Did this ASE slip through the cracks at PCGS??

Absolutely. And it can happen in one of two ways. The coin can be toned that way before PCGS grades it. And the coin can be toned in the slab after PCGS grades it.

Absolutely not. But they can all guess.

If it's too much don't buy it. There'll be another one around the corner

Yup, not that uncommon really.

There is no such thing. But there are many who think they are.

 

Why ? That is not an idle question, but a quite serious one.

 

And maybe it is. But then again, maybe it isn't. The truth of the matter is we just don't know, we can only guess.

But here's something that we should at least think about. When we are looking at a toned coin, what kind of coin is it exactly that we are looking at ? Probably 95% of the time, or more, we are looking at either a silver coin or a copper coin - yes ? OK, so another question - do the silver coins usually have the same kind of toning that the copper coins do ? I'd have to say no they do not. Wouldn't you agree ? Yes they can both often be colorful, but the toning is almost always different between the two. So let's set aside the copper coins for the purpose of this discussion. (We'll also set aside the nickels and modern clads)

Now, from among the toned silver coins that we look at, there are very noticeable differences in the toning among them too is there not ? I mean we all agree that Peace dollars do not tone like Morgans. And do not the various silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars also all typically have different kinds of toning than the Morgans and the Peace ?

The point I'm getting to here is that pretty much all of the different kinds of coins each has their own typical kind of toning. And none of them are like the others. There are differences between the way a Walker tones and a Frankie tones. There are differences between the way a Merc tones and a Rosie tones. And we are used to seeing these different kinds of toning, when we look at one of these toned coins there are certain patterns and colors that we have come to expect for the most part.

But what most of us don't think about is that there is a reason for all of these differences in toning with the different types of coins. And it's not just the storage conditions or where the coin was stored that causes these differences. It is also the coin itself. For each different type of coin has its own unique kind of luster. And with each different kind of luster you get a different kind of toning.

It all goes back to this concept - /\/\/\/\/\/\ - which represents the flow lines, luster, on a coin. Change the height and width of those flow lines and you change the way that light is refracted and reflected from the coin - which is what creates the luster. And since the toning, the colors and patterns, that we see is caused by the thin film interference on those flow lines, each different kind of luster produces those typical colors and patterns. We have come to expect it, we have gotten used to it because it is what we see all of the time. Most of us don't really think about the differences, we just know that they are there and accept it.

Now consider the ASE. The ASE is different in a couple of ways. Not only is the coin pure silver (for all intents and purposes) instead of the 90% silver coins that all the others are. The ASE also has its own unique kind of luster that is not found on any other coin. And the pure silver, coupled with the different luster, produces its own unique kind of toning.

But when we look at a toned ASE, most of us are trying to compare that toning with the toning that we are used to seeing on all the other coins. And when that toning is different than we are used to seeing all of the time, many of us begin to suspect that the toning on the ASE is artificial. Completely forgetting, and not even thinking that it should be different to begin with because the ASE is a unique coin. So it's not going to have the kind of toning that we are used to seeing. So of course we think it's artificial.

But if you look at just toned ASE's you begin to see there are similarities between them in the often wild and colorful toning patterns that they have.

Food for thought