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 Replies: 22 / Views: 8,043 |
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Pillar of the Community
Mexico
1304 Posts |
Okay folks, I was just thinking last night about what is the difference between tarnish and tone?
Silver coins that "tone" are desireable. I don't generally hear them called "tarnished" when they change color...what am I missing?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Numerous different names for the reaction of one thing chemically bonding to another. Mostly it is Oxyger that combines with metals. Some call that Oxydation. Some say corroding, tarnishing, toning, etc. Just lots of differences in terminology. With Silver many gssses will combine to form that tarnish, staining, toning, corroding, etc.
It's all sort of vague as to what people ssy it is. It seams that if you like it, it's toning. If you hate it, it's corroding. If it's mild and you can live with it, it's staining or tarnishing. Way back when Silverware for eating was really Silver, it would always get tarnished. Didn't sound serious as much as staining.
A long time ago Wrigley used to say about the design on his gum wrappers, some call it a spear and some call it an arrow. I don't mind as long as they buy it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3486 Posts |
I'm sure I'll here about my opinion, harrison2. Here goes:
All toning is tarnish.
Toning/tarnish can be pleasing or not pleasing.
Some collectors abhor T/T.
Others seek it out.
It all comes down to "eye appeal," which is not a grade but rather
an aesthetic judgement made by the beholder of a coin.
Between just carl and me you have both a chemical reaction explanation and
an aesthetic explanation.
I hope that we did not confuse your further.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36710 Posts |
I agree, toning is nothing more than tarnish. Tarnish with rainbow coloring has very nice eye appeal and is desirable.
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Pillar of the Community
 Mexico
1304 Posts |
Okay, that is about what I thought...but wasn't 100% sure.
Here is the thing, I have a piece of silver jewlery that was exposed to a chemical recently (on my hand) and I woke up this morning and it had been completely transformed overnight with a black/purple/blue hue to it.
Is it tarnish? Is it toned?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5854 Posts |
I think it would be both. The way I see is toning is just a more positive way of saying tarnish. So with the jewelry, I guess you can call it toning if you like it and tarnish if you don't.
Edited by D0ubl3Eagle
02/26/2013 6:46 pm
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Moderator
 Australia
16812 Posts |
As others have said previously, there is no chemical difference between "toning", "tarnish" and "corrosion". On silver coins, the main culprit for causing it is sulfur, rather than oxygen.
The main difference between what is usually called "tarnish" and what is usually called "toning" is the colour, and this colour is caused by the thickness of the layer of tarnish due to "thin-film interference", in much the same way that colours appear in soap bubbles or on oil slicks. If the sulfide layer is really thin, the toning will be a yellow-red colour, which many collectors find attractive. Thicker layers produce greenish-blue colouration. The next colour after blue is black, as the layer becomes too thick to transmit light through it. Black toning is almost universally called "tarnish" and despised.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3253 Posts |
If it's a Paul Revere silver tureen, which is expected to have been kept polished, it's tarnish. If it's a coin that Paul Revere may well have held, it's toning.
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Pillar of the Community
Mexico
1304 Posts |
And it's Sap for the win. Wow, what a great explanation. Thank you!
philadelphian....also very nicely put with a bit of artistic flare.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Quote:
Here is the thing, I have a piece of silver jewlery that was exposed to a chemical recently (on my hand) and I woke up this morning and it had been completely transformed overnight with a black/purple/blue hue to it.
Is it tarnish? Is it toned?
If it is pretty, it's toned. If not it's tarnished. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Here is the thing, I have a piece of silver jewlery that was exposed to a chemical recently (on my hand) and I woke up this morning and it had been completely transformed overnight with a black/purple/blue hue to it. I'd first try to find out if it is really Silver. And if so, plated, coated or what. Next I'd worry more about my hands, than the jewlery. And we all forgot rusting and rotting. So we have Toning, Tarnishing, Corroding, Rotting, Rusting, Staining, Pitting and I'm sure there are more. All sounds like a good reason to go to plastic coins.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Mexico
1304 Posts |
Just carl, plastic coins? You sick little puppy...acutally, I have a plastic coin I have been meaning to post for some time.
Thanks for the reminder!
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Rest in Peace
United States
10625 Posts |
Quote:
All sounds like a good reason to go to plastic coins. Now we'll need to talk about the proper plastic selection with the correct additives to inhibit wear, UV damage, water absorption and so on.  |
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New Member
United States
31 Posts |
I noticed this post in trying to decide whether to purchase a Morgan dollar that exhibits (in side-by-side photos with a second, brighter coin) what appears to be a sort of bluish color. There appears to be no variation of the color on the either surface of the coin, although the reverse appears to be a somewhat lighter 'tone'. In my limited experience, I have not seen a Morgan with this appearance, and think of it as 'tarnish' rather than toning. Is this something that, e.g., PCGS would remove when restoring the coin? Thanks for any help on this. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Just carl, plastic coins? You sick little puppy...acutally, I have a plastic coin I have been meaning to post for some time. At one time there were many coins called Mills. They were basically tax tokens and many were plastic. I have a pile of them from Missouri and from about in the 1940's to now, no tarnishing, toning, corroding, etc. They look like the day I got them. Naturally today counterfeiting them would be to easy if plastic. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1757 Posts |
Carl ... I like to send one CCF person my new Coin Care (JPL) product. If you send me your address privately I wll send you out a bottle FREE for evaluation. Since you are always CRITICAL of most coin cleaning products. I WANT your critical evaluation. Nothing personal SAP but Australia is a killer on P&H from the U.S.. You were #2 on my list.
John Lorenzo
United States
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Replies: 22 / Views: 8,043 |
Posted 02/26/2013 11:50 am
