Question about uniform golden toning
Barberian
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I have an 1830 small O bust half dollar certified and graded by NGC as AU58. The coin fits the grade well with nice, cartwheeling luster over the fields and devices except for the high points and some more subdued luster above the eagle. It also has very uniform golden toning over the entire coin except for the high spots. The toning is such that a non-collector might even mistake it for a gold coin.
I suspect it's been dipped and allowed to retone but I cannot tell from the luster that it's been dipped. Is there any explanation for how this uniform gold toning could come about? Sorry, I have no pictures of this coin to show.
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Hard to say, but sometimes if a coin is dipped and not rinsed thoroughly the coin develops gold toning from the dip residue.
Mr_Spud
As noted without a picture it could be AT or NT or residue. However, going with a NT a coin will typically tone the most where it is closest to the toning source. So in a bag the edge closest or touching the bag will have the more developed toning so to say (this sometimes referred to a cycles of toning). In an album it is the outer rim and then moving inward. A golden tone all over would indicate to me something like an envelope, tissue or sitting out in an environment to where the coin is being exposed to the toning source fairly uniformly.
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I get the sense that we are seeing more and more of golden toned coins because those coins were dipped in haste many years ago, possibly not properly rinsed. And now with a much larger segment of dealer and collectors avoiding the dip jar these coins, which likely would have been dipped again in prior years, are now left alone and the dip residue is now becoming visible.
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Hi @Barberian. I also have an 1830 Small 0 Bust Half in AU58 PCGS. It is very evenly golden toned and very lustrous. Here is a pic, which may not capture the even golden tone, but it’s all I got.
@ThreeCentSilverFL That's a very nice-looking coin! While it shows a bit more wear than my half does, it looks more original with more variation in toning than my 1830 O-101 does.
My coin has more uniform coloration like these halves do except with a little more orange gold color.
It sounds like there’s a strong chance that your coin was dipped and has since retoned. Many coins still exhibit plenty of luster, even after a dip.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I'm pretty sure it was dipped. It's the stong uniformity of toning that strikes me as odd. I googled the date and there are a handful of CBHs with this uniform toning among the photos that came up. I've had the coin for at least 10 years and the toning hasn't changed at all. It was an impulse buy that's nice for the price but doesn't fit with the rest of my coins, which are usually mid-grade coins with substantial toning.
I’ve seen more than a few coins with the type of appearance I think you’re talking about.
If it doesn’t fit, ditch it.😉 I bet you won’t miss it.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
We would need pictures to give a more conclusive determination - however, it does seem to fit the previously dipped criteria. Of course, it may also have been stored in an undisturbed envelope or other container for a long period. Cheers, RickO
For my part, I like all the coins shown above. The narratives which may or may not be attached to them are secondary at best.
Actually, I did in the sense in that I posted very similar examples to my coin. I agree with your thinking here. What I'm wondering about is the uniformity of toning over the entire coin and how that might happen. Do envelopes produce such uniform toning?
@Barberian ... In some cases, yes, envelopes could do that....again, so much depends on the type of envelope, environmental conditions, and condition of coin surface (i.e. contaminants, previous dip etc.). Cheers, RickO
If a coin is evenly exposed to toning agents it develops uniform toning and a light gold color is often the first color produced. As the thin film interference layer thickens it goes through color changes. Like on these coins I AT’d back in 2005 for an educational AT versus NT display.
Here’s pictures of a coin going through the AT process I used. It’s the same coin with a picture taken every few seconds as the layer got thicker.
Not saying yours is AT, just that it’s easy for a coin to tone uniform gold
Mr_Spud
@Mr_Spud: Excellent post!
Light gold and dark gold are the first colors in toning progression. As silver molecules oxidize, the oxide layer starts out thin and gradually thickens. This causes interference (diffraction) of light rays that we perceive as "pretty colors." Many, many Peace dollars have this very natural look.
Many of those have been dipped. As the coin reacts to the atmosphere it will get darker as time goes on. Move them quickly……
The color hasn't changed at all in perhaps 15 years now.