Artificial Toning?

Seems there are a lot of people on here who have a good idea of whether or not a coin is artificially toned. I'm still somewhat of a novice in this realm. Would you consider the below coin to be artificially toned? The color scheme (yellow in the middle fades to magenta, fades to blue) seems to be "correct", but I'm interested to hear thoughts. Thanks!

http://cgi.ebay.com/1948-D-90-SILVE...em&pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item255b60bd60

 

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Looks AT to me, but I'm no expert.

I'd buy it for that price, though.(6.55)

 

Looks like AT to me.

 

Forgive my ignorance here, but why are you so convinced its AT? Are the colors simply unattainable naturally? I guess what I'm asking is, what are the diagnostics that make you seem sure its AT? Thanks.

 

And this particular seller does that a lot!
He is what I believe to be a coin doctor, I've been watching him for a while.
Please jwsmothe, stay away from that seller.

 

Looks "market unacceptable" to me.

 

Ah! The dreaded MU

 

Fair enough. Appreciate the feedback everyone, haven't purchased anything from that person specifically, just wanted to get some feedback/information. Thanks!

 

That's AT and in my opinion the seller, or whomever, did that has diminished any numismatic value of that half. I wouldn't pay that price for something ATed. I'd be embarassed to have it in my collection.

 

When trying to determine whether a coin is NT/AT there are many factors you should consider. You have correctly pointed out the the color progression is yellow-magenta-cyan which is an indicator of NT. Unfortunately, the actual colors are wrong and those colors on a Franklin half are a strong indictment of AT.

In addition to color scheme and progression, you should also consider the following factors

• Is the coin raw? If the answer is yes, and the coin is dramatically toned, you should immediately suspect artificial toning. Most NT rainbow toned coins are found in NGC and PCGS holders because of the price premium they drive.
• Is the coin common and inexpensive? Coin doctors are much more likely to attempt their trade on inexpensive common date silver coins than on premium gem examples. There is less financial downside.
• Does the seller have other items with similar toning for sale in his inventory? Often you will see the same toning pattern and color scheme across different series of coins in an AT sellers inventory. In reality, each series has it's own set of color schemes and patterns. For example, the colors you find on a Roosevelt Dime are very differnt than those found on Walking Liberty Half Dollars.
• Is the seller charging a premium price? It is a fact that NT rainbow toned coins drive a premium price. If the seller not charging a premium, the reason is usually because the coin is AT. Please note that there are some sellers who offer NT graded coins at no reserve auctions on E-Bay and allow the market to dictate the price.

Now let's consider the current example. The coin is raw, common, inexpensive, in a no reserve auction, and the seller has many coins across many series with the exact same color scheme. There is no doubt that this coin is AT.

 

Having the same color scheme on both sides of the coin is another dead giveaway of an AT coin.

 

Appreciate the last two posts, very informative, this is what I was looking for. Thanks!!

 

keep in mind that just because the coin is raw doesnt mean it isnt natural toning. 75% of my coins are raw and are nt.

 

Than coin is 100% AT, check out his other auctions. There are a few doctors selling 25 and 50 cent pieces on e bay, they are crap!

 

Glad I never buy coins from eBay. I get a better look at them in hand at shops and shows. :computer:

 

At

 

And for the record I hope that they keep making these ridiculous coins. thats one less problem free coin that can drive the prices of my coins down