How Could This Coin Get An MS66?

Ruben,

I hope the resident metallurgist means me. I have to agree with Doug on this one, this toning pattern and color scheme are quite common on mid 20th century silver coins. The traditional toning progression is yellow-magenta-cyan. Orange is in between yellow and magenta. You can find this coloration on just about every series. I see it on Washington Quarters, Roosevelt Dimes, and early commemoratives very frequently.

I think the TPG's forgive fingerprints as long as they are not too distracting. In this case, it would be treated the same as mottled toning which would not affect the grade of the coin detrimentally. Personally, I don't really like this coin and would not buy it, but to each their own.

 

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Well, that all depends on what feature you are referring to....

If it's the area of the "fingerprint" (which frankly looks like a palmprint to me), that's what caused what you're seeing. The oils in the fingerprint stop the toning from occuring in these areas (just like oil on copper stops it from toning).

If it's the area centrally on the reverse on the eagle that is untoned -- that's just the way toning happens some time. You see it very frequently on toned Walkers (and also washington quarters and roosevelt dimes) from this period. And while I can't rule out the possibility of it being toning flaking off, I have examined a number of rolls that haven't been touched in many, many years with toning that appears to have "flaked off", but is in fact just the odd way the coin tones....as you don't find any "flaked toning" in the rolls when they are examined.

Make sense?

Respectfully...Mike

 

p.s. here's an example of a roll toned Washie that exhibits a similar type of toning that looks "flaked" off:

 

Thanks Paul

What silver compound is producing the yellow color?

Ruben

 

could it be toning from paper? looks like it could have been in a flat backed album... it also looks to big to be a fingerprint to me.

 

Ruben,

The compound is always the same. Toning on silver coins is a layer of silver sulfide on the surface. The thickness of this silver sulfide layer controls the color that appears visible to the human eye. To learn more about the diffraction of light through thin film interfaces on coins, I suggest you visit TomB's website.

http://www.ivyleaguecoin.com/scienceoftoning.html

I can't explain it better than he does, so I won't try. Take a look at his 1949 Washington quarter for a good example of toning that looks flaked off. His coins make me drool.

 

Looks like a nice MS66

 

Maybe it was touched by a troll?

 

I believe you are correct. Looks like a Whitman.

 

That coin has bag tone and the marks you see are from the bag. Fingerprints are not STRAIGHT across but circular in imprint so if that is a fingerprint then its from the jolly green big guy

I do not care for the strike myself I have seen better graded the same ...