Just for fun: How do you like your silver?

I've seen this discussed a few times, but I don't think we have had a thread on it quite yet.

In the world of ancient coins, there is a general consensus that cleaning is OK, because otherwise we would all have nothing but little round discs of dirt. Bronze is quite reactive, and can never be restored to it's original color - most collectors agree that you can clean down to the patina, and then you should stop. Gold on the other hand is highly inert - you basically just need to rinse off the dirt and you'll never be able to tell it spent a day underground.

Silver on the other hand is slightly reactive, and the method used to clean it can have dramatic impacts on the end result, further complicated by how it's stored. I've seen varying opinions, but I thought it would be fun to see what everyone prefers for their collection.

Imagine you had an example of each available to you, for the same price, same level of desirability besides the surface. What type of silver coin would you choose?

Illustrated with some silvers from my own collection:



Top row - Clean silver

1) Minty fresh - like it was struck yesterday. Bright, reflective surfaces.
2) Bright, clean silver - Not quite reflective, but close.
3) Bright, slight satin finish - Surface has some subtle luster, but mostly scatters light to give an even look.
4) Bright silver, but satin surface completely scatters light, and gives it a sense of age.

Bottom row - Toned silver

5) Album toning - Clean surfaces, not quite reflective with light/medium grey and possibly other colors creeping in
6) Gunmetal - Deeply toned with little to no reflectivity
7) Matte black - Completely darkened silver
8) All natural - Uncleaned or minimally so, just how it came from the ground.

Feel free to show your own examples of an "ideal" silver coin and expand on your rationale!

Personally, my ideal for silver is right around the Trajan - I prefer my ancient silvers to show their original color, while also having surfaces indicative of age. This is what the majority of my denarius run looks like, although the Trajan is by far the most pleasing example.

 

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Medium rare!

 

About #5 through #7 is how I like my silver ancients to be, even Medievals.

 

Number 5 (album toning) is my ideal for what I like my ancient silver to look like. Of course, I will buy anywhere from 1 to 7 if the coin looks pleasant and is a desirable (to me) type. (I try to to avoid coins like #8.) I've been told that collectors in Iran usually prefer their ancients to be minty fresh like #1.

 

1, 2, or 3 - I like the impression of bright, lustrous silver, even on some of the debased coins of the Empire. Tone is an added plus.

Septimius Severus, lustrous





Phillip I - toned but lustrous





Valerian II - late example of a lustrous silver piece. Therefore, kind of hard to find.

 

There was not a choice available...

I like my silver in Electrum.


Carthage Zeugitana 310-270 BCE EL Dekadrachm-Stater 18.5mm 7.27g Tanit Horse 3 pellets in ex MAA 12 SNG COP 136

 

@Finn235......Nice idea for a thread.......
I really like toning and I'm not really into shiny!
Coin 1..Deep toning with silvery highlights..

Coin 2..Sort of a gun metal tone..

Coin 3......This is probably my perfect looking toning...

 

And, @Finn235 , if it is silver, I like 'em ALL (you did not have a voting button for that either!)


Syracuse Gelon 458-478 BCE AR Tet 24mm 16.7g Slow Biga Victory Arethusa 4 dolphins Sear-Greek 914



THRACO-MAKEDON TRIBES- MYGDONES or KRESTONES 480-470 BCE AR Obol 0.79g 11mm Goat Quadripartite incuse square AMNG III 14



RR L Rustius 76 BCE AR Den 19mm 3.6g Mars SC Rome - Ram L RVSTI Cr 389-1 Sear 320



Athens Attica 454-404 BCE ARr hemidrachm 16mm 2.08g Athena frontal eye - facing Owl wings closed olive branches COP 70 SG 2528



Baktria Apollodotos I 180-160 BCE Square AR Drachm 20mm 2.4g Elephant Zebu-Brahman SNG ANS 324-327

 

I like my silver any way I can get it!

 

My vote was for "album toning," but I don't have many examples.






Here's some toned hacksilver!

 

After voting I was pleased to see my favourite (album toning) the dominating leader in the voting. Survey says we're right! I do like to have a variety in my collection though. (The worst is highly uneven toning with a hearty helping of horn silver. Yechh.)

I think a lot of us like iridescence. Some sweet album toning here:

It was not like this when I got it three decades ago - I can thank an Abafil case for improving the coin. (I've taken it out now, though!)

More sweetness on a Renaissance coin. Fairly bright in places, but oh, those colours:


I enjoy the contrast on the RR denarius which acquired its toning in the trays of E. E. Clain-Stefanelli:


The toning on this one is pretty heavy, getting beyond "album toning", but I love the colours:


For some reason I have two super-dark sceats. I like the first, it's about as heavy a tone as I can tolerate, whereas the second is a bit too much for me.



Argh, my eyes!! This fourrée is way too bright, cleaned to within an inch of its life.


The light tone of categories 2-4 is fine, but just a wee bit boring:


I don't have much in category 8, but I suspect there's lots of silver wash under this find patina. I like it and would never touch it.

