Toned Coins..

Hi guys,

BNB here back with another thread..

I was wondering what a lot of your thoughts are on toned coins?

I saw some very nicely toned Indian head cents the other week and man, are they cool looking.

Now I don't know if these kinda things grow in value really over time, but boy, are they sure cool to look at.

I'm considering getting a few. Any particular ones you guys like? Hey, if you have some nice ones, post them here.

PS This is why I love CT, because overall it's a very friendly site and I can see spending a lot of time here helping out whoever I can best I can.

 

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If you are collecting with the intent of profiting, do not get into toned coins. They are the biggest crap shoot out there. I wish I could remember the thread where Lehigh admitted that he was EXPECTING to lose money on his coins. If you are collecting because you really like them, absolutely stick with the certified coins. At least they will minimize your loses.

 

Well, I used to be somewhat anti-tone. But then came along Paul and ruined that for me. Since then I've been building a type set of NGC toners and it's been a fun challenge. I say if you like then, buy them. They make for a nice colorful addition to any collection. Anyway, here are just a few in my type set:

1843 Half Dime NGC AU58


1944 D Merc Dime NGC MS64 FB


Guy~

 

The Merc dime is gorgeous..

Yeah, there was a site that had some great toned indian heads for cheap.. Think I lost the link when I installed Windows 7..

Those colored in coins too, I think they look cool but I hear dealers hate em.

 

Penny Lady has some really nice toned IH's, but none cheap I'm afraid.
Guy~

 

Depends on the toning and your definition of toning. Red Brown and Brown are toning. I am not into the wild rainbow toning. Some toning just does not appeal to me and my personal opinion is that they are not worth the money they sometimes bring. I will admit the eye appeal on some(especially IHC's) can make me ooh and ahhh because they are nice(look at the penny ladies coins) - but they are not my cup of tea to collect. But I prefer more subtle toning - and some of the dark toning hides the luster. Too bad anaconda's site closed down it used to have some really nice ones. It also depends on the coin and its surface as to what I like. For IHC's I like lusterous redbrown or plain brown, on buffalo nickels I like the lusterous light golden toning and on silver(like morgans) I like subtle light golden toning around the edges that do not interfere with the luster that these puppies can have. Just my personal opinion.

As too the coins posted above the mercury dime I would pass on - not that it is not a nice coin, it is, just not my cup of tea. On the seated dime I would have to see it in hand, but would probably pass on it - again it is still a very nice coin. The local coin shop had a AU/MS capped bust half that everybody just oooed and awwed over when I was down there one - it had blue toning like this and I passed because in hand, while nice, I did not think it was original or my cup of tea. Again, just my opinions and not meant to offend anyone.

 

Well usually rainbow toning is right now what suits me.. I'm sure there are nicer examples than the Merc but for what we have here, I think that's a pretty coin. Just my opinion of course

 

Only toners I got
Here is Paul's description of the coin, that I have decided to keep on my registry, it describes the coin perfectly

This coin is as cool as the ice blue toning found on both the obverse and reverse. Excellent surfaces and blazing luster along with the toning provide an eye appealing experience that will have you seeing stars even if NGC decided not to place one on the holder.



Here is my description for this coin. Paul didn't have this one in one of his registries, so therefore he didn't write a description, and I thought it would be fun to try to explain what was going on with the coin

Absolutely outstanding toning of gold and blue scattered throughout the coin's highly lustrous surfaces, along with hints of orange and pink on the center of Jefferson and Monticello. There are minimal contact marks, and an excellent strike of the coin, and nearly full steps, not only making this coin a high quality MS66, but a high quality toned Jefferson, in general.


Both of these toners are in my registry set. IMO, these Jeffersons are not only an undervalued and overlooked series, but when toned, can be one of the most beautiful coins in numismatics.
I plan on buying more toners from Paul in the future, until I can learn how to find the "right" coin myself, with these two coins, he has already done that for me.

The toning market is not a good place to make money, as RLM stated. It can be a scary place, one person might pay $1000 for a common date MS63 morgan with monster toning, and when they turn around to sell it, they get 25-50% less, heck even more sometimes, of what they paid.

If you are collecting toners for fun and to add eye appeal to your set, I suggest that you study up on some toned coins, and examples of AT and NT coins. Some AT coins are okay, Paul has some in his sets, and you really cannot tell if they are AT or NT, but some coins out there looked like they just got out of the oven! Those are the kinds of ones you want to stay away from! (Bright Pinks and Deep Purples perfectly symmetrical on obverse and reverse, are ones you might want to stay away from, you will be able to detect some obvious AT coins, over time)

In general, toned coins are not a good investment, but are a great addition to any collection. They add eye appeal to your set, and most add more value, just depends on what purchase price was, and sale price will be.

Also, don't be afraid to ask around, Lehigh knows a thing or two about toners, and I'm sure if you post a thread here about any one toned coin, we'd be more than happy to help

 

No offense here, as I know what you mean. My toned coins are the rare exception to how I normally collect. But the challenge was too great to no take.
Guy~

 

Does anyone have that site off hand that specializes in toned coins? I know I'm being very vague here but it had some AMAZINGLY nice toned Indian head cents.

 

Here are 2 sites advertizing here. I think I know which you are referring to.
http://thepennylady.com/
http://coinspace.org/new_auction/categories.php?parent_id=0

Hopefully, you are going to stick with the certified coins?

 

Well, if I can find certs for cheap then yes. I don't really plan to spend too much on these. Thanks!

 

My suggestion is that you proceed with caution. If you want to purchase toned IHC's, there are certainly some fine dealers on here you should speak to. In other words, someone you know you can trust.
You seem to buy and consider many different series. Toning is very different for each series and it takes a lot of time even on a single series to begin to appreciate toning and understand the nuances of acceptable and unacceptable toning (NT v. AT if you wish). One of the most important things to know is the positions each of the TPGs takes on toning for a particular series.
As I have mentioned before around here, David Hall has a pretty hardline position on rainbow toning -- see what he said about rainbow toning on Peace dollars. As Doug pointed out, this position may not have merit, but it seems to me that PCGS's position on toning is consistent with Hall's views, at least for some series.
Good luck and post photos if you buy any.

 

I personally just like to have one of everything. Call it a type collector? I don't really know what you call it, I just like nice looking coins that have real value.

 

That is how you will likely wind up with worthless coins that you can never sell that are likely AT'ed.

BTW, I would guess lost dutchman could also get you some nice coins.

 

I understand. Well, if Lost is interested I may be as well

 

Agreed, the market for toned coins has so many high dollar coins that it has made it highly profitable for coin doctor's to artificially tone coins to try and tap into that money. If you see a colorfully toned coin selling for cheap...it's almost guaranteed an AT coin and something to stay away from.

 

Well I appreciate your insight anyway. I'm just thinking maybe one or two would be fine..

 

If you like the colorfully toned coins and understand that they are AT and that's OK with you...then there is nothing wrong with picking up a couple. I have a couple in my collection. Just know that they will never realize the value that NT coins have (in fact they are considered damaged and worth less than a non-toned coin)...so pay accordingly. But, if you want a couple cheap AT coins because you like their appearance...then I say go for it.

 

AT= Almost toned? Forgive me for not picking up on the acronym.