Toning Silver Video

Thanks for the tips guys. Let me re-phrase: the coin's very shiny, mirror-like. "No life" was a misnomer, that's just something I threw in there because I feel like coins with patinas, toning, and evidence of age show "life" on them and have character, and the shiny coins just had nothing to show for age. The coin is not dull and hasn't been dipped, just polished to a mirror like state.

I'm going to try putting it on a windowsill, put some other metals around it, and let it sit in the sun. We'll see what happens in some time. The original owner seemed to have polished the coin and immediately placed it in a 2x2, locking it in that state. I just took it out of the 2x2 yesterday and let it breathe finally...

 

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Since the coin is pretty much ruined numismatically as it is, try carrying it around in your pocket with some other change for awhile. It will probably lose a grade or two in wear, but it should eventually lose it's shiny, polished look and start looking like a natural coin again.

I have a few coins I may have to try this on, myself.

 

Like Doug said, they are ruined. They will always have signs of cleaning.

Silver tones due to exposure to hydrogen sulfide. I recommend reading the book "Coin Chemistry" by W.White. A simple method of producing hydrogen sulfide is with rotting fruit. Wash the coin well with water and acetone to remove residual traces of cleaner. Put the coin in a sealed container with a piece of fruit, an apple works well. Over time, the degrading fruit will release hydrogen sulfide and tone the coin.

 

Do you mean sulfur dioxide? Or hydrogen sulfide? I think the latter is explosive or poisonous...

Can sulfur powder be used to help the situation? I'm not talking direct exposure to the powder, that would most likely just cause a blackening of the silver, but perhaps in a mix with something else...or even just being in the vicinity of the powder? Sulfur powder is cheap and can be easily bought, in fact I know that I can get about 100 grams or so for $4 tops...

 

Hydrogen sulfide:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfide

Unless you're a chemist, you won't be able to convert elemental sulfur to hydrogen sulfide.

 

I ordered a 100 grams of sulfur, just to experiment with to see the effects on smaller, cheaper silver coins. I guess I'll post some more info in a few weeks or so.

 

Hi ya'll, I just comleted my morgan silver dollar collection. But I have 4 very expensive coins that have been cleaned lightly, now I want them toned right right and sent in for grading. one was sent back to me, cleaned lightly,Xtra-Fine.

I would like to know how to tone them properly. ( !.cause the biggest give away to coin graders catch people, is dryed up flakes from what you used to clean the coin. 2. The harshness of chemical used. 3. Scratches on surfacaces of coin, from brushes. there are others pits from acids as such, things you should automatmattically know not to use. ) I also ordere 8 lbs of sulphur.

Now if any one is coing to Myrtle Beach, I'pay a little to learn. or if I can learn over the internet, we could workout something.

mystry13@gmail.com

 

So you're asking us for help in doctoring your coins to get them slabbed?

LMAO.

 

Sir, I was just asking for help, not asking to be made fun of. I have 4 coins worth over $10,000 and they all come back from a grading compamy as lightly cleaned. Those details have cost me a lot of money, when for the life of me I can not see where any of these coins have been cleaned. I was hoping, lightly toned, different grading agency, might get rid of that stigma. Since I see so many faked tone coins and some that are perfect. I was just asking for help, I am sorry if I offended you sir. I wont be posting on tthis board again, I misunderstood, I thought it was heere to help and improve peoples knowledge.

Thank You
Sorry I offendded You

 

We are here to help, but don't ask us for help in doctoring coins (AKA fraud). That's something I doubt anybody here would be willing to help you with, and even so, you're better off finding said help in a thread you make yourself, not just posting it in something you searched up about toning silver. You take a certain risk when buying coins unslabbed, and unfortunately, you appear to have been burned. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, and I wish you the best in finding a way around them without doctoring your coins.

 

With coins that expensive, you probably sent them to PCGS or NGC, and received the "cleaned" verdict. The cleaning would be detectable under most toning by them and most others. There are people who could do what you ask, but they would not be public due to bad reputations, and trying it oneself, with no experience, usually results in much worse damage. So the possibilities are to (1)keep as is because desirable coins will suffer a decrease in value, but still remain quite saleable, (2) Crack out and sell as raw with probably even more decrease in value ( as in the holder they are known genuine), (3) Have reholdered by a lower level TPG who might not recognize or ignore the cleaning, but that will result in lesser value also. I suggest #1.

