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 Replies: 25 / Views: 30,292 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
535 Posts |
I was talking with my daughter about the fact that a coin doesn't 'tarnish'. A coin 'tones'. (Just like ladies don't sweat, they glisten). We were talking about how some people artifically tone coins to make them sell for more and she asked if we could try it. I thought I read that if you take the yolk from a hard boiled egg and put it in a jar with a silver coin it will tone. So we got a hard boiled yolk and put it in a jar with a 40% half, a Presidential dollar, a clad quarter, a cent, and a nickle. After a day, the only thing that has happened is that the egg yolk that is touching the Presidential dollar is turning green. Is this correct that it will cause the silver coin to tone? How long does it take? Should I use a 90% half? |
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Valued Member
United States
140 Posts |
LOL...I don't know if I would want to open the jar after a few days...You wouldn't be able to see any toning with a pinched nose and squinted eyes.
I read in another thread a while back where a guy kept coins in old cedar cigar boxes and that gave the coins a nice tone.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Egg proteins contain a particular sulfer bearing amino acid- cysteine. The sulfer in egg protein is what will react with the silver. I believe that the sulfer would be more reactive with the raw form of egg, but then you have associated health hazards to deal with, i.e. salmonella  Other easy ways to AT a coin is to bake it in a potato or fry in a pan with a small bit of oil. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
560 Posts |
Eggs? Frying pan and oil? Omelet anyone? Here's the link on the cigar box halves: https://goccf.com/t/22343I think you can do this with any cedar box. If you try it and it works, please post on it! Edited by patrick
01/15/2008 11:36 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1130 Posts |
I left a shiny Morgan dollar by the bathroom window. The humidity and sunlight gave it a very natural golden tone in about 2 months. |
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Valued Member
United States
161 Posts |
White tissue paper will tone silver coins to rainbow colors.
By tissue paper, I mean white gift tissue paper.
Heat speeds up the process.
Heat will tone copper coins red. An oven at 200 degrees will do it in an hour or two.
I've heard that soap film will tone copper coins.
Steve
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
A few years in a grandfathers chest works !  |
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Valued Member
United States
231 Posts |
I am not sure how to artificially tone a coin, but I had always heard that they sell for more so I raised the price on a few of them. A guy came in today and bought a Peace dollar at well over book with a nice rainbow tone and then asked me how to get it off of there. I said "I figured the tone was the reason you were buying it?" He said that I was wrong and he wanted it off of there and I told him how to do it. For some reason it felt really wrong not to snatch the coin back and give him a different one. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
Philney,
I responded to your AT question on a different thread, but after seeing this post I just have to ask. Do you operate a brick and mortar coin shop?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
There are numersous methods of toning a coin. Placing a coin in some dish soaps, then heating will cause toning. However, different brands react differently. Match heads with a coin in a small plastic bag will take some time but also works. Actually anything containing sulfur will work pening the amount of Sulfur, temperature, humidity. Placing a coin on the grate of a gas stove and turning on the flame will cause a different type of toning. Just putting a coin in a dirt filled pot for plants after a time also tones but then also, dirt is different so the amount of time and the amount of toning will vary. Place a little battery acid in a glass container that you can cook in, hold a coin over that while heating.
Many items in the average kitchen used in many ways will either clean a coin or tone one. For example Vinegar, Lemon Juice, some peppers, etc.
Experiment, it's fun. Just don't do it with a valuable coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
549 Posts |
This is interesting. After I read this thread this morning, I selected 8 pennies (all in AU condition, with half pre-1982 and half post-1982) and put them in the toaster oven on a piece of foil, heads side up. I set the heat to 300 and kept them in for about an hour. The coins all turned a yellowish gold and it was very clear that the toning was NOT the same as the toning I find in coins in circulation (I have about 250 toned pennies that I've pulled from circulation). What was interesting was what I saw when I flipped the coins. Half of the coins toned into a beautiful pink where they were touching the aluminum foil.
I took all the coins and put them back in the toaster oven a few minutes ago on 450 degree heat and foil on both sides. I'm curious to see what happens...
Edited by mahgobbi
01/16/2008 10:36 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
549 Posts |
Unless a lot the 250 or so coins that I already pulled from circulation are artificial, it's hard for me to tell a difference between the real ones and the fake ones after about 2 hours of baking.
The ones I just took out of the oven turned out looking pretty nice. The nicest was a 1978, which turned blue around the rim and hot pink on the face. Most of the other ones had pretty evenly distributed color and the tones were a bit more subtle.
After doing this experiment, I have a lot of respect for the people who can buy a valuable toned coin online and know that, in fact, it is natural toning and not artificial.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1130 Posts |
But really... what is AT ? I accidentally leave my coin in a leather briefcase in my car during the summertime. I go away on a weeklong trip and the temp gets to the 100+ and the coin comes out with a golden tan. Is that AT ?
I live near the ocean and left some coin outdoors, in a shed for a week, is that AT ? How about accidentally putting a box in a damp, poorly ventilated attic ? Your kids play pirate treasure hunt and bury your coin collection in the backyard for weeks and they all come out toned, is that AT?
There are too many gray areas.
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Valued Member
United States
374 Posts |
I have some nicely toned eagles here is a pic. This was caused by storage in blue paper towels from a gas station.when I bought them they were still wrapped in it.  Edited by IHPO8S
01/16/2008 7:55 pm
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Valued Member
United States
374 Posts |
Also have a original 1958 mint set, green paper and cardboard. These coins are all toned from the paper.  Edited by IHPO8S
01/16/2008 7:28 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
IHPO8S
You are allowedto post pictures from your first post .
click the reply to topic above the dislog box and you will see the full tool bar .
there is a tutorial for posting pictures in the left hand side bar under the tutorials heading .
If you have any problems let us know
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Replies: 25 / Views: 30,292 |
Posted 01/15/2008 10:42 pm
