AT coin in PCGS holder

So, after seeing what seems (to me) to be an AT coin in a PCGS holder on eBay today (http://www.ebay.com/itm/141893306522), I started thinking about premiums for toned coins. Should premiums be limited to PCGS Secure coins, since the coin is imaged by PCGS, and the buyer can know that the toning (whether AT or NT) was considered to be market acceptable at the time of grading? The main reasons I question this coin are the odd band of yellow in the middle, the lack of toning layering, and the liquid like appearance on the back, where it looks like a chemical was applied to the surface. Do others have contrary thoughts on either the coin itself or my opinion on PCGS Secure for toned premiums? This question is directed toward those who believe toned coins deserve a premium, obviously. If you think toning is to be viewed as damage, you opinion, while valuable elsewhere, might not bring any value to this specific concern.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Maybe it toned after it was placed in the holder?

 

I can go either way on the toning. IMO however, with all those significant marks, PCGS bumped the grade two points due to that color!

 

Modern toners leave me skeptical. I think a lot of them are probably "encouraged" in one way or another. And I used to hear that PCGS would grade coins like this much more readily than NGC. My 2 cents.

 

It is possible but the way I feel, if it looks natural,"market" acceptable, and TPGS acceptable, I DON'T CARE IF THE TONING OCCURRED IN FIVE MINUTES OR FIFTY YEARS.

 

That's OK. I'm not there yet, doubt if I ever will be. Could the OP coin's toning have occurred naturally? I'll say yes, but odds are against it IMHO.

 

WOW that price is quite a premium. I added it to my watch list just to track it. Seems like a huge ask for that one.

 

The price might seem high, but monster toned coins, especially ASEs can fetch a ton (even higher than the asking price for the right coin)

A few examples:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-P-1-Pr...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-Silver...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

I'm not sure what to make of either of those... I think kittle is a member here, and that looked induced. The other one was PCI, which really REALLY seems shady.

 

If you're talking about the reverse side striations, I doubt it. Absent the color, it looks 66/67 for an ASE. Remember, TPGs give more leeway on larger coins.

 

To me toning should be as simple as if you like the look buy it, if not move on. If you have to constantly pay up for it you'll know the market has the same taste as you, if not your taste may be outside the norm which is okay too.

Looks about right for a 67 ASE. Most of their toned ASEs seems to be 67s/68s keeping the grade from playing a role in the price.

NGC basically refuses to straight grade modern toned ASEs and I think some other moderns they AT too just for being toned. There's even stories of people getting AT from them when sending in the original mint packaging.

Some have been helped along being put in the right environment for sure, but sticking a coin in an album will tone it as well so I really don't care if someone figured out a way to speed it up, chemicals are a different story. Some of those ASEs will tone rather quickly while others seem like they never will.

 

]

Some PCI slabs are pretty famous for toning ASEs and some other coins. A good number of the PCGS toned ASEs you see hit the market lived in PCI slabs for a while.

 

Exactly but I honestly don't know enough to call a coin out I just leave them alone if I have that gut feeling.

 

The reverse is not as important BUT you'll never see me grade a "white" SE MS-66 with a huge scrape at 5 o'clock plus the other hits. IMO, color is key to this coin's grade.

 

I had a safe in the basement of our restaurant. Dry and dusty down there. I dropped a roll of silver eagles one day and it spilled everywhere. One rolled under this packed, heavy, two-door safe and I didn't recover it until 16 years later when we put a banquet room there.

It was toned like this on the obverse and dull grey on the reverse.

PCGS said it was "questionable toning".

What say you? Original toning or artificial?

 

Exactly my point about toned coins AT/NT isn't a true topic I believe Market/Non Market ready would be a better way to describe them. I have a proof Jefferson that is very similar to the ASE in the OP and not one person would think it is NT. Even I didn't I just loved the color on that Boat LOL

 

They can be beautiful. It just seems to me people have nothing to lose by buying a bunch of unc. eagles for a bit over spot and playing with toning them. Some turn out well. So sell them for big premiums. People who have figured out how to do it well and get them into TPG slabs will make more toned bullion....

 

I'm thinking cooking fumes made their way down to the floor of the basement and toned your eagle. I suppose that is mostly original tone.

D

 

It was as far away from the kitchen as you can get in an area that once stored home canned items right at the end of the depression, next to the coal bin. More likely sulfur from the coal dust.

 

I'd say original. Artificial to me would be chemicals or rubs or baking it in the oven ect. If you can just leave something in a an environment without physically manipulating the actual surfaces of the coin I don't see how that is any different then letting a coin sit in an album and tone.