Basically, even though it may not have been your intention, altering a coin to increase its numismatic value is fraudulent and illegal under US codes, and few would wish to do that. Please stay around and learn. Obviously you obtained some coins you would like to know more about, and to learn more about how to detect cleaning, etc.

Jim

 

I should add that some series of coins have almost entirely been cleaned to some extent as it was accepted practice during earlier times. Seek some professional information on your specific coins such as past results of similar type, cleaned coins in Heritage auction site archives, or others. The decrease in value may be less than we assume due to rarity or series.

Jim

 

I sent them to PCGS , I will probly wind up sending them to some second teir grading service.

The coins are almost perfect, just showw a little, I mean very little wear on wing feathers, and second ear lobe. VAM has them at XF-40to AU-50 I have had them under a micro-scope and see no sign of scratches, rubbings, flakes, anything that would poiint to cleaning. Except the coins are to clean, thats the only thing I can think of. Maybe if I hadnt sent all of them together, I am just lost for words. The previous owner had them for 10 years and swears he never cleaned them. He sold me coins he had bought a higher grade of. My collection is nice, but his will wind up in under glass somewhere. Its just driving me nuts.

Then some @#@%$^%$# on here told me where to go when I ask about how to tone a coin properly, these are pure white, as the snow. But someone told what I needed to know. I am not trying to cheat anyone, or the public.Go on ebay, look at that trash called toning. I can do that, who can'nt. I just wanted a light brown, to make to coin look older.
Not just off the press as mine do now.

 

Your experience is probably shared by thousands on the the forum, including myself , where coins in our possession for 4 decades or more have been so labeled. As far as toning, I don't think that would change the mind of PCGS. However, you probably know that sometimes on resubmission, the same coin receives a different grade. There is no way to tone a coin naturally in a very short period of time. One could crack it out and just lay it aside in the environment for several years, and see what happens, but otherwise second tier grading slab, although it may be inaccurate, should protect the coin and perhaps serve your purpose.

Jim

 

Maybe, mabe you cant help them, I got a 2010 Silver Eagle that started toning by its self. Then I put it in one of those 2 1/4 x 3 1/2 brown coin envelopes, they say they have a high sulphur content. But that coin has taken off like gangbusters, got it in the kitchen window, turn it over once a week, Might be crazy, but thats going to be one great toned coin. And I didnt do nothing to it. just lucky I guess, when I really need some other coins to do just that.

 

Now that's a self contradicting statement if I ever read one. How is this not AT and (at the very least related to) coin doctoring when you intentionally sought to and acted upon a plan to tone a coin? And you desire to do this to yet others...

 

He's a wannabe coin doctor. Why do you think my initial reaction was so harsh? He wants to deceive others, and the TPG's, as to the status of his coins.

If you want me to shut up, post some high res (10+MP, preferably shot with a DSLR) pictures of the coins in question.

 

I'd like to see the coins mystry13 talked about in his earlier posts and if the 2010 ASE is imaged, post that one too.

 

maybe you misunderstood me. I have a full set of American Eagles. I Picked up a bunch more at a flea market, all in nice condition. I has remembered I had one that looked a little scraggly. So I got my album out and to my suprise the coin was toning. So I replaced it with one I has bought at the flea market and put the one toning in a coin envelope.
And everyone knows from my 3 coin dealers to all the guys at the 2 flea markets , these brown envelopes are high in sulphur content. Why, why, does @#$##@$# act so suprised, is he so new to coin collecting he knows nothing. When I first come on this thread he was telling about a movie, showing how to tone coins. That stuff is dangerious and can get someone hurt. the chemical, fumes, and the elec, charges. No but hes a know it all, want to run this thread, so let him. I thought we were having a pretty good conversation. See ya'll later, thanks for the help

 

It's pretty clear your statements are targeted at me, so you might as well stop referring to me as "@#$##@$#" and "@#@%$^%$#".

I know nothing? At least I didn't drop $10k on some cleaned coins. Go ahead, use that sulfur and do something you'll regret to them that'll destroy their value a little more. It's not my money you're wasting.