I was just curious, why is there such a hoopla and price difference if a coin has toning? Some toning looks interesting,and some I find very detracting. I just don't see what it is all about. What am I missing?
Some folks collect tarnished coins. (Euphemistically referred to as "toned" ) Some folks collect coins with holes in them. Some folks collect only undamaged coins. Some folks collect only high grade uncirculated coins. Some folks collect only proofs. Some folks collect only well circulated coins. Some folks collect by type. Some folks collect by date/mint mark. Some folks collect under other standards. Some folks collect with no specific standards, and hoard anything and everything that comes their way. Some folks collect only what they expect to significantly increase in value - frequently bullion. (They're known to the rest of us as "investors".) They are all coin collectors, doing what's right for themselves. In other words, my friend, the lyrics of a song popular in my youth quite nicely and accurately sum up the subject of "How to collect coins" - .
Thanks. I just wanted to understand. It's all new to me and they seemed to have higher prices. Just another collecting area then.
You hit the nail on the head: If the toning is interesting and attractive, then it may add value. If the toning is ugly or unattractive, or, as you said, distracting, then it may detract, and will probably be dipped out by a dealer, to show a nice white coin. I prefer natural colors, non-dipped pieces.
As a collector that loves a rainbow toned coin I can tell you this, to me toning of this nature not only makes the coin quite beautiful but unique. You might could find many many BU coins that are nice as the day they left the mint but to find a BU coin with a "NATURAL" rainbow toning, with green, yellow, blue, and red colors (colors of the rainbow or better the morning sky) is, to me, something to behold. I'm sure other collectors find the same beauty in this toning and are willing to pay more to have it. Therefore sellers are asking more and most likely get it. The down fall is that natural toning takes 10's of year to happen to the degree I like and there are now people out there cheating this proccess by using chemicals and heat to articfically accelerate the proccess almost over night.
seeker, Roy is correct. Everything is collectible to somebody. One thing to add to the list is exonumia, which can be very interesting and might be my next target for collecting. I'm closer to the bullion/investor camp right now and it amazes me sometimes what can be acquired for close to melt value. Everything beyond the bullion value of a coin is purely a matter of taste, scarcity, and individual preference driving up the price. Personally, I wouldn't pay one cent more for rainbow toning, but that's just me. Others see beauty and value there. However, if you plan to collect anything silver, you might as well learn to either like or at least tolerate some sort of toning, otherwise you are just fighting mother nature. I prefer natural grey toning on older coins.
I like toned coins becaue they add "character" to a piece, that being said i will not pass up a white beauty. satootoko has it on the head.
I started a thread asking the same question a while back. There seems to be alot of different opinions on the subject. So, "to each his own" seems to sum it up.
There are toned coins and then there are toned coins. Apparently some can be very deceiving. I had a Barber half that was in an old brown envelope for years and toned nicely. (the sulphur in the envelopes tones the coins, as do the old Wayte Raymond albums). I sent it to NGC and they sent it back as artificial toning. So, ya never know.
A few years ago that probably never would have happened. But a few years ago toned coins were not exactly as popular as they are today, nor were they bringing outrageous prices as they often do today. And a few years ago there were not coin doctors around every corner artificially toning coins so they could bilk unknowing collectors. Today, NGC and PCGS both will often return toned coins as AT. That doesn't always mean the coin is AT, it just means they are not 100% sure it isn't. So if there is any doubt at all in the mind of the grader, they are instructed to body bag the coin. They just feel it is better err on the side of caution.
Value of toning I too have been interested or amused by the apparent premium prices being asked (and apparently paid) for toning on coins. Since I make fantasy coins that are intended to evoke historical or fantasy themes, I often "circulate" or "age" or "antique" my pieces to make them appear older. I have several different techniques for the purpose that I've developed that involve some combination of heat, chemicals, and/or tumbling with various media. Thus I have achieved various different finishes in order to make them more attractive to people interested in the THEME of the coin and the handling characteristics, rather than the mint-state of the piece. (A fantasy coin in this context is for the purpose of assisting the owner to imagine themselves in a different place and time, where the coinage would be used in everyday transactions). I could tell you about the results of some of these experiments and the techniques involved, but I'm afraid that the information would be looked upon askance in this venue. The conclusion however... is that virtually ANY type of toning that can occur naturally can be produced artificially... and usually in much less time. With about $5000 worth of lab equipment (controlled atmosphere furnace, reagent grade gases, and a few other things) and about a year to work out the detailed recipes, I believe I could reproduce any toning you can show me. If I can do it on that sort of budget and time frame, there are many others who could do it too, and some may have already done so. So the upshot is: Toning can make a coin more attractive... and therefore may increase the value SOMEWHAT. But be aware that any type of toning CAN be faked... and value the coins appropriately. A nice paint job on a car can make it more valuable too... but the added value of the toning should never be greater than the value of the few hours of a craftsman's time it would take to achieve it. And... artificially toned coins should always be honestly acknowledged by the seller as just that.
today I grabbed a 1975 canadian penny at work because it was interesting, sort of rainbow effect. After reading here, its called toning. I cant get a pic with my camera but it looks almost identical to the 1955 lincoln on this page. Even has a bit of blue in front of the queens face. http://www.jdsworld.net/article/coin-images2.html So was this a good coin to grab?
If you got it for a cent, then I say it is a WIN-WIN stiuation. Seeker, like said earlier, Roy has hit it on the head. Also remember, Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Some silver coins will get a yellowish or gold tone to it. Toning is by chance, and if there is demand for toned coins then the price will go higher. Just my two cents. Phoenix
better than that Phoenix, got it for free..lol Most times people will leave their 2 cents instead of taking it. So I collect it up and a 1945 wheatie I picked up off the floor at work
Ahhhhh Twiggs you're done for now. That link you posted, he's a friend of mine. He's also the one that caused me to fall in love with toned coins. Dang guy cost me a fortune over the years But ya know what, I wouldn't change a thing
Awesome Twiggs! Well, atleast you know you're not losing anything. That's a cool coincidence GD! Pretty neat. Do you know him Twiggs? Phoenix
So true and many are getting so good at it that they are having coins graded as natural toned and they did it themselves. I've met a few dealers that tone coins just for the fun of seeing if they can get them through the grading services and are fairly successful.
