Toned vs. Untoned Preferance

I was just wondering what everyones preferances were with toned/untoned coins. Personally, I like toned coins more because they are often unique and beautiful. What do you guys like more? - James

 

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I'm in the same camp now, I had a few old toned coins, never thought much about them until my wife bought a toned statehood quarter set. I placed them next to an untoned set and I was sold on toned coins then.

 

I'll take a toned coin anyday!

 

So far, I prefer untoned. Blast white !

 

I'm slowly becomming a convert to toned coins. I have a small collection of circulated Morgans, and I have to admit that the ones with nice toning are my favorites. Blast white is starting to make me think "cleaned." There is something more authentic about toning, at least in circulated coins. On the other hand, I still have silver eagles that I am hoping won't tone.

 

There's a market for both, definately! As for me, I like my coins white, but if I were to come across a really eye-pleasing toned coin (like a couple pennies that I have that are a bluish-magenta color), I'd always be happy to add it to my collection!

Mostly, if I'm looking for good toning, it would have to be a rainbow toning that's even over the edge of the coin or throughout, or something with a great bluish hue, 'cuz that's my favorite color!

~AJ

 

You're exactly right...many many coins are cleaned today. Silver is the easiest to clean and fool a buyer. There is a process that imitates original luster that can fool even the experts. And it doesn't yellow! If you buy a slightly worn silver dollar and it has bright luster...CLEANED!

 

I used to think toning was relatively useless ... then I saw (and purchased!!!) a couple of beauties. I've been "hooked" ever since. I won't, however, pay a huge premium for toned over white.

 

Nature's coin artwork is in the eye of the beholder. I have taken toned coins, photographed them, and added water colors via Photoshop for the purpose of decorating my office. Print these up on nice photo paper and you have "coin art".

 

Hey Midas...

WOW!

Beautiful!

 

NO toned coins for me! I like my coins white and all original! I have seen toned buffalo nickels that I liked really well but that was my love for the buffalo not the toning. Toning can be done artificially and I imagine it is being done in large quanities now that so many collectors have turned to them. Just another reason to avoid them.

 

Glad to hear some opinions on the subject. And by the way those are some real beauties Midas! - James

 

First of all: beautiful coins Midas.
Secondly, I can appreciate toning but in my mind, the coins original state is what I am attempting to preserve/display. The toning itself takes away the surface layer of the coin and (again, in my mind) is just like rust on a classic car.

 

Ok I just thought of this, but I think it is important to say what you collect and then what your preferance is. So I collect mainly Morgans and I like them to be toned most of the time. - James

 

I agree with Bacchus, although I admit, some of the toned coins displayed by midas are stunning. I wouldn`t buy a high dollar raw coin toned, though.
Unfotunately, many raw toned coins are chemically altered to look that way.

 

I'm with 'ajm' on this one. Generally I prefer blast white but I am not adverse to a nicely toned coin. However, I wouldn't pay a premium for it.

I can understand the hesitation of purchasing anything that is blast white with the concern of it having been dipped or otherwise cleaned sometime in the past. But the flip side to this is that the attractively toned pieces stand an equally good chance of having been artificially toned. The solution....educate yourself. Study up on how to spot AT, dipping, whizzing, etc. Then proceed with caution, but most of all have fun.

 

Buying coins is very strongly a matter of preference and/or future market projection.

In my opinion, toning is not an issue in coin grading. It factors into the picture at another level. It can affect the coin’s price but not it’s grade. This is where we start using such adjectives as "attractive rainbow toning" and so on.

The “rainbow” toned coins above (some computer art) are representative of actual “rainbow” toned coins that came about mainly by mistake. As I understand it, they were chemically altered by the acids in early coin albums. So, in this sense, all “rainbow” coins have been chemically altered.

I wonder how many "rainbow" coins being sold today are “real” or accidental "rainbow" coins?

I think the whole thing comes down to how one looks at coinage. Some are thinking more mechanical, factual, original--while others tend more toward the emotional, historical (human), side. Both are legitimate and the two sides work together very nicely.

To me, when I hold an old coin I love to think about the thousands of people who held it before me. I love the coin for what it is but the fact that it may have been lost on the battlefield gives it extra interest.

Okay, I’m I hopeless romantic

 

I think most of us had better become lovers of toned coins, because most of the silver coins we are purchasing now are going to tone. I can see it on some of the modern commemoratives I have purchased, especially in the less tight packaged products (e.g. Young collectors sets).

I happen to love the toning effects on the appearance of most coins, as long as that is all that is happening (e.g. no carbon spots, etc.).

 

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fake toning? i call it the napalm liberty silver eagle

i have a picture of a beautiful peace dollar that looks like it has a sunset with clouds over the eagle.

 

How does one artificially tone?