Was Artificial toning a thing in the 60’s?

I had a set of classic silver commems that sat in a Whitman folder for a couple of decades. Most, but not all, of them toned. Some very prettily. I sent them to PCGS, and nearly all came back AT. They were naturally toned in a coin book.
So, I cracked them out and sold them on eBay.
It seems to me that AT/QT/NT is a crapshoot, and the TPGs don't have any better idea about what is natural than I have.
Maybe less so.

 

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I disagree with this...toning was a thing even in the 60's according to my Uncle who was the man that introduced me into the coin collecting world as he used to send me for my birthday every year since my birth the U.S. Mint Silver Proof Sets (both silver and clad).

I asked him this question and he told me that the demand for "toned" coins was not as huge as it was today; but that it was, based on eye appeal, something new to the hobby and it was catching on. This comes from someone that started collecting in the late 40's early 50's.

Super white coins are beautiful too; but to many others so are toned. To each his own. But like I stated before; everyone is entitled to their opinions and this is mine. Thank you and enjoy what remains of your day.

 

As you say AT was being done back in the 60's, but people didn't look at coins to see "all the pretty colors".

 

What I was thinking...

I got some heirloom pieces that take on 'tarnish', in a display case, about every 3 years - wish I could polish [tarnish remove] ONLY with chems, instead of assist with cloth...

Artificial 'toning' ? Seems like something everyone would want to INHIBIT .

 

I think what he was trying to say was that toned coins weren't marketable in the 60's. Remember, there was no internet and regular people did not have the equipment or skills to photograph toned coins. The majority of coin purchases were made a brick and mortar coin shops, and they had limited room in their display cases, which were no doubt filled with bright white examples from every denomination and series. If you wanted toned coins, you had to ask the dealer to get them from the back where he stored them.

 

Yes, and even if he had any he would usually offer to dip them for you while you waited.

 

Yes it wasn't so much "artificial toning" and it was "artificial whitening".