Newbie Questions: Luster

1) Do all newly minted coins have luster?
2)Should a 100 year old uncirculated, uncleaned coin have luster, or does time, alone, diminish it?

Hope you don't mind newbie questions, and thanks for your patience.

 

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Yes - just check out some of the mint sets. I think it is easier to see on mint state coins, but it exists on proofs also. Wear will diminish the luster.
Yes - check out some of the frosty morgans(as an example) that are posted on the board. Search for lehigh's examples - he gets some good shots. If a coin is protected the luster will not diminish. These are just my opinions.

 

Older uncirculated coins it can depend on several factors such as how they were stored and climate stored in. Whatever you do don't attempt to enhance the appearance yourself. If poorly "stored" what were they exposed to.

 

No, some coins struck from brand new dies will have reflective proof like surfaces that do not show luster. Luster appears as the die starts to wear and begins developing flowlines. But MOST new coins will show luster.

A 100 year old uncirculated uncleaned may not show luster if it is VERY heavily toned. Luster will show through light to moderate toning, sometimes even through heavy toning.

 

Yes to both, as far as I have seen and read and heard. No prob.:thumb:

 

Ditto!!

 

roarrrrrrr!
hey M, you ever listen to Joe Betagllio, The American Adviser, with Goldline?

 

explain different types of luster please

 

I think all of you "miss" this one and bad.

"Luster" is light back at you, reflected light from a source such as metal, mineral, polish, etc. Luster is an objects ability to absorb light and reflect it back - that is it.
All struck coins that are finished, out of the dies, out of the mint have luster in mint state condition. Some great and some not so much and of course that is if in a light source. Some of you may be thinking well "that's a given" but it is not. There is no luster on any coin ever made in a completly dark room. It cannot happen just as a red table is not RED in a completly dark room - it cannot be possible!!! Until there is a light source there is no red and no luster - I love this stuff!!!
I think what you guys are needing to know is "what makes luster on a coin"? It is light refective properties of the coin when it leaves the dies!

Everything effects the "luster" on a coin from the minting process forward each and everything that touches it, everything that passes over it, the air, the light, each and every day that goes by effects the luster - it can be no other way if you agree that the coin has the most luster it will ever have at the moment it is leaves the die. It is at that moment that it has it's most luster it will ever have naturally.

What makes greater, or lesser luster on a mint state coins surface is detemined by planchet quality, die surface quality, pressure of strike, and luck.
To say newly minted proofs don't have as much luster is not correct.
If we don't learn the source of luster, which is light, how can we ever understand this?

In regards to mint state coins and luster, "it is the mint state condition of a coin that has light relflective properties when exposed to a light source". That's all that luster is - it ain't magic you know, it ain't a coating, or a skin or anything else! Greater luster means greater ability to reflect light.

 

A few minutes of fun - there were three questions in the thread: Do newly minted coins have luster? Answer was yes. Second question was Do 100 year old coins have luster or does time alone diminish it? Answer was Yes 100 yr old coins have luster if coin is properly take care of. Then in the third or forth post it was Explain the different types of luster? See dougs post for the answer. So all questions were answered correctly.

Now you say:

At no point was it asked how to identify or see luster. And yes a red table in a completly dark room is still red. Just because you can't see it does not make it "not red". And if it is dark enough you won't even see the table - until you run into it. Of course the light plays a part in the color you see(or don't see if color blind). But luster on coin can be present if you don't see it. Some people in sun light would not recognize luster. This is back to which came first - the chicken or the egg or if a tree falls in the forrest does it still make a sound. Word games came be fun.

 

You helped make my point for me - ""And if it is dark enough you won't even see the table"" - until you run into it.
You would have to agree if you can't even see the table how could you see if it was red??? You see when you bump into it and fell it, feel being the operative word you can then maybe tell that it's a table but you cannot tell if it's a red.

I guess we just ""see"" things differently but it's not possible to discuss "luster" with without talking about light. That plus luster is light and all color is a product of light. Without a light source they are a "non" issue.
Luster (or the color red) can have the ability to exist but are not reality until there is light.
How in the world can anyone say "I see luster on a coin" if you can't see if there is luster/light - that statement is an anti-truth. You can say that luster may be present under the coins layer's of whatever and if a very talented grader may tell if that is so, he can see some luster, again because of light back at him.

You asked "if all coins newly minted have luster"? I gave you the answer which is "yes"!.
You then asked, "if 100 years old and uncleaned would time alone diminsh luster and I answered" , yes and told you some factors why.
If you are shell shy regarding people expanding on thier answers and giving you more information about a subject than you think you asked for well, welcome to CoinTalk.

 

Your right, your right, very good points - I thought about putting more mint-state - in my wording because as you say, that, the mint state coins luster is what we are talking about but you are right.

I am often guilty of wanting folks to think in broader terms and pressing for more realms of opinions that are often less than useful or needed to get "to the point asked" in technical terms/questions.
Point taken if I get this right we were talking about luster on mint state coins and not just luster in the world right? I do, however find it difficult to seperate the two but that is my plight I guess, right? When only pressed for a technical (one application type inquiries or answers) I have a really tough time. If it cannot be a part, portion or aspect of many other things, and therefore many other understandings in life I see little reason for it's value to begin with. We also would not want coin people to think luster is something only a coin has on it then go no further in their assesment or understanding (of luster) would we? If we think it is a given (that folks know about light) well, I sort of think that's not quite right either.
I just gotta be me and you know we can learn many things at once in any given conversation - I never fail to try and do so and if I stray from the point well, you know me by now.

 

Boy that one is the truth and makes this a good site. Well of course Doug answered better than I could of. Any rational discussion and explaination is good even if it is just expanding on a topic so there was nothing wrong with it. And it does make people think at times. My main thing is just because a newbie can't see the luster on the coins does not mean it might not be present. :smile

 

You are right! That plus Doug always answers better than I ever could!
Coin Mint State type luster can be present on a mint state coin without it being seen at first by most people.

 

Cartwheels

Words like LUSTER~Cartwheels~sheen and so on, escape me on some specimens. What kind of "Flow Lines" are these?

Is it part of "Luster"?

 

Hey GDJMSP,
You speak very eloquently and the way you write comes out very smooth flowing. Were you always this well grammared or did you go and take classes?

-Shrek