Is This AT???

I like toned coins! I did a lot of study on them and realized that the best way to recognize AT was to tone a bunch of coins myself. After some practice and a lot of ruined coin I got pretty good at it. I was toning some in albums (greatly accelerated) and I would check them every few days. I had some that looked REALLY good, I just could not tell the difference between what I had done in 6 weeks and the certified coins that supposedly took decades. I decided to put it to the test, one of the guys at my local coin shop had been a grader for a top TPGS for 15 years, so I went in and played dumb. Said I had picked the coin up at a coin show, didn't pay much for it but still wanted to make sure it was not AT. He gave the coin a VERY good look, then finally said that the coin had been cleaned at one time (true, I did it). He then said there was no doubt that the bulls eye, album toning was natural, very deep and the coin had been in a holder a very long time.... Again, the toning took a grand total of six weeks.

 

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I really like the coin AT or not..... a wildly toned ASE that was minted the year I was born....

 

AT or NT, either way it's a great looking coin. To me it's well worth the risk at $35. If I album toned it myself I would put it up on Ebay with full disclosure of artificial toning for at least $75.00. There is a lot of people out there that could care less if it's AT as long as it looks good, they see it not as numismatics but as art.

 

How can you tell if it is or NOT AT ??

 

there's no way I would pay a premium on AT toned bullion silver.

 

why would it tone that quickly ? that makes no sense.

 

It's definitely questionable, if not outright AT.

 

It makes perfect sense, the only reason it does not make sense to you is that you have always been told and believe that it takes decades. If I was quickly toning a coin, (a few minutes) the color difference from the reverse of this coin to the obverse is about 3 seconds. I screwed up if I get to that level of purple and blue.

 

Here is the deal. I am not saying that the above blue and purple coin is positively AT. But what I will say is that those two colors are so simple to create that the obverse could very easily be someones very first attempt at toning a coin, and their second, third, forth and so on.... until they figure out how to slow things down and control the reaction.

 

ATTENTION: Before the TONING NAZI's come down on me for daring to even speak of the subject: I have not told anybody HOW to tone coins. I have not personally toned anything for about a year and everything I toned was to learn how to spot AT. By the same token, for the 5 or so months I have done everything I can think of to coins, cleaning, whizzing, dipping.. over dipping etc. in order to learn. Next step is toning lightly cleaned coins and AU sliders in attempt to see the problems through the toning.

 

if you're happy with them get them, but do not be shocked if you go to resell them that you will only get bullion value for them.

 

Much of the time the TPGS can't even tell. That's why they put "Questionable" on the label. I think it was in Bowers book.....
Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia http://www.pcgs.com/books/silver-dollars.
where he interviews all these old time coin greats that were there during the treasury releases. These guys tell of toned Morgan's that they had "Personally" pulled out of original $1,000 bags, held on to them for years and then sent them in to be graded by the TPGS only to come back "Artificially Toned".

 

There is just no simple answer. That's like asking, "How do you know if a coin is circulated on uncirculated." Sounds like a simple question but spend some time over at the thread "Cabinet Friction-Stacking or Wear" to see how in depth and complicated that simple question can be. You will find 16 pages of the most in depth coin discussion ever by people that know a 100 times more than I could ever hope to. I've read through it twice in the last week, my brain is full, that's why I am over here.

 

THIS PICTURE IS TWO DIFFERANT COINS! For the fun of it, I spliced the color progression of the above pictured (post #19) PCGS MS68 coin on top of the color progression of the coin you just bought for $35.
Hit Best Answer right there....V

 

What argues AGAINST this piece being AT, and rather a case of "naturally toned by being in a cardboard holder" is the severe difference between the two sides, and the colorful rims on one side. This looks like a piece stored in a cardboard "view one side only" album or holder, perhaps like a blue Whitman, but not necessarily exactly that.

Remember, these .999 pieces tone even faster than .900 pieces do.

 

If you guys would like to read up on the color progression and science of toning on silver coins here you go...

http://www.jhonecash.com/coins/tonedmorgans.asp

 

I think it's got a legit chance of being a real album toner. Especially considering the provenance and the price you paid. If you can get it into a straight grade holder is another story. I'd attempt it as the payoff upon resale would be big. I'd call it a 50/50 shot at a clean grade. Personally I don't think the tpgs especially pcgs know that much. I see coins that are clearly artificial in straight holders. And get coins bagged that are to me clearly nt

 

Works for me.

 

Either way, I'd love a toned ASE

 

Nice pick up for $35. I think the toning is questionable. I also see many questionably toned ASE's in PCGS holders. That is only my opinion. I'd like to have a nicely toned ASE in my collection just for fun, but I do not want to pay the premiums being asked on toned ASE's.