alter the relief of the parts (is devices the right word? you know what I mean).

I'm not sure I understand "toning", like what is actually going on with the metal. Is it at all damaging to the coin or can it progress to the point that it damages the metal? if not...I like it!

 

It is not 'natural' for metals to exist as pure elements. They tend to combine with something in the air or air itself to form compounds. We strike pennies in bright shiny copper but after a short while they turn a darker brown color through a series of degrees so the outer layer is Copper oxide or something else. This outer layer protects the coin from further deterioration to a degree and does not harm the coin. Harm comes when you decide to remove this outer protective shell. That reduces the weight of the coin minutely but exposes the inner metal to the elements so the toning process must start again. Great grandma polished her silverware regularly and removed a little silver each time while removing the silver compounds she called tarnish. In time after many cycles of tarnish and clean, the silver was lighter and less crisply detailed. Coins work the same way. We are better off if a thin layer of protection forms on our bright coins and stays there protecting the metal from other bad elements. Damage comes more when it is removed than when it forms.

 

One reason I posted this thread is that I'm considering making my own coin cabinets and have been debating materials. It is tempting to have one special cabinet with leather-lined trays... leather that has been tanned with sulfur-laden compounds. If I did make such a cabinet, it would be a temporary home for some unnaturally bright coins.

A possible choice for the tray liners in a "safe" coin cabinet may be Ultrasuede. It's polyester and comes in a wide array of colors. If the dyes aren't harmful to coins, this might be a viable option.

One thing that has stopped me from building any cabinets is that for true environmental protection, I'd probably have to store the cabinets inside of some other sealable enclosure.

Coin storage isn't easy! After dealing with hundreds of my grandfather's coins which were ruined by PVC flips, I bought Saflips. I hate them. Unless your paper tag is business card weight, inserting the paper is very difficult. Saflips crack at the fold after just a few openings. Some of the larger/heavier coins cause them to crack even without handling. I take the coins out often and the Saflips have to be replaced frequently.

 

TIF I use these (although I have transferred most of my coins into Lindner trays now) http://www.safealbums.co.uk/Zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2727

I have a label set up on Word which I complete, print and cut out, fold into thirds and it fits in one side of the pocket and the coin goes in the other. No idea whether laser print has any long term effect on the coin.

 

So many good tips.
Please keep the conversation going.

 

TIF => I have recently moved all of my coins into this handy PVC-free bank ...


.... good luck with your cabinet ideas, my clever coin-friend (I'm sure that you'll keep us posted of your progress)

 

Funny, I actually ordered something similar in a recent Amazon binge. It was amusing but I'll give it to a friend's daughter.

 

For me, toning is like human beauty, fleeting and in the eye of the beholder.

 

That chick dated Sol

 

This begs the question - do you really have that many coins that you want put through accelerated toning? Or will we soon be able to send our own unpleasantly bleached coins off to you for TIF's Kwik-E Koin Toning Services while getting them CACA certified at the same time?