Finally Got A Nice 4th Type Seated Liberty Dime For My Type Set

No way the 1877 was in that paper envelope for 75 years and it is as light as it shows on the first image. It would be much, much darker and probably have more color. Don't get me wrong the 1877 is an awesome coin...I'm just questioning the grandson's story.

Plus please don't dip the Mercs. The Coin World needs more originally toned Mercs and less bright white ones.

The first image is taken with the light angled to accentuate the mirrored field. Its not that bright straight on. I've no problem with either of these coins being in those envelopes for that long.

There's no shortage of toned Mercury dimes. I only dip those that are worthy, and for my own collection. I don't care for toning. Its the first step on the road to destruction and is far more detrimental to the coin's longevity than one that's had unattractive toning properly removed.

Here;s a pic I just took of the 1877 without lighting up the mirrors.

Chance

I know that my position on this subject flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but I've actually learned a lot from my conservation efforts. Toning will reoccur ... in exactly the same manner if its allowed to return (usually by poor storage...chemical laden holders, albums etc) In order to arrest it, you have to get it out of harms way. That's why I settled on the staple type holders with the mylar liner. It forms a barrier between the coin and the cardboard used to make the holder.

Once toning is allowed to go completely black, the surfaces of the coin are damaged forever. They become etched as badly as if they'd suffered PVC damage from long time storage in the old soft flips.

If the original luster has been abraded or otherwise compromised by polishing or simple circulation, its no longer a candidate for conservation. There's no path back from "wear". Once the skin's gone, its gone. You just end up with a coin that looks much worse than it would left in its natural state. You have to make sure that the chemicals are neutralized when you're done, or it ends up toning unnaturally, and quickly. Failure to allow the coins to dry thoroughly prior to placing them in holders is also detrimental.

I'm not trying to change anybody's mind on the subject, but mean only to explain that I have a pretty thorough understanding of it, and its not something that I recommend that somebody with no experience dive into with any coin that is of value. There are tons of Roosevelt dimes in Whitman folders to practice on. There's no particular interest in those. They're worth melt, and likely always will be...during our lifetimes or those of or kids anyway.

I will add one more thing ... Unless you want a worthless coin, don't mess with copper coins.... period. That includes nickels since they're 75 percent copper. I have zero successes to share in that end of the field.

Chance