Question regarding AT

tradedollarnut

Hi David: One of the current hot topics is artificial toning. I recently purchased a trade dollar that was body bagged for questionable toning. I bought it raw (oops!) but thought I was safe because the seller had bought it in the early 1990's from an estate auction in a small town. The seller is a well known (and quite wealthy) numismatist who I have no reason to disbelieve.

My question is: Is there a time period before which the coin doctors didn't have the same expertise they have today and their work is more obvious so we collectors can feel a little safer? Is there a chance that the coin is original but PCGS erred on the side of caution? Would it make a difference if the coin was stable for the past 10 years?



Also, I'm curious if you can tell us who the largest submittors to PCGS are? Thanks!

homerunhall

Artificial toning has been around for a long time. I've seen coins in original B Max Mehl holders that were obviously heat treated...oh Max so it ain't so! And Mehl died in the early 1950s.

As the years go by, the doctors get better and better. The AT isssue is very complex. We have a tendency to error slightly to the conservative side. I have no doubt that some innocent by-standers get shot down in the process. But I can tell you that there are some days at PCGS when we get bombarded with doctored coins. You'd vomit if you saw some of the stuff people try to fool us with.

As for your coin, contact Sandy and send it in to me. I'd be glad to take a look at it for you and give you my personal opinion.

As for the identities of our largest submitters...that comes under the propietary information category. And it's not just a competitive issue. We actually have a fiduciary duty to our submitters to keep their submission information confidential.

David