Envelope toning

I just bought a bunch of coins from an old collector who kept his coins in old paper envelopes and didn't have any of them certified. This preservation method produced coins with crazy blue, scarlet and copper swirls colliding over the surfaces. Like this:



The toning is even more dramatic than this pic indicates. Now my question is this. I would like to have this coin certified, yet recent experience indicates the TPGs will body bag coins with this kind of toning. This makes me consider dipping it yet that seems problematic too. Anyone have any thoughts on the best course of action?

 

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I cant help you with the TPGs but something about that toning makes me fall in love with it. I think i would cry if it lost that. lol

 

It would seem to me that a coin with beautiful toning like what you have should belong in a slab. Since I don't deal too much in TPG's, I don't know what line they draw when it comes to forced AT and natural toning. I think envelope toning is natural enough that you shouldn't get docked. But I will concede to the grading experts.

 

Don't dip anything. Very many naturally colorful coins are certified by the TPG's every day. The noise we hear is made by owners of coins declared AT.

While grading is not a science the TPG's do have standards and ways to judge the progression of colorful toning. If your new coins truly weren't doctored I'll bet your chances of successful grading are pretty high.

Here's a coin ANACS slabbed cleanly and PCGS upgraded recently, for example. I'm sure we could dig up many, many more.
Lance.

 

Keep the coin as is, its pretty the way it is. I don't think envelope or album toning is considered AT. I'm not sure how TPGs grade toned coins either but I'm pretty sure they can tell the difference between AT and NT.

 

Yes, wait until the TPG's go through one of their phases where they are not so paranoid about toning. Don't dip. Worse comes to worse here's a radical thought...don't certify them and just enjoy them as they are.

 

Can I have the envelopes? Seriously, I like envelope toning. My guess is that you had pretty old colored envelopes, that's what I had and it created these:


I had to sacrifice quality on the first one to capture toning, but it is quite dramatic on the second one.

 

One potential worry...and something you can look carefully for, is signs of cleaning. Years ago collectors liked shiny coins. (I remember being asked by a dealer once, as a kid in the '60's, if I wanted my purchase "freshened up".)

Use a loupe, 5-7x, and with good lighting. Rotate the coin and look for hairlines crossing devices.

I like Conder's idea. Keep them raw (except perhaps anything very valuable)? Raw is so much more enjoyable than slabbed, IMO. Save the money and frustration too.
Lance.

 

Hmm... The person I got these from had them in blue pink and green envelopes. The beige envelopes had only very slight toning on them

 

These were approximately from the mid-70's when they were put in. Never taken out until I looked at their collection and sold some.

 

that is not AT

 

I got these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IZF7GI/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details in 10 years I will tell you how they worked!

 

It has been 10 years.
Any updates?

 

wow... I will dig those out - give me a few days

 

btw you sir are a lunatic (in the best way!)

 

I've been able to get colored envelopes for 40 years.
Still have some on the shelves that are 20 years old.

 

I think that there was something more goin on with that piece other than just envelope toning. I think that it was dipped or had something else done to and then put back in the envelope still wet.