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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 3568261, member: 112&quot;]Yes, sometimes it did take years to form. But other times it only took a few months, but both are completely indistinguishable from each other. So, is there a difference between the two ? Rather obviously not, it was simply a matter of the conditions being different that changed the time factor involved.</p><p><br /></p><p>And once one acknowledges that, then one must also acknowledge that there is no difference when the toning only takes 3-4 hours - but yields results identical in every way to the ones that took years, and the ones that took months. And there is no test, no method, no known knowledge, scientific or otherwise, that can distinguish any of the three from each other - none !</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>All toning is corrosion, that is a simple scientific fact that cannot be argued or debated. The thing that a lot of folks don&#039;t seem to understand is that corrosion is a progressive thing, it is not a static thing. There are many, many, varying degrees of corrosion. And with coins, it begins the very instant the coin is minted. It can be so slight as to almost not be visible at all, in fact it isn&#039;t visible to the naked eye in the earliest stages. But as corrosion progresses it becomes more and more visible, manifesting itself in any variation of color, and or colors. Then it moves on to where small bits of the metal is destroyed, literally eaten away leaving behind in its wake pitting and depressions. In its last and final stages the metal itself is completely destroyed and no trace at all of metal exist any longer. All of the metal has been completely changed into different elements and materials.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This right here, this is the key to it all - the word bad. You see, toning is nothing more than a euphemism, a word that was coined precisely because the word corrosion has such a strong negative connotation because corrosion implies destruction. And who wants to see something they love destroyed ? Nobody obviously. So the word, toning, was coined by coin collectors because it was something that some of them liked, found desirable even, because they saw the colors as being pretty, beautiful even. But as the old saying goes beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder. What some see as beautiful others will see as ugly. It&#039;s exactly like taste in that regard, and I mean taste in your mouth. Some like the taste of a food, while other will not, some will even detest it. Again, it&#039;s a matter of degree, and in that way it&#039;s exactly like corrosion, or toning for those who prefer that word. Another way of putting it - one man&#039;s junk is another man&#039;s treasure. Same thing.</p><p><br /></p><p>And dipping, well that&#039;s all a part of it too. Dipping is good, or bad, based solely on one&#039;s personal opinion, one&#039;s personal taste in what they like or dislike. Over 80% or more of all older coins have been dipped. And again, this is a simple fact, not a matter of opinion - or taste. But it most definitely occurs, or does not occur, because of personal taste. Without any doubt at all, and I mean absolutely zero, dipping has saved countless coins from certain destruction - countless coins. Yet others will argue till their dying breath that dipping is a bad thing. </p><p><br /></p><p>However, place a coin that has been toned black, or dark, dark brown, to the point that it&#039;s road kill ugly, then dip it, allowing its luster to once again shine and make the coin look new again - and you&#039;ll be hard pressed to find anybody who sees the coin who will argue that dipping was not a good choice, the right choice, to make.</p><p><br /></p><p>And me personally, I&#039;m not biased in either direction. I&#039;m a realist, I see things for how and what they are. I absolutely love beautifully toned coins, but I absolutely love blast white coins too - I find BOTH beautiful ! And I can easily see where dipping is a bad choice - for a given coin - and where dipping is not only a good choice, but the only real choice for a given coin, less the coin face certain and absolute destruction.</p><p><br /></p><p>But being a realist one must also face facts, and the simplest most straightforward fact about coins there is, is that toning, corrosion, is inevitable. It can be greatly slowed down with proper storage, but it can only be stopped one way - by being stored in an airtight container thus removing the coin from what causes it all - the air itself.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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