In Eastern PA, "shyster" is a term of endearment. It only goes down from there. Lawyers IN THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY get "shyster".
I do think there are a couple of folks who MIGHT pass courtroom muster. Q. David Bowers except for his advanced age whereby a lawyer might try to confuse him, and Don Kagin, right now the only known Ph.D. holder in Numismatics. But Scott Travers? Nah, you couldn't get him to stop kissing up his own arm long enough to even GIVE testimony.
If you even consider what toners think they know as "wisdom", which I do not. I consider it "pretty good educated guessing" at its very zenith.
Yes, I've gotten 95% of the way there. Not on rainbow per se, but on that splotchy brown randomly shaped crud that brings ridiculous prices in Heritage and S/B catalogs. Did it in person at an ANA show.
Sorry, it wasn't directed at you. I was just trying to add my two cents to the discussion and agree it was meant to follow Kurt's comments.
That's 2 questions. @V. Kurt Bellman. Waiting for answer to first question. I just want to know one thing. Just one. Thing about tonning that i'm sure about.
Are you claiming that mottled brown/russet toning is now generating premiums? Can you give us a link at least?
Okay, just for you. THIS is why I think terms are important. I have ALWAYS considered Morgan dollars a subject apart. If I INCLUDE Morgans, the answer to the first question is ONE number. If I EXCLUDE Morgans, it's a way lower number. Then we have to agree what it takes to be considered a "rainbow toned coin". If it includes these ridiculous recent ASE's, that's one thing. If it includes ONLY the Morganish TYPE of rainbow toning, we get another answer. Since NEITHER the numerator NOR the denominator is adequately defined, only a fool would guess.
Oh for crying out loud! Only about every major sale catalog on my SHELF! Mostly it gets baked into a ridiculous grade. And yes, I AM saying that color per se sometimes RADICALLY boosts grades.
Cheech, free yourself from the entire debacle. Make your self a nice cup of herbal tea, get into a lotus position (Yeah, like THAT ship ain't sailed for me!). Then repeat over and over to yourself, "All toning is damage. All toning is damage." [repeat] Judy Garland ruby slippers are optional, on account of the lotus position and all. Presto! The whole darned issue just POOF, goes away.
But there is one thing for certain. However we define those terms, the percentage is falling. The percentage of legit rainbow coins is falling. The raw NUMBER of faked coins is rising. That is ENOUGH for HUGE concern. The whole thing blows up if and when (more when) the coin docs push TOO hard and supply literally explodes. Then it's over. It is the human condition.