Tone experts wanted - Cent CN color - real??

Lakesammman

This is one of those 3-degree coins that Adrian talks about. Do you think the color is real?? Why or why not??

braddick

Looks good (real) to me.
See how the color lays around the carbon flecks/specks?

That's tough to fake.

Lakesammman

See how the color parallels the devices on the left picture and not on the right?? Why does it do that?? Could you expand on what you mean about the carbon flecks?? Thanks.

michael

there are many tell tail signs with this coin but i need to see it in person sight seen to make a determination

let me know if you ever get up to my part of the woods! i will take a look and i will show you one of the finest known cn cents!

sincerely michael

keithdagen

A lot of toned coins will have a little untoned spot, or a break in the toning color, around a carbon spot, like the one to the 9:00 of the O in One in your pic on the left. Also, AT artists have trouble keeping the colors from running over the letters and devices. Example, you see a lot of purple around the letters, but not on them.

truthteller

Copper nickel cents rarely, rarely have any toning to them. In fact, the grading services don't designate them with RB or RED since they don't get dark. Unlike nickels with rainbows, CN cents don't have the alloy to allow those wonderful colors. That why I am a bit suspicious of any color on CN cents. Heat will bring out color, but the coin has to get extremely hot to have purples or blues come up. MY 2 c.

TRUTH

IrishMike

It is rare to see a colorfully toned CN cent but here is another one. 1861

dorkkarl

the color looks market-acceptable to me, if that's what you mean. i like it!

K S

Lakesammman

Mike:

Thanks for pointing out the 1861 - nice. Reminds me of a 1860 Ty. 1 sold at the FUN - it was beautiful in person.

Pushkin

Judging only from the picture I would be suspicious of heat treatment. I've seen this color pattern on CNs before that have been exposed to high temperatures, although most of the time they just darken. As to whether the possible applied heat was natural or deliberate, who knows? Maybe the coin was salvaged from a long ago fire?

Heat a CN coin on a light bulb for a few minutes and it will darken, leave it there for a 5 or 6 or a few more minutes and it will usually turn almost black. Expose it to a sudden extremely high flame and you might obtain a pattern similar to what you have - depends on the amount of various gases present in the "cooked" atmosphere. However, without seeing the coin all said here is just speculation. Even so, will it slab - probably.

Nothing like a lot of perhaps, if, maybe, under certain conditions, ... speculation. Get it in a slab and nobody will care.