I have posted about toning some, but believe me I DO like it. I was wondering what you toning guys thought of this little item for sale: Does this toning add to its value? It is a half dollar, NGC Proof 66.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think the toning adds value to this coin, while others may not. In the general market place though, the toning would drive a nice premium above retail for that coin.
If it looks exactly like that in hand, then yes, I think you will find buyers willing to pay a premium for that toning.
I have bought from this firm, so I trust the photos are accurate. I was just wondering how "market attractive" this toning is today, since I find it very pleasing. I guess a downside would be that the underlying coin is fairly valuable in its own right. Chris
Chris, keep in mind that this toning will show only in a certain angle. Proof coins and their toning are different than mint state coins and their toning. Special lighting and camera angles were used to capture that coin in the picture you posted. Sure it is nice in the pictures, but if you haven't bought a proof coin before, toned to that extent, don't get your hopes up.
Just my experience, but I've found both prf and mint state toned coins to appears darker in hand.... and both required special lighting to show thier color. The prf's color i've seen tended to be more vibrant under light because of thier mirror surfaces.... but those are more modern prf's I'm speaking to... those older one's may be a different story all together.
As already discussed by Travis and Baha, don't expect the coin to look anything like those photos in hand. Toning on proof coins can be shown very easily using the right lighting conditions during the photography. But unless you reproduce those same lighting conditions, the proof will appear much like every other proof when viewed in hand. The fields will have a black mirrored appearance and the devices will usually show some cameo contrast. The toning will be most visible on the devices but will hide in the black fields unless rotated under a light source. Take a look at the close up photos vs the slab photos of this Seated Half sold by Heritage to see what I mean. http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=1147&Lot_No=3701 Having said that, if the coin in question has incredible cobalt blue toning, I would expect it to drive a premium price. However, there is no way I would ever buy a big ticket proof coin sight unseen again (once was enough). You just can't evaluate the surfaces or the eye appeal from a photo, no matter how good it is.
That's quite a coin, and I find the coin very attractive. Like others have pointed out, the coin will likely look quite different in hand, just like this coin from my collection which exhibits some of the same coloring, does: Flashed: In-hand: Also, the NGC 66 slab makes me scared, to be honest. These coins are generally graded by the amount and severity of hairlines, and the photos don't tell you much. NGC also has a habit of looking the other way in this regard in high grade coins, to including proofs in 66 grades, so the buyer must be very careful he's not buying a 65 coin for a 66 price. As for value, the first thing to note is this is a classic type coin, and of a series that's not widely collected. Therefore, toning premium will be relatively low. I'd suspect it's not much out of line with what a normal NGC 66 goes for, perhaps 10-20% over, and certainly nowhere near a 67. Personally, I find the coin very attractive and would definitely consider it for my collection, and it is no coincidence the example posted above from my typeset shares a similar look.
Great advice everyone, thank you very much. I hadn't dealt with proof toned coins much, so everything said here has been extremely helpful.
Strongly agree. Overall, I like NGC and feel the "PCGS Preference" is overrated. However, I feel NGC is much more likely than PCGS to give out gaudy grades, notably 66 and above. The breakpoint seems to be around 65 / 66 - that's where NGC and PCGS diverge, particularly with these mid 19th century coins. Seated Liberty and Barbers are the riskiest NGC coins IMO. To rate 66, there should be zero hairlines visible to the unaided eye and few or none visible under the glass.
I'm am confused about the above posted. First off, they are both inconsistent. Now, are you saying that NGC grades toned coins better than PCGS? And if you are saying this, do you think that NGC grades the toned coin accurately? I think it is very hard to say who grades toned coins better, they are both prone to give out little bumps for an eye appealing coin. (I've noticed this more from NGC, but someone else might say different)
Outside of the comments about the NGC holder scaring me I agree completely with this post...nice coin that will bring a premium but not multiples of guide like common date bag toned Morgans.
Well the seller does not normally handle US coins, and all of the other US coins are white or gray, so I do not think they tried to show toning too highly. Actually no mention of toning at all in the listing, and like I said I had purchased many coins from them so I trust their photography. I just liked the coin, as I used to collect SL halves by date and MM. Thanks for the inputs about NGC, hairlines, and proof toning. It was greatly appreciated. Chris
Regarding the OP... I'm with the group which thinks the coin will look very different in hand. It's more likely to look grayish, but what the heck... who knows ? Personally, I wouldn't gamble on an expensive coin like this without seeing it personally, regardless of toning, grade, or who graded it.
