Why are toned coins so popular?

I think a nicely toned coin tells more of a story about the coin's life ... like some circulated coins become more interesting than their uncirculated counterparts because of the places they may have been. ...Or in similar manner, as some blast white ms64/63 are more attractive than others simply because of hit placement. The way the toning patterns naturally says a lot about the storage medium and care contributed by the owner. I don't particularly go out of my way to get "monster toners", but when evaluating coins I always take it into account. If I see 3 of the same coin all for the same price, one of which has attractive natural(looking) toning, I will pick the one with attractive toning any day of the week.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Sometimes nicely toned coins will have a premium price.

 

I enjoy just about any coin I see. I may not wish to own it but I learn something from it. Heck. I put vanilla and chocolate in the same bowl and put a banana on top. I guess I just enjoy it that way.

 

First an apology, not gonna' rank on you no more. Let me also say that I find MANY of the "toned" coins not to be to my taste. I have a few toned ones that I like. I can only think of two that I ever bought because of the toning. I have a Columbian that is a rich purple I picked out of a dealer's case and he sold it to me at about bullion price because he didn't like it. I also have a rainbow toned Libertad with about the same story.

 

Much more purple "in hand"

 

This seems particularly the case with these older Roosevelts. Some are really beautiful but I can't justify paying well over twice the guide price just because it is toned. (Doing a pcgs set.)

I understand they carry a premium but I'm admittedly new and trying to be careful not to fall into too many holes while I'm learning the ins and outs.

 

I gotta read up on these, see them posted here often. Need to own one since it has Chicago on it, which is my kind of town.

 

Then there's nothing left for you to question; you have your answer. You're attempting to impose binary reasoning onto an analog situation, and just getting frustrated when it won't happen.

"Vanilla-chocolate" is all of it. That's the entire answer. Some people like things you don't, you can't measure like, you somehow think that's possible, that's the reason for four pages of this five-page monstrosity and why you're being attacked. You may be plenty old enough, and rather well-educated, but there is a fundamental stipulation of the subjective side of life you cannot seem to comprehend.

Why do you like the foods you like? Because they taste good. That's it. Finis.

 

You're in luck then, there appear to be boatloads of them available for cheap.

Edit... though perhaps not as pretty as that one.

 

it is clear to me you hate toning. then why would you want to know why the rest of us like it ?

 

I think he's just cheap and can't understand why folks like us pay premiums for rainbow toners.

 

vanilla and chocolate. I get that.

 

that's the beauty of coin collecting, there's something for everyone. and infinite ways of collecting them. don't like certain coins ?... change it up. to me coin collecting is always evolving. people change what they like and dislike.

 

This statement confuses me. You asked everyone to justify their liking of toned coins and then get upset when they do. The fact is, you don't like toned coins, so you'll never understand why people like them. Just like I don't understand why people like [edit for auto correct] liver because no matter how many times I've tried it, it still tastes like crap.

 

Exactly. I bet there are very few people still collecting the exact same things they started with

 

I hope the next time you post a coin, someone has the gall to tell you "that looks positively ugly". A bit of advice: you could have simply said you disagreed without having to use words like ugly.

 

It's interesting that the OP has posted many toned coins on the Foreign forum. That's hard to understand.

 

Environmental damage - tarnish - definitely makes coins ugly.... it is the degeneration of the metal through chemical action.

 

Why? I have quite a few coins which I think are ugly. I bought them when they were part of batches of coins on EBay and I liked the others. One if the ugliest coins I have is a heavily tarnished Scandanavians coin from the 30s. It is one I posted. I would happily trade it for something nicer.

 

I can see that. Just didn't think you would buy something you thought was ugly. Maybe we all have weak moments.