American Eagles On Gc With Interesting Toning

Shameful and disgusting that both PCGS would slab these and that GC would auction them. Causes me to loose respect for both agencies.

Apparently those WERE sizzle marks.

Well, I'm happy to see from all the comments that I wasn't alone in thinking this was a bit outrageous. As others mentioned, I do love natural toning, and I'm fully aware the distinction between "natural" and "artificial" toning can be extremely blurry at times. Those with a bit of knowledge can in a short time create toning on a coin that looks quite natural. Also, if a coin is stored in a harsh environment, for example if you lived near an oil refinery where the coin is exposed to a lot of sulfuric compounds in the air, it can accelerate the toning process dramatically.

Where I draw the line for myself is where something is blatantly artificially produced and would be virtually impossible to have occurred without some sort of manual manipulation, such as the two ASE's in my original post.

The sad thing is some folks are willing to pay enough for this stuff that it will only encourage this to happen more often.