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What is your opinion of the toning on this Jefferson nickel?

RussRuss Posts: 48,515 ✭✭✭
I realize it's unlikely that this question will make it past screening, but I'm going to try anyway. I'm providing both a smaller image (to keep loading time down) in the body, as well as linked extra large images of both the obverse and reverse of the coin.

image

Large images here:

Click for very large obverse.

Click for very large reverse.

This coin was bodybagged for artificial color on submission number 3038419. I believe your graders blew it on this one, and that the toning is the real deal.

The dealer from whom I bought this coin, as well as another, told me the provenance of these and he is somebody I trust. He bought an old collection that had been stored in those little paper envelopes for a very long time and had several nickels from this era that toned this way.

I think that, in their haste to make sure that no artificially toned coins make it in to a PCGS holder, they no graded this one out of hand with little real consideration. Basically, automatic body-bag mode.

So, my question is: Do you believe this toning is artificial? And, if so, specifically why? Your insight would be greatly appreciated as it might help shed some light on the toning issue, not just for me, but for any who might read this.

Thanks,

Russ, NCNE

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    homerunhallhomerunhall Posts: 2,498 ✭✭✭
    Hi Russ...

    It's a pretty complex issue and it's even harder to tell from a scan. That said, the color looks pretty funky to me. I personally go by what I saw in the 1960s and 1970s. I looked at hundreds of thousnads of coins during that period. If I see a color today that I don't remember seeing then, I have questions about the originality. The other graders don't neccessarily use that method, especially the graders born after 1970.

    There is a person out of Chicago who does incredible toned jobs on nickels and the color looks something like this. But he does mostly expensive Buffalo nickels.

    This is all very subjective. I just don't ever remember popping an original roll or buying a complete set and having a coin look like this.

    Sorry I can't be more help on this. Please understand that the doctors take shots at us every day and we tend to be paranoid about altered surfaces and artificial toning. However, if you saw the crap we see every day you'd probably be paranoid too.

    We feel we have to be tough on the doctors. Unfortunately, sometimes innocent by-standers get shot too.

    David
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