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AT on CSI last night

Did any AT experts see CSI last night? I'm curious about the accuracy of their story line about artificial toning with sulpher.image

Also, was this the first show to feature coin collecting since the old Perry Mason show about counterfeits, or have there been others?image
Roy


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Comments

  • MadMonkMadMonk Posts: 3,743
    Sulpher will without a doubt add color to a coin. Can do so quite rapidly. Can leave coin black and damaged if a heavy hand is used. Some guys used to use pharmaceutical sulpher powder to dust thier coin albums. I've seen from nice results, to total destruction.
    Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
  • The show was really neat! They must have a good advisor because they mentioned the 1909 - S V.D.B. cent, slabs and 1916-D dime all in the correct context. As I understand it , sulpher is the main culprit in toning. Good show, that CSI.

    Shep
    image
  • ZerbeZerbe Posts: 587 ✭✭
    Goes to show how dry the coin market is. The coin dealer/ collectibles shop owner, had to go out and murder somebody for some "FRESH COINS".
  • jeffnpcbjeffnpcb Posts: 1,943
    imageCrap, with the three small ones in the house, I fell asleep right after they mentioned the coins and never saw the end!
    CSI and Law and Order shows are the only reason to turn on the tube! It stays on for Fox News all the time!
    HEAD TUCKED AND ROLLING ALONG ENJOYING THE VIEW! [Most people I know!]

    NEVER LET HIPPO MOUTH OVERLOAD HUMMINGBIRD BUTT!!!

    WORK HARDER!!!!
    Millions on WELFARE depend on you!
  • I taped it...will have to watch tonight.
  • MadMartyMadMarty Posts: 16,697 ✭✭✭
    Not only coins, Battlebots as well. I was in hog heaven!!! Love them both!!image
    It is not exactly cheating, I prefer to consider it creative problem solving!!!

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,430 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I've never fooled with pure sulfur to tone coins, although I have used envelopes that were NOT made of sulfur free paper to quiet down a cleaned copper or silver coin. For me the process took a year or more to work, and since I was a collector who didn’t need the coin to sell right away, that was just fine with me.

    The CSI clip showed the coin doctors dumping the coins in a plastic bag with sulfur in the bottom and shaking the coin around. From the folks I’ve talked to that’s NOT the way to do it. One dealer told me to take a tiny bit of sulfur from the rim of cap with a q-tip and use that. From what I understand a little bit of sulfur goes a long way.
    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,515 ✭✭✭
    If they did have a consultant, he wasn't paying much attention. In the first scene discussing the sulfur, the kid (the one who owned the S VDB Lincoln) said it was used for "cleaning". Then in the scene where they searched the fence's SUV and found sulfur residue, the head guy asked if he artificially toned his coins.

    Also, when the kid was in the pawn shop ogling the box of coins, he was more than a little overboard about the 1907 Saint. It wasn't even a high relief, and he's acting like he's just seen the '33.

    Russ, NCNE
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,430 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yea they did goof up on the St. Gaudens $20. The coin was the Arabic date variety, and the kid’s inaccurate comment was “1907 St. Gaudens double eagle. You only see those in books.”

    “And that’s as close you’ll get to it,” The dealer replied.

    I own a High Relief, and I love the coin; but I’m under no illusions about its rarity. You can go to about any major show and find several of them. All it takes is five to fifteen or sixteen thousand bucks, and you can own one in any grade from VF to MS-64. It’s not so rare that one only sees it in books. In fact it might be the most common expensive coin in the world.

    They did get one thing right though. Most of the time the guys who run shops like that are jerks (the more appropriate term is the A-opening word, but are we are supposed to be polite here). They are usually about as friendly as a rabid dog.
    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • I watch very little tv. What is CSI??..........Ken
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,515 ✭✭✭
    Crime Scene Investigations. Pretty good show, but don't watch it while you're eating.

    Russ, NCNE
  • nwcsnwcs Posts: 13,387 ✭✭✭
    Well, it is a TV show so I think it's good that they at least talked about coins! Maybe there will be a few new collectors out of it?
  • GTOsterGTOster Posts: 860 ✭✭✭
    Don't want to use sulpher use a hockey puck I had a Roosevelt set store in a box with some autographed pucks and they toned every coin is the set they where only in there for about 6 months seems the sulpher leaches out of the pucks
    So if you dont want them toned stay away from Hockey Pucks
    Paul
  • Which network is CSI on? I'll have to watch for the rerun.
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,515 ✭✭✭
  • EVillageProwlerEVillageProwler Posts: 5,859 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If they did have a consultant, he wasn't paying much attention.

    Perhaps he was paying sporadic attention... The CSI kid did throw in a comment about slabbing (in response to why his SVDB was in a flip), but too much else was either wrong or awkward.

    He started out by explaining to Grissom that he has a "1909 VDB, San Francisco mint", when most of us would have just said "S-V-D-B". And, to the scumbag dealer, "1916 D dime", to which the dealer responded by referring to the coin "the D dime". Who here would say it that way? I'd have said "16D Merc"...

    I can understand the awkward phraseology to Grissom, 'cuz he's not a coin guy. But, to a dealer?!? In fact, I bet that specifying "Merc" or "dime" would've been unnecessary. Go to any dealer and ask, "Do you have a 16D?" Betcha he'd know exactly what you mean...

    Additionally, I gasped when I saw how the dealer was manhandling some coin in that sulfur bag. And, how he was eyeing the SVDB in the flip w/ a loupe w/o getting a better light source...

    EVP

    How does one get a hater to stop hating?

    I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com

  • CoinAddictCoinAddict Posts: 5,571
    I want to know how the dealer even knew it was truly a 1909-S VDB. I mean he didn't even flip the coin over to see if it had the initials on the reverse.image
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,430 ✭✭✭✭✭
    He undoubtedly knew where the "S" is sopposed to be on the 1909-S-VDB and didn't need to bother to turn it over. image
    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • One more thing, how many people here would actually have said" That's a nice 1907 Saint Gaudins $20 double eagle gold piece?" I would have just said $20 Saint! image
    Justin.
  • Watched the tape last night. Did anybody notice the $20 gold piece shown actually had a 199x date ?? I looked at the tape a couple times...couldn't make out the last number, but it was definitely a comtemporary GAE.
  • CoinosaurusCoinosaurus Posts: 9,614 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Well, this all explains why my wife was asking me about sulfur this morning when we were in line at the PO waiting to send my package to NCS image Cuz I don't watch that show........
  • Conder101Conder101 Posts: 10,536


    << <i>He undoubtedly knew where the "S" is sopposed to be on the 1909-S-VDB and didn't need to bother to turn it over. >>


    Not good enough, I believe at least one or two to the four SVDB obverse dies were also used to strike 09-S cents as well. Just looking at the obverse can usually tell you if it ISN'T the SVDB, but it can't guarantee that it IS.
  • They aired this episode again Thursday night (first time I saw it). Overall, I think they did a nice job...
    image
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,194 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Never seen the show, but I've heard of it and it sounds neat- particularly in light of the numismatic theme of that episode.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • sinin1sinin1 Posts: 7,500
    I don't watch TV - but get vhs videos - anyone have any idea what season this episode was in ?

    I can get complete season 1, 2 or 3 - I think

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