 

What I've been doing with coins that have one side in better condition, better artistry or better whatever, is taking them and stripping all toning off the more appealing side of the coin. Thus, the next person that sees it says, "Wow this side is beautiful due to X. But what great toning on the other side!"
Seriously though, PEOPLE! STOP DOING HURTFUL STUFF TO YOUR COINS CAUSE you Think it makes it look better
But certainly I love a nicely toned beauty. To all the nicely toned beauties out there, I don't care how much you weigh, I don't care how round you are, I don't even care whoes hands you been held in. I see you boo I see you

 

toned

 

I lean towards album toning, and am happy to allow for some variety. As far as bright and silvery goes, I think that OP Trajan, for example, is fantastic!

 

I tend to prefer old cabinet toning, satiny surfaces showing some age, or ideally something in between. Neither overcleaned metal nor "hoard patina" are quite my cup of tea.

Below are some silver coins that in my opinion show great patina:


Thrace, Apollonia Pontika, AR diobol, 4th century BC. Obv: laureate head of Apollo facing. Rev: upright anchor; A to l., crayfish to r. 11mm, 1.35g. Ref: SNG Copenhagen 459–461.


Roman Republic, moneyer: M. Sergius Silus, AR denarius, 116–115 BC, Rome mint. Obv: EX·S·C ROMA; helmeted head of Roma, r., denominational mark X. Rev: Q M·SERGI SILVS; one-armed horseman (Marcus Sergius Silus) l., holding sword and severed head in l. hand. 17mm, 2.84g. RRC RRC 286/1.


Roman Republic, moneyer: C. Marius C. f. Capito, AR denarius serratus, 81 BC, Rome mint. Obv: CAPIT; head of Ceres, diademed, r., control number CV; control mark (whip?) before. Rev: C. MARI. C. F. / S. C; ploughman with two oxen l.; above, control number CV. 18mm, 3.88g. Ref: RRC 378/1c.


Marcus Aurelius (as Caesar), Roman Empire, denarius, 140–144 AD, Rome mint. Obv: AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F COS; head of Marcus Aurelius, bare, r. Rev: IVVENTAS, Iuventas (youth) standing l., dropping incense in candelabrum and holding patera. 17.5mm, 3.16g. Ref: RIC III Antoninus Pius 423a.


Caracalla, Roman Empire, denarius, 215 AD, Rome mint. Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM; laureate head of Caracalla r. Rev: P M TR P XVIII COS IIII P P; Apollo, naked except for cloak flying behind, standing l., holding branch in extended r. hand and with l. hand lyre set on altar. 21mm, 3.04g. Ref: RIC IV Caracalla 254.


Elagabalus, Roman Empire, denarius, 220 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; bust of Elagabalus, draped and laureate, r. Rev: P M TR P III COS III P P; Sol, radiate, naked except for cloak over l. shoulder, standing l., raising r. hand and holding whip in l. hand; in field l., star. 18mm, 1,80g. Ref: RIC IV Elagabalus 28b.


Philip I “the Arab,” Roman Empire, AR antoninian, 244–247 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG; bust of Philip the Arab, radiate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: LAETIT FVNDAT; Laetitia, draped, standing l., holding wreath and rudder. 24.5mm, 4.37g. Ref: RIC IV Philip I 36.


Abbey of Fulda, under Heinrich IV. von Erthal, AR bracteate, ca. 1249–1261 AD. Obv: Abbot seated facing holding palm branch and book; in Gothic polylobe and double pearl border; around outer Rim; H-V-H-V. 29mm, 0.52g. Ref: Berger 2293.


Archbishopric of Magdeburg, bracteate penny, ca. ca. 1270–1280. Obv: St. Maurice, wearing armour, standing facing, holding lance and lance flag; ringlets r. and l.. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 20mm, 0.73g. Ref: Berger 1603–1605; Slg. Bonhoff 719.


Teutonic Order, under Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode, AR schilling,1351–1382, Thorn or Danzig mint (?). Obv: + MAGST WVNRICS PRIMS; eagle shield of the Grand Master. Rev: + MONETA DNORVM PRUCI; shield of the Teutonic Order. 21mm, 1.64g. Ref: Neumann 4.

 

On the surface it sounds simple, but it is actually a difficult question. If I had a choice of 2 coins, same type/same price but one bright the other one dark, which one would I go for? The answer is the one that does the design justice. Usually if the coin is of high artistic detail, I would say that bright is best, but in a 'tired' coin a bit of toning would be of benefit as it helps to outline the design by having the high points bright and the main flan darker. A nice example of what I mean is my Corinth stater:



In this case, the 'old cabinet toning' is almost like part of the design and it is more evident in hand. But too dark would not do it for me. A silver coin needs to look silver and if it is too toned you can't help wonder what it would look like cleaned and it makes you stare at the baking soda every time you open the kitchen cabinet

 

Cabinet toning, particularly if there is a bit of iridescence.

 

I like your no. 5! Album toning has my vote, although what I add to my collection is mostly based on availability and if its afforable. Many seem to adhere to cabinet toning, understandable, but those coins are a bit more expensive.

Some silver with a nice patina, in my collection:

Golden colouring around the obverse devices and portrait (it's not the lighting)


Solid gray:


Rainbow (or as my daugther says, unicorn) colouring:


A bit too much of a , uhm... sticky stuff look:


I think this one comes most close to 'old cabinet toning':


So bright it could light up a runway:

 

I like my silver: free. Got any?

 

Bright shiny Eagles or sealed squares are my favorite.