How in the heck did this happen?

Matthewdm11

This toning seems so ridiculous. But it is not graded AT or details. I have never seen a coin toned like this before.

FlyingAl

Common toning from the mint packaging for proof sets from 1955-64.

Matthewdm11

@FlyingAl said:
Common toning from the mint packaging for proof sets from 1955-64.

Today I learned something.

bsshog40

I've seen a lot of nice proof jeffs with blue and golden toning. Looks nice to me!

JBK

Very nice.

TomB

I wouldn't exactly call it common, but I believe it can be found. Regardless, there was a forum member here years ago who would make these on demand and sell them for a few bucks each. He did quite well and made lots of them until PCGS stopped certifying his work.

lilolme

@TomB said:
I wouldn't exactly call it common, but I believe it can be found. Regardless, there was a forum member here years ago who would make these on demand and sell them for a few bucks each. He did quite well and made lots of them until PCGS stopped certifying his work.

You beat me to it. But I was going to say I remember a dealer from Long Beach shows (but I recall he was from out of state) that had these in colors of blue or red or yellow... The story I got was they were from a group stored in.... you got it, the attic. Even had a couple still in the original wrapper or whatever it is called. Later I heard that they quit grading them.

Zoins

@lilolme said:

@TomB said:
I wouldn't exactly call it common, but I believe it can be found. Regardless, there was a forum member here years ago who would make these on demand and sell them for a few bucks each. He did quite well and made lots of them until PCGS stopped certifying his work.

You beat me to it. But I was going to say I remember a dealer from Long Beach shows (but I recall he was from out of state) that had these in colors of blue or red or yellow... The story I got was they were from a group stored in.... you got it, the attic. Even had a couple still in the original wrapper or whatever it is called. Later I heard that they quit grading them.

I saw a bunch of these in the past on Teletrade and other places.

They were very blue. The ones I see now tend to have some other colors than blue even if they are mostly blue.

Here's the TrueView for the coin in the OP.

lordmarcovan

Nice mint set toning.

lilolme

@Zoins said:

@lilolme said:

@TomB said:
I wouldn't exactly call it common, but I believe it can be found. Regardless, there was a forum member here years ago who would make these on demand and sell them for a few bucks each. He did quite well and made lots of them until PCGS stopped certifying his work.

You beat me to it. But I was going to say I remember a dealer from Long Beach shows (but I recall he was from out of state) that had these in colors of blue or red or yellow... The story I got was they were from a group stored in.... you got it, the attic. Even had a couple still in the original wrapper or whatever it is called. Later I heard that they quit grading them.

I saw a bunch of these in the past on Teletrade and other places.

They were very blue. The ones I see now tend to have some other colors than blue even if they are mostly blue.

That sound like them, very blue. But also had other colors that were the same 'very' of that particular color. Certainly stood out in the display case at the show. I don't collect these at all but still remember seeing them.

ricko

I do recall the AT stories from years ago. I know some collectors like these, I would not buy one. Detail wise, a nice proof coin. Cheers, RickO

Maywood

Based on the history of these toned Nickels, dating back to around 2003-4 at the Baltimore ANA where I believe they first appeared, the coin pictured in the OP is different and seems to be one of the legitimate examples which can be found in the plio-film Proof Sets. The AT'd coins were all monochromatic and very vibrant, having surfaces that seemed like liquid as if the color had been painted on. They tended to be blue but some were also red/pink and even yellow.

The "real deal" coins which can still be found are most frequently from 1962 but are occasionally found in 1960, 1961, 1963 and 1964. There are outliers from earlier years but they are almost non-existent with the same quality of color. What was deduced and garnered from research many years ago, shortly after they first "flooded" the market, was that the Mint had been changing the planchet rinse formulation starting around 1960: when stored in a manner which allowed contact with the plio-film for extended periods of time the chemical interaction of the two resulted in the tone. Heat obviously helps, so maybe the only part of the AT story that's true is the attic.

Details are important to a good story, and in this case it wasn't just an attic, it was a garage attic!! If anyone is interested in who the perpetrator(s) were I will answer via PM.

lilolme

@Maywood
Thanks, interesting.
I did a quick search and these are the only non-blue ones I found that resemble what I remember. As I noted above when walking by and seeing a case with many in it, they got your attention.

Kurisu

Proofs too

jesbroken

Here's a pair I had.
Jim

lilolme

More in line with the OP, here is a previous thread post and compares two MA color and two QC.

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/13126145/#Comment_13126145

DollarAfterDollar

I've got that blue, blue/red and charcoal. The charcoal are very pretty.

FlyingAl

Here's an example that I pulled from a sealed proof set and sent in. It was interesting to note that the half was heavily spotted. The coin is a bit more blue in hand, particularly on the obverse.

TwoSides2aCoin

I was wondering the same about this.

Not the coin; the quote.

cmerlo1

My experience and observations:

As a variety cherrypicker, I've looked at thousands of 1960 to 1964 proof sets over the years, as they're rich in varieties on all denominations. During my searching, I have found plenty of beautifully-toned Jefferson nickels, usually with pastel pink and blue toning and sometimes with green as well. The steel-blue in the OP and other posts here can happen. The one thing I've noticed with every set I've seen with a nicely-toned nickel is that the film has separated between some of the coins and there is a hole to the outside somewhere in the film as well. That, combined with the aging packing cardboard pieces and brown envelope the set has spent the last 60-ish years in has led to the colors. Typically the silver coins have an unattractive reddish-brown toning on them, and the cent shows some browning as well. The nickels, despite the nice toning are usally spotted, and finding one without spots has proven to be difficult.

Here's a recent cherrypick, now in an ANACS PF 67 holder. It really lights up when you tilt it in the light:

ChrisH821

NT or AT, I am not a fan.
I have seen these from time to time.

Ike1964

I like the ones with solid fairly uniform color on both sides. I would be interested in buying a few that have been graded in PGCS holders. PM me if you have any for sale please.

Maywood

@cmerlo1, I have noticed that quite often with the sets but not necessarily resulting in the toned Nickels we're discussing. Sometimes there are just Nickels in solid blue or pink/blue tone and the rest of the coins look normal.