Advice for budding genuine Morgan Toning detectors....
FC57Coins
Posts: 9,140 ✭
Talking to GSAGUY earlier he suggested that I post my question to him and see what the expert say about how to look over a Morgan (or any other toned coin) to see if it's real or AT. Your expertise will be GREATLY appreciated.
Generally I look at a coin, and first you ask yourself - do the colors look right for this type - and with Morgans that could be almost the entire range of the spectrum, but you know that there are some base colors that you should be looking for - blues, golds, reds, orange - generally more subdued than slap you in the face and look at me - though there are some of those too. Then you look at both sides, do the colors flow from one side to the other naturally, you look at the edge of the coin to see if the coin has toned there as well. Then you look at the overall appearance and see if there's anything distracting, perhaps a break in the color flow. sudden breaks, weird flows of color, or some such thing that might get your attention. Then you look for that typical irredescence that comes from "within" the coin, that is the colors seem to eminate from inside the coin (best way to explain it) as opposed to from the outside in. Then finally you look to see if the luster breaks through the toning - that is you can see almost a transluscence through the toning. Am I in the ball park?
I'd love to hear how you guys do it. And if you can post pictures all the better!
Thanks!
Frank
Generally I look at a coin, and first you ask yourself - do the colors look right for this type - and with Morgans that could be almost the entire range of the spectrum, but you know that there are some base colors that you should be looking for - blues, golds, reds, orange - generally more subdued than slap you in the face and look at me - though there are some of those too. Then you look at both sides, do the colors flow from one side to the other naturally, you look at the edge of the coin to see if the coin has toned there as well. Then you look at the overall appearance and see if there's anything distracting, perhaps a break in the color flow. sudden breaks, weird flows of color, or some such thing that might get your attention. Then you look for that typical irredescence that comes from "within" the coin, that is the colors seem to eminate from inside the coin (best way to explain it) as opposed to from the outside in. Then finally you look to see if the luster breaks through the toning - that is you can see almost a transluscence through the toning. Am I in the ball park?
I'd love to hear how you guys do it. And if you can post pictures all the better!
Thanks!
Frank
0
Comments
Regarding Dogs AT's......
karlgoetzmedals.com
secessionistmedals.com
Stman
BC
The moderns I did myself by lightly passing a propane torch over them. Notice the spots on the rim that are untoned from the clips that held them. The dime is a silver dime that is why the color is a little different from the quarter & nickel. A little less heat and they would be solid gold and a little more they would be solid blue instead of "monster rainbow" hahahha. They look a lot like the vividly toned coins you see on eBay in PCGS & NGC slabs. Must be trick lighting.
The Morgan colors are the right color but they don't merge properly. Up close you can tell it was imersed in liquid because you can see a line under the chin and behind the head where the liquid puddled.
Crude & coarse this AT shouldn't fool anybody.
I have some prettier ones that are questionable and I can't say for sure one way or the other. I've bought some that the sellers said were AT but looked ok to me, some that are in slabs but look AT to me, some that would slab at SEGS, PCI or ICG but probably not at PCGS but maybe at NGC so who knows where to really draw the line at AT vs Original.
Just like certian AU58s of yesterday are now MS63s of today and certian cleaned coins that wouldn't slab years ago are now slabbed because they are market acceptable today........
The AT of today could very well be the Original of tomorrow.