Just doing my thing on ebay tonight, and i come across this listing. http://cgi.ebay.com/1898-Morgan-Silver-Dollar-Gem-BU-Toned-6649-/250650799093?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item3a5bf3abf5 It never ceases to amaze me that there are IDIOTS that buy this crap which keeps even bigger idiots busy making these "amazing gems". Seriously, i would give you melt minus the cost of a jar of dip for this crud. I couldn't help but have a little fun with the seller, who btw has only 7 negs and 16 neutral for the last 12 months! I had to ask him about his amazing coins! keep your eyes open for his reply, as this could get interesting. ( or get me in trouble with ebay!)
You scratched out your name in the 'From' field but forgot to do so under the message dialog box... you might want to correct that! :secret:
Friendly fyi... I never do screenshots of myself on ebay... I'll cut and paste the message text if I want to share...
Just looked at his other items. He has at least "10 available" for "toned" Morgans and ASE's. LOLOLOLOL I bet he just happened onto an amazing collection of neon toned silver! ROFL
Here is a link to TomB's website which explains about the toning process. http://ivyleaguecoin.com/scienceoftoning.html There are a multitude of natural sources for toning. For example, many of the rainbow toned Morgan Dollars you find were stored in canvas bags. Classic Commemoratives were stored in special mint packaging that caused a unique type of toning called tab toning. Target toned coins are usually the result of album toning. The problem is that the coin doctors try to recreate all of these types of naturally occuring toning patterns making it very difficult to distinguish NT from AT.
There are a multitude of ways that a coin can tone naturally based on how it is stored.....album, bag, Kraft envelope and even original mint packaging are a few. Variables such as temperature, humidity and light can also affect how a coin tones. Natural toning cannot happen in a realtively short period of time. It takes many years. My personal opinion is that if the environment has been intentionally manipulated to induce toning, then the coin should be considered AT. Chris
I saw an ASE on the bay just the other day and it was going for "stoopid" money! It seems that all this AT stuff could place coin collectors in a bad light but just like any other hobby. You have winners and you have losers and as long as we remember who we are then all we gotta do is side step the BS. That AT stuff even turns up George's nose!
We must remember that not too long ago, most toners never reached a selling position, as they were out of favor and summarily dipped to brightness. It seems like an unaccountable number are reaching the market, but they are now in favor ( see the selling prices) whether one wants to recognize the fact or not. If the only separation between AT and NT is intent, and with ethics as poor as they are, we have to vote with our wallet. If no one bought toners, they would all be dipped for market selling. I hope not, but we can't depend on whether the coin was intentionally placed in a kraft paper envelope or unknowingly placed in a kraft paper envelope, separating the toned coins. IMO
But...but, the seller is wearing a white cotton glove! That makes me feel better. (right after I puke) Happy Collecting Ya'll
Original packaging of issue, not special mint packaging. The Mint never sold the classic commems to the public. They were provided to the authorized issuing body in canvas bags at face value just like regular half dollars. Then the issuers put the coins in the special holders that they had made privately.
