I just ran across this. I really like the toning. Any thoughts on this http://cgi.ebay.com/Seated-Liberty-...ryZ11958QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Artificial toning to the max.........thats whats wrong. Attractive? Maybe to some, I know alot of people do it, but nothing beats a naturally toned coin, especially an artifical color coin like that. Hobo can chime in on specifics...he is sharper than I on the silver type like that, especially toning.
I agree. That looks like AT to me. It's not a bad job either. The yellows in the recesses of Liberty's gown, shield, etc. look almost natural. What I especially don't like about this toning is: The iridescent green is unnatural. The toning climbs from the fields to the tops of the lettering and devices. (See the magenta (red) toning that climbs from the field to the stone and Liberty's gown.) The transition from magenta to blue is abrupt. It should be gradual. I think what the coin doctor was trying to do here was imitate toning from a Waite Raymond holder. Those holders contained sulfer and caused ring toning. (Ring toning starts around the rim and works its way to the center.) I am not saying that it is 100% certain this is AT but I am reasonably confident that this is not natural toning.
It looks like a frying pan we used when I was a kid. I remember my dad had put it on the stove, apparently got sidetracked (my little brother was stuck/frightened up in a tree after climbing too high) and forgot about it with the fire going. That thing has all sorts of crazy colors after that for many years. We eventually did get Norman down after spraying him with the garden hose a few times... Take Care Ben
I rarely post, but if I can add my 2 cents worth,.... as much as I'd like to say it's natural toning because it is so attractive, I cannot. If it were book toning I don't believe the green and blue outer rings would be so pronounced. At the very least each color should blend almost seamlessly into each other. Well defined color progression is a pretty good indicator that it is artificially toned. Mother nature takes her time and makes the color progressions more subtle.
There is no simple answer to that question. Sometimes, a person with experience, even an expert, can tell AT from NT and sometimes they can't.
Look - Listen - Learn The 3 L's of the big L - Life! Read the postings in here, look at coins on Ebay, here, & elsewhere's. Ask questions (just like you did) and try to get an idea of what is real and what's not and the general rule is, if it doesn't look real/right, it probably isn't but there are always exceptions and it's those exceptions that throw everything off (aka: The Chaos Theory). I too am learning new things in here, even though I'm not a young toad, and I look forward to all that I will learn but I know I won't learn it all. Coin on! Ribbit :smile
