10 Years of Window Sill Toning: Cleaned 1880 Seated Quarter

Knowingly bought as ''bright with 'wispy' hairlines''.

This is what it looks like after 10-12 years of on-and-off window-sill natural sunlight toning.

Color is close, if anything more vivid in-hand.

I think it looks actually acceptable (for a cleaned coin). Specially the obverse.

Opinions?

 

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Very nice but 10 years? A fellow could go to see his Maker in that time period.

 

Thanks, insider.
I was young(er) when this went on the sill.

 

I think the toning is blah! You would have been better off leaving it in a Kraft envelope for 10 years.

Chris

 

Where have you been hiding?

Chris

 

Behinde the curtain perhasp watching it tone lol
Yes the old kraft evvelopes famous for toning.

 

I like it a lot. Maybe I'll put a cleaned coin in a brown paper bag inside my wife's insta-pot pressure cooker and see if I can turn ten years into ten minutes.

 

You may have a foolproof way to tone a coin nicely in an afternoon, but I'm afraid a fellow could still go to see his Maker in that time period. (Rather sour) food for thought...

 

Yeah, but isn't that 'illegal'?

 

Toning appears splotchy.

 

There is nothing illegal about it at all. A half century or more ago, it was very common for collectors to use Kraft envelopes to store their coins. Many of those coins toned very nicely and were very acceptable NT specimens from the grading services.

Chris

 

Storing it in a paper envelope is a common storage method. The windowsill just adds heat and humidity - sometimes that can accelerate toning which closely resembles accepted storage practices, and sometimes it can create abominations.

This is where you'll start to get into trouble.... greatly accelerated toning, even from normal storage methods, will usually produce poor results.

 

Thanks, physics-fan3.14.
I don't remember what this one really looked like before the window-sill treatment.
But, it was bright and the hairlines visible under strong light.
IMO, It does look a little better now, except the reverse toned unevenly, unfortunately.

I got some Taco Bell napkins a few years ago during a trip the U.S.
Tried them but did not get any results after 3-4 years storage. I guess they got rid of the residual sulphur in them?

 

Eduard
In the 60's the small 2x2 kraft envelopes did have sulphur in them....you never knew thought what was going to come out of them long term storage.
Sometimes a gem....sometimes not.
They were cheap...cheaper than flips or 2x2's .
I even recall in believe it or not in department stores usully near the mens dept. They would have a display case with a wheeled tray with coins for sale.
Most were in the kraft evnvelops with notations written on them,
You would ask the clerk to show you the coin.
Truly a different time.....

 

I like the coin. Well done!

 

Haha! That's taking it back a bit. 95% of posters here probably have no idea what you're talking about!

 

yes, that coin department was in Gimbels, I worked in two of them, on Long Island, NY

 

Yes, those must have been truly exciting times for coin collectors A little early for my time, but close enough to at least get a good feel for what it must have been like. In Europe back for example, then truly scarce US coins could be found for excellent prices.
Btw, can those Kraft envelopes still be obtained?

 

I like the coin, Eduard. I too am curious if those Kraft envelopes can still be found. Perhaps a box of NOS?

 

I found this link, but would these modern envelopes still contain sulfur?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/322849148918