In my Opinion, this is a perfect example of a improperly stored coin ..1996 American Silver Eagle It was stored in a plastic snap close holder....noticed the unsightly toning caused by the black cardboard holder. This is a key date coin in the ASE series ... Value: BU Condition = $35 In this condition = ? "Much less" ? PS. This coin belongs to a friend on mine, unfortunately the same thing has happened to his 1997 and 1998....guess what they are in the same type holder (Christmas gifts) I know there are people who like rim toning and I have a few Morgan's with some golden rim toning, but these coins have no eye appeal. Moral of story: Take your Silver Eagles out of those cheap display snap holders and put them in quality holders (I prefer Air-tites)
Is there a picture with this post? NOTE: if your images is over 100K it won't be uploaded by the picture loader.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am actually looking for ways to get some of my less-than-perfect BU Eagles to tone up. I might try something severe like sandwich them between some cardboard. If you want a BU coin, then this one pictured is not for you, but if you like toned coins, you’d say to leave it where it is and see what happens next. I left a SE in a Littleton coin company foam holder a bit too long and one area near the edge turned a brilliant purple. If I could get all or most of the coin to turn that cooler, I wouldn’t part with it for 35$ or even twice that. Proper coin storage is key, of course, and I would not recommend turning a BU coin into something like the one pictured intentionally, but what has happed to this coin is not exactly tragic. It looks to me like this coin is well on the way to some nice iridescent amber toning that could turn some other colors also. Might end up a real beauty, worth a premium.
As the man said - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And personally - I LOVE that toning on the ASE. I know of many, many collectors who would pay premiums for such an example. I have see similar ASE's sell for well over $50. So were I you, I would tell your friend just how lucky he is to have had such bad luck
"I know there are people who like rim toning and I have a few Morgan's with some golden rim toning, but these coins have no eye appeal" With coin in hand this toning is not attractive, but with that said I have told my friend to leave the coins in the holders for a few more years and allow the toning to get a little darker purple and even out the splotches. From a numismatic view, would this toning be consider artificially induced ?
Let me answer that question with another question - would coins stored in a Dansco album and they toned - be considered artificially toned ? See what I mean ? Dansco albums are famous for producing some of the worlds most beautiful toned coins. The coins that have come from collections stored in these albums are highly sought after because of the toning. It's considered to be as natural as the sun coming up in the morning. Same with these snap-lock holders and ASE's.
I have a 1996 ASE just like that and think its pretty as can be...I'm not a big fan of toned coins but some just jump out a grab me!! Speedy
And another thing.....I would much rather have this brownish toning than the white splotches that have developed on some of my SEs. I also tend to cringe when I see a nice blast white SE start to turn. But, at that point, a new set of eyes is required when looking at the coin. “Perfection” is no longer how white the coin is, but how nicely the toning will develop. There may well come a day when your friend’s coin will be the belle of the ball, bringing a big premium over other more colorless coins. I have a 1961 proof set and the nickel is a nice steely blue color. I would not trade it for anything. I also have a 1973 Canadian silver dollar that had (when last I looked many years ago) some funky brown and purple things going on. BTW – is your friend’s coin “naturally toned”?. I would say heck yes! It was out in a holder and allowed to go with the flow, letting time work it’s magic. Artificial toning is the result of instant gratification, brought on by chemicals or other factors.
Here's an ASE that's been in a plastic flip in my collection for many years. It was pristine when it went in the flip and then I noticed it slowly begin to change. Since this coin is barely worth anything more than melt value (from an investment standpoint at least ), I'm holding onto it just to see how far it will go. I enjoy the properties of silver that allow such toning. No, this isn't a "beautiful" coin, in fact, the toning may be considered ugly, but I kinda like it...
