Toned coins? Food for thought.

As long as the moisture level is kept reasonably low, ie indoor residential dry conditions which would typically be 40-70% RH, and no airflow is allowed to occur over the coin, a red cent will stay red indefinitely and silver coins will maintain their color. It is active airflow and condensing or near-condensing atmospheres that damage coins. I've run a 20-year experiment where I placed a fresh red cent in a piggy bank (old screw-together metal type) along with other BU bronze and silver, as well as circulated bronze and silver coins. I check on the progress every year of so and so far I see no change in color.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Descriptios are just words subject to
change on a whimsey. One collector's
exquisite toning can be another's circus
tent. Dark toning is ugly unless it's a
"Black Beauty" nickel. I'd love to hear
a big name grader say dark toning was
noble rot akin to fine wine grapes. And
then see what happens. :devil:
BTW, I like dark toning.

 

I promise you the guy who started the collection and died 4 generations ago is looking down & doesn't care if you flushed them down the toilet right now... one day you won't either.. I wouldn't worry about it, store them as well as you can, enjoy them, pass the enjoyable hobby along to yours, and let that be the end of it.

 

That is absolute crazy talk! I would equate that to putting the family photo album through a wood chipper and defacing their grave stones.

I concern myself with it because the others before me always did. Storage methods have not always been what they are today, yet they managed to keep much of the collection in great shape. I intend to better the collection as I can and pass it on to my son for him to continue. He is a passionate collector and understands what this has meant to me and my family for so long.

 

If your concerned about it then move out of Louisiana to get away from the hot humid conditions and move somewhere with a better climate. That'd be the obvious thing to do.

 

I've tried that, but New Orleans keeps calling me back.

 

Different strokes for different folks. Personality types show up pretty quickly in these discussions. bahabully is obviously a Rationalist, probably an ENTJ or maybe even ENTP, while Kirkuleez is probably a Traditionalist, likely ESTJ or ESFJ. In my experience, these types simply cannot get along because they have such different world views.

edited to add...and then we have another Rationalist chime in...

 

I'm just saying store them the best you can.
I'm not saying to intentionally ruin them, although I don't think the previous generations now in a better place care too much about "precious" <hobbit> things.
Have fun, pass it along, but good heavens... don't sweat it.

 

bahabully...I'd bet that a pretty large majority of coin collectors would not agree with your advice, and indeed would have the same reaction of being almost offended by it that Kirluleez had. Some folks actually believe that it would be a great dishonor to previous generations not to preserve family histories. To give the advice you are giving, to someone whom tradition and family values are obviously of such great importance, is pretty insensitive...

 

What advice is it that your are referring to ?
To store them the best you can ?
To not sweat it ?. and to not let it worry you to the point of having "nightmares".
To pass along the enjoyable hobby to your heirs ?

Help me out,, which one is offensive ?

 

Bluntly put, they have all been cleaned. Ancient gold does not necessarily have to be cleaned, but other metals do. Look up "horn silver" and see what is removed off of ancient silver coins.

 

I wasn't offended by what you said at all, I just wanted you to know how much preserving this collection for future generations meant to me.

For the most part, I completely agree with you...except about me not caring what happens to the collection when it is no longer in my hands.

 

I know,, the subject matter leads to a deeper perspective that I was trying to point out.
I have deeply sensitive and empathetic to passing on family stuff,, and knee deep in it on more than one front in the tangible side. So this aspect affects me.. family lands, coins, stuff.. etc.... I wish to pass along all this stuff to my heirs as well, and build generational wealth... that is something I think that lives in the fabric of all collectors and binds us in similar cloth.
Now, that said..... I offer this advice.
1 - do the best you can in that endeavor. As to your coins, I would preserve them the best you can. there are volumes written on the subject matter... find it, read it, do it.
2 - as to how your generational head waters now feel about this endeavor and assuming they are are in heaven looking down,,, I'd guess that on a scale of 1 to 10 they would rank preservation of shiney metals within the family may be a 1 or 2 on the scale,,, where disposition of your soul would be a 10,, and living life care free, full of joy and happiness would be an 8, doing good for others a 7.5..... etc....
...... and worrying about the accumulation of generational wealth, I'd think they say do the best you can, but don't sweat it too much.... it'll work out fine in the end, always does.
Cheers !

 

Like I said, different strokes...

"I promise you the guy who started the collection and died 4 generations ago is looking down & doesn't care if you flushed them down the toilet right now"

seemed pretty offensive, but apparently that's just me, and I'm not worried about it.

 

yeah, definitely.... I'll stand by the quote and say it again another way to better enunciate the meaning.
"I promise you, I don't think angels give a rats pa-tooty what we do with coins"
.... now if that OFFENDS you. I'm sorry... but I felt it worth saying.

 

OK, lets rein it in a little. Any comments on the coins is Ok , as long as it doesn't violate the other forum rules, but not on the Members ! Take it as a warning from here on out. Thanks, Jim

 

I never thought I would see Myers-Briggs show up on a coin forum. Well done!

 

I once received a PM from a long-time, respected member of the PCGS boards who wrote to me that he thought I would be an NT subtype within the MB classification. I then went and took an extensive MB test and came back as an INTJ. Guess he was right.

 

You need the new Intercept Shield couch

 

You've been graded. You may want
to decline slabbing since they are
sometimes called coffins. :devil: