Badly toned silver dollars?

Your camera is fine. Lighting a lot of the time is the issue.
@Lehigh96 summed your last coin up, to a T.
Do you have any others to share?
Some may be worth conserving, but there is a proper way and a wrong way, I have never gone beyond a simple acetone or xylene dip/rinse as I do not trust myself to do the job correctly.
There are many here that know how to get the correct results, if you are confident in following there advice. Yet it has to be the right coin for conservation.

 

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Hi Pickin, tried a few shots with the camera, too blurry. Even propped it to steady it, no good.Need to get a better setup, maybe a couple of lights too. When they say the coins had been "dipped", does anybody have an idea what kind of dip was used and is there a safe dip out there? What kind of damage does that dip do to a coin? I looked at them under a glass and I can't see any damage, but maybe I don't know what I'm looking at? Any idea how it affects the value of the coins and is there maybe any way to at least improve them? Sorry for all the dumb questions. I'm a newbie when it comes to this stuff.

 

If you are interested in restoration/conservation. Try the search box in the upper right hand of the screen.

It is too bad that you couldn't get more photos. For the most part we all love seeing the coins. Call us coin junkies, and we are here to help.
I use Jansco lights from Ikea.
Here is a link.
https://www.amazon.com/Ikea-201-696-58-Jansjo-Light-Black/dp/B0055IVM1I

 

OK, thanks for the link Pickin. I'll check them out!

 

On dipping...dipping refers to briefly immersing the coin in a mild acid solution. "e-Z-est" is a popular dip. The idea is to remove a tiny layer from the surface of the coin...removing tarnish, toning, fingerprints, haze, whatever.
Dipping will damage the luster on an uncirculated or high AU coin if the coin is left in the dip too long (like more than a second or two or four). Also many Morgans have been dipped repeatedly over time, with each dip removing a bit more of the luster, and finally we are left with an impaired coin. The frosty, satiny surface loses its appeal and the coin looks kind of dead. Once the luster is burned off nothing will bring it back. The way the light looks on your coin seems to indicate this is the case.

 

I like these lamps too. Too bad they're disposable. You can't replace the bulbs. Just like most IKEA merchandise - not exactly environmentally friendly.

 

What color of the bulb is best? Something close to natural light?

 

I don't know that a color has ever been officially recommended. It needs to be a single-point light source like incandescent (100 W) or halogen. No fluorescent source, which can hide marks.

 

I just looked and found this:
https://coinweek.com/education/coin-grading/ron-drzewuckis-grading-coins-lights-loupes/

 

I use two CFL bulbs placed at 10 & 2, and my photos are pretty good. I’ve never heard that they hide marks.

 

Hi longshot, thank you for checking in and helping me understand the problem with these two coins. This "dipping" process sounds like a lot of people may be damaging the condition of their coins without knowing it, or maybe trying to make them look better? Thanks again for your explanation.

 

Hi Finn, thanks for looking in and the link. Very informative. Ya, those Ikea lights look pretty good but I may try the incandescent route after reading his article.

 

Would you buy coins looking under those two bulbs?
I pulled a coin out at a restaurant that made every coin I bought at a show look like it was MS68. A guy eating with me couldn't believe I could find do many gems labeled MS64.

 

Thanks for looking in thomas, ya the color and intensity of the light would,I think,make a difference? Other variables on light quality could come into play also? Trying to keep it simple and economical (read cheap). LOL

 

I agree on a certain level. I am not a big fan of the disposable attitude that we as a world have taken on.
But if it were a big concern all the wire can be removed and metal separated, and sent for scrap value. The only thing left is the bulb and the weighted base. You would be surprised if you have the space how this adds up.

 

What you may consider badly toned, to others might mean amazingly toned. I'd highly recommend that before you do anything you might later regret, consider what their value is first and then make your choice to clean or not to clean, As for me, I haven't heard of using that process. It might work or might not, Let us know how things turned out!

 

There's some great camera discussions on here. Check 'em out!~

 

Hi HaleiwaHI, thanks for weighing in. I didn't plan to do anything soon with them.Thought I'd take them to a dealer and see what he thought. I didn't know they had been overly dipped. A more experienced eye probably would have seen this.

 

It's all about the learning experience, Everyone of us has bought an altered coin.
Over cleaned, whizzed, polished, AT. This is my only home for coins because whether you read it and learn who to trust. Or, you ask questions and post coins, everyone here is always willing to help.

 

I'd just like to be able to replace the bulb. But it wasn't designed to do that. The salesman seemed surprised that IKEA wasn't concerned about disposable products. He genuinely believed that they were concerned about filling up landfills.
I don't shop at IKEA anymore.