With the soft close, bidding keeps getting extended. Two or three guys are bidding this thing thru the roof at David Lawrence Rare Coins weekly auction! www.davidlawrence.com/product/2408922
I noticed it last week when it was sitting under 2k. Now it will be at least double the Legend sale and over 4x the Stacks sale (both from 2016 when the toner market was lower): https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-51GUT/1884-o-morgan-silver-dollar-ms-66-pcgs https://legendauctions.hibid.com/lot/28550212/-1-1884-o-pcgs-ms66--cac/
Magnificently toned, with some textile pattern on the cheek. Congrats to the winner, but I would have had other ideas for nearly 20k. to each their own, it's a great hobby!
I'm not familiar with the chemistry, but can't toning be artificially induced? If it turns a $700 coin into a $20K coin, then we're going to end up with a misrepresentative number of "toned" coins. I guess colorful toning is all artificial in a way, even if it occurs accidentally (function of environment). Which makes the prices even less justifiable. But, as always, each to their own.
Quite possible that the winning bidder already has one. Or several. There are plenty of people who can drop $20K on a whim. I'm not surprised that at least two of them showed up for this coin.
I live in the world of ancients when it comes to coins, so I guess I'm a bit late to the party on this topic
The incredible, rich, multi-rotation rainbow toning with impeccable textile centered on the cheek... that is a magnificent coin. The price it closed at, however... absolutely insane.
No, artificial toning cannot be induced in that pattern with those colors with those characteristics with that quality. (yet)