Toned, Tarnished, or Totaled? An inquiring newbie wants to know...

onthespot

Hi, still learning, and looking for shortcuts to knowledge. I hear talk about toned, killer toned, artifical toned, tarnished, and worthless coins. I was wondering if some of you knowing type of people could comment liberally on some of these coins, with number designation matching your commment to what coin you are talking about, and help some of us newer people know what to do with coins like these. Thanks.
I am sorry they are not all US coins, I know this is US coins forum, but I chose coins with the best tarnish, not the best country.
Thanks in advance for all your help. Please do not hold back from stating the obvious. Not much is "obvious" to me at this stage. Thanks

airplanenut

The two Irish ones are real... real pretty! The four on the bottom... well... ouch

nwcs

Much determination is dependent on the metals in the coin. Each metal, and the purity of it, can make a difference. I recommend you buy the ANA's video on detecting artificial toning (www.money.org). That said, here is my opinion:

1. Lighting appears to make it look artificial, may be genuine
2. Genuine
3. Depends on metal, I'd say genuine
4. Looks genuine
5. Genuine
6. Borderline, but I'll say genuine
7. Genuine
8. Genuine and corroded

onthespot

Oh, I forgot, they are all "real" they belong to someone who just died at 73, and she did not know anything about coins. The coins were her dad's and some may have been her mom's, who died in 1959. The irish coins are part of a set that is in a little cardboard box, with little holes to set the coins in. I chose the prettiest of the irish coins. The others did not tone as well. I can show the whole set if you like, in the box.

onthespot

And the lighting, well, they were all shot with a digital camera, indirect natural light just inside a window, no flash, all shot at the same time, same everything. Yeah, some of them look hammered to me too. I just wanted to know... Thanks

nwcs

The first two would bring something of a premium (how much, who knows?) but the rest are not premium-worthy.

nwcs

What are the dates on the morgans?

onthespot

which ones are morgans? Sorry, REALLY new here, to coins, not to photography.

onthespot

D'OH!!! I get it, morganzzzzzzzzzzz!!! that must mean the only one that there is two of!!! ok... the dark one is 1896, the lighter one is 1921. I don't know the mint, don't know where to look for the little D or P or whatever...

Dog97

What a grading service would probably say:
#1 & #2 are nice & original and should pass muster.
#3 & #5 probably would pass.
#4 is so heavily toned it may be a bordereliner NG.
#6 & #7 would probably NG for enviormental damage.
#8 would NG for the green corrosion along the rim.

Clankeye

I think one and two are genuinely beautiful, and I would love to see a picture of the set in the box. I think the toning on #1 is the real deal, best as can be judged from the photo. Lovely.

onthespot

Here, I just snapped a shot of the whole set in the box. Not as good of lighting inside the window as this morning, but enough you can still see what they look like. Cool, huh? I like 'em. The dates on most of them are 1942 and 43 I think. Hilary's mom was Irish, and died in '59. I think these were hers.

sinin1

Not quite sure what you are really after newbie -

Coin value depends on rarity and condition much more than tone (in my opinion)

To get great tone a coin should be MS (mint state or uncirculated) or a proof.

The penny #8 is worth less than a nickel - but harder to find in circulation these days.

The Barber Quarter (#7) is worn but need to see other side to get grade - $3+ depending on year - mintmark is below eagle and you don't have one - silver content worth at least $1

The 2 Morgan silver dollars look tarnished/corroded - but could be valuable if something rare date.

The reason #1 and #2 look so beautiful is they started beautiful and the tone made them better - it sounds like they came out of an uncirculated state.

Totaled coins still have their value if the country that minted them are still in business and the same dollar standard - you could get 25cents for your quarter or spend it - someone melting for silver would give you 75-1.10 maybe, depending on date a collector may give you $3 +. You could always spend that penny (doesn't buy much though).

ask another question more specific - all old metal goes through chemical reactions with the environment they are in - tarnish/tone/corrosion depending on what it is 90%silver/95%copper/nickel/tin/etc.

onthespot

oops, sorry forgot to add the box pic

The light is not as good this time of day, and the bull looks a TON bluer than it is, reflection from the box I bet. In real life the blue is much more delicate looking.
The specific question I was wondering is what is the difference between toning and tarnish, or are the terms interchangeable? At what point does tarnish just become corrosion? Thank you all so much for your comments so far. I REALLY like this board, trolls and all!!!
Patty

Clankeye

That is really a beautiful set, and this from someone who has no idea, what it is "worth." The coins in that set are nicely toned coins, to call them tarnished would do them an injustice. Thank you for posting the picture.

onthespot, the questions you are asking can spark long, long replies, with different answers coming from different people. I would suggest punching "toning" into the search feature above and seeing what various threads pop up for you to read.

Carl

onthespot

Thanks, this board has a ton of features, didn't know you could do that. I will. And thanks for posting. These Irish coins are my favorite too...

sinin1

corroded - I usually think of a coin that has been buried and then found - once the dirt is off you can see pits - more often in copper for some reason

tarnish - I think of metalware - silver or pewter or something - not sure if I have heard it related to coins

tone - change of surface color related to chemical reactions with coin

not sure what the dictionary says - tarnish and tone could be the same but in reference to different things?

shirohniichan

#3 looks like a medal of George V. What does the reverse look like?

What is the date of the set of Irish coins? They look fabulous!

onthespot

the irish coins are '42-43. I will take a pic of the other side of the other coin. Gimme a sec.

onthespot

here is a pic of the other side of the coin.

If you want to see a really big pic of it, (111k) click on the link below
link to a bigger image

tbirde56

No official sets were issued between 1928 and 1966. If the coins have NO wear the 8 coins may be worth around $150-$200 depending on which are '42s and which are '43s. You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.

shirohniichan

Besides the interesting punches on the back of the medal, it looks like it was unused (i.e. it was left blank for engraving at some later event).

cacheman

#3 looks Russian to me.......sure do like the complete set in the box

StillLurking

onthespot, what is the date of the Irish Florin? A 1943 is a BIG MONEY coin! The 2003 Krause Standard Catalog Of World Coins says about 35 are known to exist. $1,200 in FINE to $8,000 in UNCIRCULATED. Hope yours is a 43!

onthespot

I looked, and it is.... 42...
Thanks for your post.
The horse is 42
the salmon is 42
the bull is 42
the rabbit is 46
the dog is 47
the biggest bird is 47
the pig is 43
the little bird is 46
I thought they were all 42-43... I didn't looke at all of them before because they were kinda tight in the little holders. There is a pretty harsh rim ding on the lower right one. Any help with approximate values would be appreciated. If the whole set is worth a couple hundred, I may part with them. Thank you so much everyone for your info.
Patty

cacheman

Patty, PM sent......