Toned Coins Or Not Toned.

Depends on the coin.

Ben

Toning is nothing more or less than oxidation. If coins were made of steel, we would simply call them rusty. The heavier the toning on a coin becomes, the more likely the color will start to flake off. Then you have an ugly coin. Some day graders will start calling heavily toned coins what they really are - damaged. Often I see coins coming back from the graders marked as recolored or artificially toned. This makes me angry because most of the toned coins today are artificially toned. I do not buy toned silver, but my problem is with copper. My question is how can one artificially tone a copper coin unless it is first cleaned. But the grader (ANACS for me) does not say cleaned- just artificially toned, and then degrades it 5 to 10 points.

I always thought coins on the end of a roll were toned at the mint using heat. Is there any truth to this? If so, what was the purpose?

I always like the blast white coins (morgans) I never really liked toned coins unless it was just so beautiful you just couldn't take your eyes off of it which is few and far between in my opinion

quote:

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Originally posted by scoutjim99

i was jsut wondering what people here prefer toned coins or coins that are not toned . I like both

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Greetings from a prodigal!

I've seen some terrible toning that's considered natural. I have a 1940 Walking Lib. Half that's graded MS-65 by PCGS, with toning on both sides. The reverse is alright, but the obverse looks like some tiny person vomited all over it. Yuk. (See attacment)

That said, I love both toned and untoned coins. One thing I've found is that it grows on me. Certain types of toning that I once would have (and did) consider unattractive, have begun to appeal to me. I think it comes with being exposed to more and more coins.

I don't think naturally toned coins are "damaged." Metals tone when exposed to the elements, which on this planet are quite numerous. Sometimes nature creates amazing displays, and I think such coins, being unique, should command a premium. I was just now surfing the NGC Set Registry and saw some breathtaking toned coins. Check out the 1926 Oregon Trail commem from the "J & L" U.S. commemoratives set. If you can find this without a link (I think you have to log in or something), tell me: what's not to like?

Here are two examples. The Walker is the yukky toned MS-65 described above. The Peace dollar, graded by PCGS MS-63 (altough I'm thinking of submitting it for regrading or crossover to NGC), is one of my top 5 favorite coins that I own. (The toning on the reverse is splendid in hand and shows an exact golden halo surrounding the mint mark that's not really visible in the photo.)

I also do "mostly" like undipped unc blast white but I have a morgan that I think was rubbed some time ago and toned many years later is actually suberb in eye apeal but only a very few of them do I feel that way. I have seen an unc carson city Morgan (dont remember the date) that was unc and it had a calideascope of colors all very vibrantand the colors when they would blend into the next would make a new shade of another color. I wish I had it . It sold for $7,000 + dollars way above even any Pcgs population reports and it was not slabbed for the grade but it actually caught the eye of a man who really hates toned coins. I was there when he he bought it.

I don't even like coins or tokens that are Uncirculated. I'd rather have them circulated and toned--they did what they were suppose to do. Better yet toned, circulated, and with a die crack or a Cud on it

Why not both on the same coin...LOL



Here is a Carson city in the original govt case. The front is white, and the back is a beautiful rainbow of color. (The pic does not show the color variation very well.) This is one of the coins that got in the case that just had "Silver Dollar" instead of "Uncirculated Silver Dollar" because of the toning on the reverse.

MM