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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Lehigh96, post: 1907467, member: 15309&quot;]Mint state does not mean that the coin looks exactly like it did the day it was minted.&nbsp; The qualification for mint state is that the coin can&#039;t have any physical wear.&nbsp; As for your slabbed coins, they may look like, but are not exactly like they were when they left the mint.&nbsp; The toning process begins as soon as the coin is minted.&nbsp; You might not be able to discern the toning with your eyes, but the doesn&#039;t mean the toning layer is not there.</p><p><br /></p><p>The system of grading used by the TPG&#039;s is called market grading which has four different elements:&nbsp; surface preservation, strike, luster, and <b>eye appeal</b>.&nbsp; Toning has the ability to enhance or detract from they <b>eye appeal</b> of a coin.&nbsp; When you see a coin with mottled charcoal/russet toning that mutes the luster of the coin, it will often lead to a lower overall grade despite the surfaces or strike.&nbsp; If that same coin displayed vibrant rainbow toning, it is possible that the coin could be graded several points higher.</p><p><br /></p><p>Your basic mindset right now mirrors Weimar White&#039;s who believes that all toning is &quot;chemical wear&quot; and should be treated the same as physical wear thereby lowering the grade.&nbsp; White goes so far as to declare acid dips as the cure for toning claiming that the dip only removes the sulfide layer (chemical wear) from the surface of the coin.&nbsp; My advice is to abandon this line of thought and seek to understand better the system of market grading that is widely accepted in the numismatic community.</p><p><br /></p><p>The simplest answer to your question is that <b>eye appeal</b> is an element of coin grading.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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