How to tone a Morgan nicely

Sulfur dioxide has been used in "bleaching" many organic products. More so in the past than now. Sulfur compounds also tended to limit mold and insect damage. Black ink to print on cloth in the last century used sulfides in its composition. Not sure if this made the condition or not.
You may find this article interesting.

http://rg.ancients.info/guide/toning.html




This is not easy to do as toning whether "artificial" or "natural" is basically the same. The difference is time and motive. True, if the toning doesn't "look" right to the grader, it will be marked as questionable. For instance a Peace dollar toned like a Morgan. But is purposely putting a no-problem Morgan into a brown paper envelope for 30 years "artificial" or "natural"? What about 5 years? What about a year or 2 year on a window sill or in an unfinished oak box?

Maybe dipping in acid to remove toning should be consider as "artificial untoning" and be ethically as bad as AT, if used to make a coin sell better.

Fair should be fair. You don't have to dip a coin to conserve it and stop the toning process.

Jim

Yes. Nothing wrong with feeling that way - I share your opinion. Toners are nice, they're pretty, and I'm not going out of my way to collect them.

Each side of this issue is as valid as the other. That's why they call numismatics "subjective."

Thanks for the even tempered responses. I didn't want to start the proverbial "he said, no I didn't say that" scorched earth answers. Of course anyone is free to collect as they see fit.

My wifes friend expressed an interest in collecting. I loaned her my Red Book, a few ASEs and my Junk Box #1. The box had a few dateless Buffalos, common date Mercs, a few battered war nickles etc. Above all I told her to decide what she likes and go from there. " Don't let anyone tell you what to collect" I stressed.

As I have said, the appeal of toners escapes me. I simply don't see the attraction of multi hued or rainbows. I do understand people want them and that there is a market for them. To each is own. My wife is working on a 1938 - 1961 Jefferson 5¢ Whitman Folder. Everything is from change or rolls. If it has a legible date it's in her album. I'm sure a lot of collecters would consider this a waste of time. Kate, my wife finds it a challenge to plug the holes in her folder. She has 30 of 65 Jeffs and is happy when she finds a better example or a new addition. I cite this to stress that I clearly understand " whatever floats your boat."

Check that, she just came home with a '39 Jeff.

I'll also add Kate is happy to hit the local coin shop and surprise me with a few things. This past Christmas she gave me two slabbed Peace dollars, a couple of silver Ikes. She has in the past given me some older FRNs & SCs. Eat your hearts out, I'm keeping her.

So can anyone clearly state how a major grading outfit decides if a coin is AT or natural? Would someone simply accept their decision? Do they even grade and slab toners? Since it's fairly easy to AT a coin how the devil does anyone decide if it's natural?

For collecters of toners could you post your best examples or maybe the toner that got you started? Can a coin be over toned? And here's question, are the reeded edges toned? How about silver versus clad?

Yeah, I'm full of inquiries. Maybe the scales will fall from my eyes concerning toners.

Denis

"...this term is essentially undefinable," may be as close to an answer as there is.

"Toners are more of a good-natured banter." Perhaps here on CC. High end examples appear regularly over on CT. The discussions there are not exactly heated but there is a considerable debate concerning AT vs natural. It goes as far as say, a toned key date Morgie ruined by the effect.

Would you say a toner has duende? Substitute person in the definition with coin.

duende (dwen?de)
noun
a special quality or charm that makes a person irresistibly attractive

IMHO, I love the appeal and enhancement a Morgan Silver Dollar takes on when a plethora of the colors in the spectrum seem to reach out to the eyes and pull you in, with the fascination and excitement of the likes of finding treasure!!

So I found a site on that great internet universe that carries the old mint bags: http://www.coinland.com/show_catego...arent_id=385. (How they got them they're not saying.) I just hope it's one of the original sulfur-type canvas bags. I figure to take some coins I'm keeping in boring, inert flips and see if the fabric will give them some nice rainbow pinstripes. While I was visiting that site I couldn't resist ordering a gold-plated nickel and a two-headed coin- I think I have too much time on my hands.

So I placed my order with Coinland only to find out too late that it's a recently made canvas bag- probably not cured with the toning agents I want. (I expressed to them that their site clearly leads one to think that they're very old.) Anyway, it's mine now, not much else I can do with it. It doesn't even come with a tie.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you with the result of the theory,it was a dismal failure and not worth describing the process,I only use a low value coin for the experiment so my coin stocks didn't suffer needless to say I won't be doing that again