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 Replies: 45 / Views: 1,531 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20012 Posts |
I need him to run a test on copper for me!  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3391 Posts |
BadThad, if you have something you want me to try just let me know.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20012 Posts |
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Toss in MS red copper and Zincoln and report back. They might tone much quicker sitting in there naked. They also might also work well as sacrificial materials to soak up the outgassing.  Edited by BadThad
06/20/2026 01:17 am
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
6746 Posts |
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I like toned coins because it is a reminder that natural physical processes will always win in the end. I like toned coins, and I cannot lie, those other guys can't deny. =) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3391 Posts |
Quote:
Toss in MS red copper and Zincoln and report back. They might tone much quicker sitting in there naked. They also might also work well as sacrificial materials to soak up the outgassing. I'll give it a try and report back over time. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3705 Posts |
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I think you should start a toning and storage service. Rent an SRS77 vault box for 2 years at one low price! I'll be your first customer, don't air out that box so quick. I mentioned this on the other thread, but quite a few of the old old timers (that's this old-timer's era of very old-timers) kept wooden cigar boxes with humidors for exactly that purpose. When they acquired coins that had been cleaned, they placed them on edge in the corners of those cigar boxes for a couple years. The re-toning looked remarkably like 19th Century coin cabinet toning. They were careful to prevent the obverse and reverse from having direct contact with the wood. Only the edge and very tips of the rims had that contact, and they rotated the coins periodically. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20012 Posts |
I miss cigar boxes, we used to build things out of them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3391 Posts |
You can still find them in antique stores!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6746 Posts |
So what does a cleaned coin look like after it has been retoned in a cigar box? And what manner of humidor is used, if any?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3391 Posts |
I honestly have never tried that although I do antique quite often and am a photographer by trade. Cigar boxes can make interesting backgrounds depending on what you're shooting. Hence the reason I know they can be found in antique stores. Hopefully BadThad can provide some insight into this.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3705 Posts |
So what does a cleaned coin look like after it has been retoned in a cigar box? And what manner of humidor is used, if any? They looked light golden with some tinges of blue near where the rims touched the box, not too far from the milder toning on some 19th Century proofs. I don't know if there was anything specific about the humidor. In the Mountain West, it's just so bone dry that I think they wanted some moisture to help the process. There are probably other ways to add moisture into the room (houseplants?). EDIT: Don't miss the underlying point here. Many of those old-old-time dealers were doing the coin equivalent of an odometer rollback on a car. They were doctoring the coins to conceal the cleaning. Some of those dealers were less grandfatherly and more scamps. There's a reason why the phrase "market acceptable" exists.  Edited by fortcollins
06/20/2026 2:10 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6746 Posts |
Hey, if it's market acceptable, it's because people have their preferences. On any expensive coin ($100+), I think my immediate question is "would this coin straight grade at PCGS?".
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Moderator
 United States
192945 Posts |
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I like toned coins, and I cannot lie, those other guys can't deny. =)  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20012 Posts |
Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20012 Posts |
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You can still find them in antique stores! Yeah and they are now $10 or more- no go for me. The wood has probably already mostly outgassed in the old ones anyway. I used to have piles of free ones in the 1970's. Cigars were very popular back then. I know they were awesome to play with as a kid! More fun than Legos and more dangerous with all those little nails. FUN TIMES! Edited by BadThad
Yesterday 11:16 pm
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Replies: 45 / Views: 1,531 |
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Posted 06/19/2026 4:12 pm
