Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Lehigh96, post: 1598876, member: 15309&quot;]This discussion really depends on how you define natural and artificial toning.&nbsp; I say that because there is no accepted definition.&nbsp; Some believe that intent is the deciding factor.&nbsp; Using intent as the criteria, then your coins would be considered naturally toned.&nbsp; However, if you are concerned whether or not these coins will pass muster with the TPGs, intent has nothing to do with it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The TPGs follow a concept of market acceptability.&nbsp; They have no idea what has happened to the coin prior to their evaluation and certainly have no idea about the intent of the individual(s) who have owned the coin prior to submission.&nbsp; Therefore, all they can do is judge the toning of the coin based on its merits.&nbsp; If the TPGs don&#039;t approve of the toning and deem it to be questionable, the coin essentially becomes a problem coin, no different than if the coin were cleaned or polished.&nbsp; If the TPGs approve of the toning, it is deemed &quot;market acceptable&quot; but it is not an endorsement or declaration that the toning is natural.&nbsp; The goal of the TPGs is to keep questionably toned coins out of their problem free holders, and while they do a very good job in general, they are basically making an educated guess since they really don&#039;t know what happened to the coin.&nbsp; Part of this guesswork involves understanding what are generally considered &quot;acceptable&quot; or &quot;questionable&quot; toning patterns for each series of coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>For example, you stated that some of your coins exhibit &quot;vivid toning patterns, like gasoline on water&quot;.&nbsp; I can tell you that this type of oil slick toning usually results from the application of a liquid to the surface of the coin and is considered questionable for every series.&nbsp; And while this type of toning can be hard to tell in photographs, they look very suspicious and distinctive in hand.&nbsp; Here is an example of a coin with oil slick toning.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Jefferson%20Nickels%20Raw/JN1954-DRawBUAT.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>And despite the fact that there was no intent on the part of the owner to artificially toned the coin, the coin has developed questionable toning as a result of improper storage and is considered a problem coin.&nbsp; Just as the coin owners who clean their coins don&#039;t mean to ruin them, most people who end up with questionably toned coins due to improper storage did not intend to AT their coin.&nbsp; But in the end, they are still problem coins, regardless of intent.</p><p><br /></p><p>With regards to the coins with beautiful soft rainbow toning, depending on the pattern and color scheme in combination with the series, it is entirely possible that these coins could be considered &quot;market acceptable&quot; despite the fact that they sat right next to the oil slick coins which are relegated to QT/AT.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in