Toned Coins

How could you tell if a coin has been toned naturally, or has been altered?

 

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The answer is not as simple as it may seem. First you must understand how naturual toning occurs. Then you can begin to understand how artificial toning is created and how to spot it.

Bob Campbell (formere ANA President) has a very good DVD entitled How To Tell Artificial Toning On Coins that explains the differences between NT and AT in detail. It is available from the ANA for around $30.

 

Could coins get toned by sitting in the sun? And I have heard something about cigar boxes toning coins? Is that natural?

 

Sure, why not? You are not altering the coins in the album.

And toning is a good thing, it attracts buyers, right? (It sure attracts me!)

 

I practiced artificial toning on worthles coins and now I know all the ins and outs of it (i.e. color, how to hide cleaning). You can learn a lot from it.

 

why not share some secrets? i want one green one red and one blue morgan. and the one golden and one multi peace. those are the only junk coins i have and might make them beautiful.

 

I see your point "admin"

So there is no way of telling if it is natural from the album thing? If it looks natural, then there is nothing to be done, right?

 

A wooden cigar box with a pack of matches kept in a warm place for a few months, works for me.

 

How much percent does toning increase the coins value?

 

they are junk coins dont you have a method wher ei can get toned coins tonight?

 

-99% for obvious AT (in my case).

 

And percent for natural?

 

Perhaps you missed the negative sign (-) in front of 99%. That means - to me - an obvious AT coin LOSES 99% of its value.

I don't pay extra for toning - even NT.

 

In general?

 

I wouldn't pay more for any kind of toning. If I want a toned coin I will do it myself but I prefer not to tamper with the coin. If it tones as it is in normal storage, that's fine but I wont try to tone it nor would I pay more for it. I dont like bright rainbow colored coins anyway...

One thing I have found is that MOST coins I have that are very old, they have multifaceted toning. They have toned with the normal brackish darkness but most have very subtle color in the toning as well. One can see a little color in or around the dark toning but the only way to see the color REAL clearly is to look at the surface in a light at an angle. When one does that it looks much like a puddle of water on asphalt with a bit of gasoline in it. I am sure that there are NT coins with super bright rainbow colors but I have never come across one, even when I am the first person to see a coin after 50 years in a dresser drawer....I have only encountered either brackish black tone or the type I described above.

 

me too i always thought tonign meant black coin

 

IMO a coin toned in an album is NT if it is strict album toning, although doing it on purpose would just be intentional natural toning, as long as you did not speed up the process artificially.....I think, lol

 

I would not pay more for a toned coin either and the reason for that being would be becuase I do not like to owned coins that have been altered or "messed" around with. I like originals and a pure natural coin!