Another EBay splurge

Seen it. Liked it. Bid it. Won it. Here it is. $40

TONED 1967- P KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR
40% silver

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Do you think it is NT or AT?

 

I think it's artificial

 

I agree.

 

Looks baked without sulfur.

 

Looks like a sunburn.

 

Well I believe it meets at least 3 criteria for being natural.
1. It has gradient color shifts
2. Toning is translucent and does not mask luster.
3. The coin contains silver
There are the negatives now.
1. It is saturated
2. It's only 40% silver
3. I bought it on Ebay
I would never say any toning was "natural" being it requires some sort of exposure to a specific environment to achieve. Was it created artificially?
My observations are...
There are areas in the fields that show natural dark tarnish. There are areas on the coin where toning has been removed by mishandling or simply had no reaction. There is a define line of separation in the toning around the whole edge of the rim which means it could not have been fully submerged in a chemical. There are random green tarnish spots throughout. (Images below).
I believe some of these features would be too difficult to achieve to make it worth while to anyone. The seller seems to be exclusively into Kennedys with a variety of toned coins from very subtle to monster ungodly toning.
If I hadn't already read the other members comments I would have said, I believe this is not artificial. I am bias now based on the criticism and am interested to know why this coin appears AT.

 

I am not one to say whether it is or isn't NT. That is why I asked you for your opinion. But hey, if you are happy with it, that is all that matters.

 

I never said I was happy with it. And, I always welcome your feedback Mr. Chris. I enjoy your frigid, tempered honesty!!!

 

As stated many time on CT "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." In my eyes it's a keeper. Best of luck to you.

 

It's your money and now your coin - enjoy!

 

10% of 90% silver coins -are- junk.

 

Somewhat agree - I buy circulated silver dimes, quarters and halves in bulk bags - I've found that approx 5% (+ -) of the coins are not collectible (bent, slick and gouged) - I toss those into a separate jar and sell them as scrap silver - I stack the rest and wait for the silver spot price to rise from $14-$18 to $24

 

I just meant there made with 90% silver and 10% junk.

 

That's why I prefer the 90% silver and .925 sterling items - more good stuff , less 'junk' - war nickels and 40% JFKs have more copper than silver, so dealers don't pay full value for those

 

Nor should they. I have a junk silver bag. I was thinking about smelting it and trying to make a bar, but I'll have to buy a crucible and tongs and I would want it purified which gets complicated. I have been told a jeweler would do it but I have not inquired.

 

Outer layers are 80% silver, like old Canadian silver.
Never saw that kind of NT on 80% silver

 

You mean 40%?

 

Talking about "junk silver" . . . . . .

When I was a kid (early 1960's) my Dad bought two silver balls from a jeweler. These are supposedly the jewlers "melt." This was in a small town in Wisconsin, away from the "big city."

It would have been right around the time they discontinued silver coinage. Dad passed about 11 years ago, so I cannot discern any additional history on these. I am thinking this jeweler may have feared the prohibition of ownership of silver similar to what the Government did back in the 1930's with gold. I have no idea if this is .999, .925, or coin silver, although I suspect the latter.

Any idea what I could do with these? Each weighs in at around 650 grams.

Z

 

No Joe. OUTER layers are EIGHTY% silver. Overall coin is 40%