Lincoln Cent And Toning

From the pictures in those actions I couldn't tell you what the color or appearance of the coins are. All I'm seeing is bad photography.

Morgans dad ? It ain't there when minted. It doesn't occur with honest circulation wear either. It is most often intended through artifical means or inintentionally through storage in bags or sulfur albums or paper with sulfur content like an envelope. What am I missing here?

I was rather curious what you meant as well, but that makes sense.

twjcpj asks what causes toning;
Toning is a term to describe the tarnish or light patina that forms on the surface of the metal due to exposure to environmental agents or toxins.
If you have toned coins, don't try to clean them!

Copper is HIGHLY reactive. Unless a coin is completely protected from air and contaminants, it will change color. The biggest culprit is sulfur because it's also a highly reactive element. It will rapidly form a micro layer on a copper surface. Most paper (especially older paper) contains sulfur and sulfur oxides. The old coin albums often had a fairly high sulfur content, that what causes the "target" type of toning. Sulfur migrates from the rim edge in very slowly over many years. This is what okie alluded to.

With coins collectors always have to be aware of artificial toning (AT). There are methods people use to quickly create a toned coin, however, these are usually easy to spot with some experience. Also, some of the coin cleaning products on the market, ie MS-70, can cause undesirable toning. Chrisb said his experiment with MS70 on a Lincoln turned the coin blue....an unattactive blue. I actually consider the term "artificial toning" to be too vague. I believe there's "intentional AT" and "unintentional AT".

Is a toned Lincoln good or bad? It depends on your preference. Some collectors like it and some don't. Personally, I like it when it's attactive and I'll buy a toned coin if it appeals to me and it's natural. And let me tell you, Lincolns can take on some wild toning! I have quite a few examples.

There is no magic chemical! The only way to 100% protect your coins is to remove all environmental exposure, namely AIR. Albums may be fine and dandy, and some old timers may tell you so. However, I've never felt they protect well enough. This is precisely why I use airtites for all my valuable coins. You're main enemies are air and moisture, once you remove those from the equation, your coins will last virtually forever.

Sort of- some technologies(Intercept Shield products) use sacrificial reactants to protect the coin, basically something that will react with and neutralize the harmful environment before it can affect the coin. This electrochemical phenomenon is also utilized in the maritime industry in the form of sacrificial anodes.