Question about real and fake toned coins

I was just curious about toned coins. I am starting to see rainbow toned coins everywhere on the net. The colors are too bright to be real on alot of them. For example I added a pic of a coin that was obviously doctored. What I want to know is how is it done and is this really a fake? Or is this an authentic tone like the author states? I know you can tone a coin with heat, cig smoke, old albums, sulfer etc. But how does someone make a coin look this good and this authentic with only bright colors? I would rather not spend $20 on a coin if its been done in someones kitchen. And if I was going to I would rather do it myself! Please look at the pics and give your opinions. thanks guys!

 

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this one could have been cooked.
Sometime this week I'll actually make a thread about 2 Lincoln cents I cooked (baked 3 times, they're pretty funky) - they have uneven/splotchy toning like this one

 

I would love to see some pics to compare when you have time!

 

Search the threads here and you will find a lot of discussion on natural toning (NT) vs artificial toning (AT).

The coin you posted is an obvious AT. The colors are wrong and they lie on the coin incorrectly. The details of this have been covered in other threads.

How does someone (a Coin Doctor) artificially tone a coin? There are lots of different ways and I doubt anyone here is willing to give you a tutorial on how to AT coins. Let is suffice to say that a Coin Doctor uses chemicals (e.g., sulphur), heat and other methods to induce the coin to tone rapidly and in vivid colors.

Some Coin Doctors are better than others. Some Coin Doctors are so good their work is difficult to detect but most Coin Doctors produce AT coins that are easy to recognize if you know what to look for. (Again, search the threads here for "AT" and "artificial toning" for threads that discuss what to look for.) A good rule of thumb is this - If all a seller's toned coins look similar they are probably AT.

 

That coloration is almost always AT, and in this case almost certainly. From what I understand, it is done with the application of sulfur and/or heat in one of a number of ways.

 

These blue and pink toned common coins are all AT. You will find cheap common raw coins with drastic toning like this all over E-Bay. Don't buy them, they are all AT. If you find a seller hawking these coins, look at his feedback and other inventory. If all of the coins look similar, all of his inventory is low grade common raw material with outrageous toning, or his feedback is spotty, run away as fast as you can. As for the coin pictured above, it is a clad state quarter. Finding a toned clad coin is like finding a needle in a haystack. This is the best I could do with regards to state quarters:



I am an avid collector of rainbow toned coins. Here is my advice. If you are interested in collecting/purchasing toned coins, buy only NGC and PCGS graded coins. This will help ensure that the toning is original. Having said that, there are AT coins that are slabbed by NGC and PCGS. Don't worry about that in the beginning. Until you have enough experience with toned coins to judge the originality of the toning for yourself, let the experts do the work for you. After all, if the coin is graded by NGC or PCGS, you will be able to sell it whether it is AT or NT. Furthermore, there are some AT coins that are so good, that it is impossible for anyone to tell if the toning is original. These coins often get slabbed under the premise that the toning is market acceptable.

If you are interested in purchasing a slabbed toned coin and are concerned about it's originality, then post the photo here and ask for an opinion. This might help steer you down the right path.

With regards to how to AT coins, that subject is taboo. Interest in this subject will get you branded as a coin doctor and the other doctors will not share trade secrets. Save yourself the grief and buy them already toned and already graded.

 

This coin is the worst attempt at AT. When I look at this all I can imagine is some 300 lb man wearing an apron leaning over a easy bake oven with oven mits to retrieve his coins.

Keep in mind silver coins tend to tone naturally over clad and silver coins in generally tone differently.

 

Lehigh, I have nothing like that.
but I have a '99 proof and '87 proof set that shows some toning (non silver too)

nothing that drastic thought.

so, proof sets are the way to go (IMO) if you want toned clad coins.

 

Proof coins tend to tone more than mint state coins for all metal types IMO.

 

lol

Yeah, when I first saw this pic, I busted out laughing. Somebody out there probably thinks this is really a rare toned coin. Besides that, if they toned like this, that fast, can you imagine what all of our change would look like??

Ignorant.

 

Sellers of AT coins aren't necessarily the brightest bulbs in the pack. Searching their "fb as buyer" will often turn up evidence of their purchases of AT chemicals.

 

I was of the opinion that a "toned" coin was less valuable since the cause of the toning was exposure to the atmosphere, or oxidation. This is all new to me. Can anyone provide a brief explanation of the appeal of a naturally toned coin?
Thank you

 

A picture is worth a thousand words.



:high5:

 

To have a naturally toned coin reflecting in the light is a lot like a piece of art. Its unique, has character, and again most of all..unique.

 

but the question is, is it different?

 

In a lot of naturaly toned coins the colors usually follow a pattern , like gold to red to blue , I'm not sure of the way the colors go but it was written in a Coin Values mag. a couple of years ago . If anyone still has this copy I'd be interested in hearing about this color scheme .
rzage

 

You have it right, the progression is yellow-magenta-cyan and it can repeat. Look at this coin from the Battle Creek Collection, it has two distinct progressions from yellow-magenta-cyan. This color progression is a one of the key determining factors of the toning's originality, especially with bag toned Morgans.



BTW: I consider this my personal best coin photo. I have no idea how I did it, but looks exactly like the coin does in hand.

 

Now there is a man who understands rainbow toned coins. That is exactly the way most toned coin collectors look at it.

 

Ditto that .
rzage:hail::kewl: