Peace Dollars that look goldish in photos

Hi folks,

I've been looking to pick up some Peace Dollars. A lot of times, I am seeing photos that have a goldish hue. For example, this recent ebay auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1923-Peace-...005&rk=2&rkt=6&mehot=es&sd=391154717559&rt=nc

What's the deal with this? Is this just bad photo lighting? Or are these coins of which to be wary?

Thanks

 

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Bad lighting/white balance.......

 

I have never been able to get a good picture of silver coins, they always look slightly gold. It is just the light being used.

 

Are you sure its not acid burns ..

 

I would imagine it is a bit more difficult to photograph any silver coin since it is the most reflective metal.

 

I think it's a combination of the toning and the white balance .

 

I can't look at your link but Peace dollars tend to gold tone, generally speaking.

 

I think the culprit in this case is the lighting, but as Jwt708 has pointed out, Peace dollars have a tendancy to tone gold. Some of the nicest Peace dollars I have owned had beautiful gold toning bursting with luster as well.

 

Looking at it, I'm willing to bet the the coin has a golden tone to it. Either that or the white background is actually a light blue and the white balance was set to auto and it corrected for the background by warming it. I think the first explanation is much more plausible.

 

I agree. The background can be a great clue to the actual color of the coin. With this coin I would guess it has a bit of gold toning and the wrong white balance added a bit more.

 

I agree with this. Gold and brown are common colors for toned Peace Dollars.

 

Great info guys, thanks.

 

I also wondered why Peace Dollars don't have the eye appeal of a Morgan, ie goldish or brownish tone. When I researched it, I still don't really understand it, but the believe is, the relatively featureless design, and the softness of the strike gave the impression of a dull mushy coin. The Morgan Dollar has much more detailed design and was struck at a higher pressure which gave the coin a much more lustrous look.

 

The differences in toning can be explained by three factors:

1- The Peace Dollar planchets were washed in a nitric acid solution that helps to retard toning;
2- Prior to the 20th century, Treasury vaults had issues with flooding and moisture which helped to accelerate toning; and
3 - Prior to 1901, the Mint and Treasury used coal heating which provided a free source of sulfur in the air to facilitate toning. This was eliminated with the introduction of natural gas heating.

 

Ah yes, I remember also that now that you mentioned it - thank you.