Am I alone in my dislike for toned coins?
Draco
Posts: 512 ✭
Aplogies to those that do. . .more power to you, but I like my coins with nice full luster (Russ's walkers come to mind as favorites). Since I don't sell coins, It's very unlikely that I'd ever buy one of those "rainbow monsters" that seem to be so popular.
IMHO - toning = environmental damage
IMHO - toning = environmental damage
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Brown or mottled (or as some people call it, variegated) toning is very unattractive to me.
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
while i don't dislike toned coins, i am somewhat baffled by the way many clamor and fuss over them at the price levels they sometimes reach. also, i have many toned coins in my raw collection which do in fact exhibit full mint luster. they just have the attractive addition of refracted light!!!
al h.
regardless of whether its white or toned. Each example is unique like
a snowflake and has a specific signature as far as eye appeal and aesthetics.
I cannot make a blanket statement and say I like one more than the other.
Its a case by case thing.
I love both.
Brian.
don't get me started on my snowflake theory!!
al h.
Brian
It seems that the broad color spectrum toned coins bring huge premiums over those that are near original condition (blast white as it is sometimes refered).
Just seems to me that anyone with an interrest in chemistry could "cook up" some of these monster toned coins and while I think some are obviously doctored, others can not be immediately determined as such. So why are people willing to pay these huge premiums?
It detracts from the beauty of the design. If your eye is busy wondering around the color transitions, it misses the designer's art.
EVEN ANACONDA IS SELLING "TONED MONSTERS"!! (what is the world comming to)
I certainly don't see anyone shelling out huge money for water stained paintings.
by the same rationale i guess a properly stored 110 year old bottle of port wine has suffered "environmental damage". it now has a hundred different flavors rather than the one flavor it had when it was bottled.
2 Cam-Slams!
1 Russ POTD!
<< <i>It detracts from the beauty of the design. If your eye is busy wondering around the color transitions, it misses the designer's art >>
Draco - While I appreciate your point, I think that the color on some of these coins actually enhances one's appreciation of the detail of the coin. In many of these toned Morgans you can actually see the intricate toning patterns through out the hear and other devices, weaving in and out of small crevaces and so forth - to me it really gives these coins additional character. You can't beat great mint bloom - but give that mint bloom a pretty layer of beautiful colors and they make the coin dazzle
BTW, I hate dipped out stripped out blast white coins. Hope I didn't offend anyone.
photography courtesy of ANACONDA
<< <i>by the same rationale i guess a properly stored 110 year old bottle of port wine has suffered "environmental damage". it now has a hundred different flavors rather than the one flavor it had when it was bottled. >>
The only environmental damage suffered by wine is the wine bottle. Even if you didn't consider a wine bottle to be air tight, the fermentation process was something that was meant to happen by the makers. Therefore, it is not the same "rationale."
Me for example....Seated and Bust coinage and Trade dollars, for example, bore me to tears...yet there are passionate collectors of these out there who would call me blind and tasteless...and my "love" for Frankies in ALL colors...knows no bounds.
Buy whay you like...take pleasure in it...give good natured ribbing to folks who don't see it your way...and have fun.
hey steelheader
i just wonder where the snowflake theory ever got started and who did the research. it seems like such a widely if not universally accepted thing, that no two snowflakes are alike. having lived most of my life in a snowy environment and done some "tongue catching" which has brought me close to quite a few flakes, i find it impossible to believe that any two throughout history have never been the same!! i would challenge any researcher to provide some data and a report to back the claim that "no two snowflakes are alike" just as i would challenge anyone to show that no 2 toned coins are alike.
it may be easier to understand in these terms----it is impossible to prove that something isn't. just as we cannot disprove the existence of God or extraterrestrial intelligence. we can only strive to prove what is and propose things which may/may not be.
with that said i'll make a proposal: it's logical to assume that no 2 coins are toned identically. i hesitate to state absolutely that there are or aren't. many look similar to me, though.
al h.
I don't know why it bothers some people about the prices of toned coins if they don't care for them. It just makes what you like cheaper. We can go on this forever, but collect what you like and enjoy it. Let us worry whether we know what we're doing or not.
The fermentation and cycle of the wine is a natural process. Sure it was intended. But then again coins were also meant to circulate and be exposed to elements that cause toning. they weren't meant to be dipped in acid every so often to keep them white. it's just a natural occurance.
if they were meant to stay white forever they would have been minted and placed in air-tite plastic slabs!
2 Cam-Slams!
1 Russ POTD!
Medium:
And Well done
sulfides and tarnish, they often see incredibly beautiful toning on incredibly desirable
coins. To each his own.
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
I am with you. I do not like toned coins at all. Give them to me blast white, and I am happy. It is all a matter of opinion, and in my opinion, I do not like toned coins. Obviously, others do, and the prices reflect that. But more white ones for me then.
<< <i>But more white ones for me then. >>
More Toned Coinies for me!
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
K S
Can toning interfere with the diagnostics of a coin because it alters the surface of the coin. I don't know for sure, but I would think so.
Some people say "buy the coin not the slab". Does anyone say "buy the coin not the toning". I don't think so....
I am more shocked that people will pay such a premium for the toning.
If the PVC on a morgan from a plastic holder is "environmental" damage and the toning on a morgan from contact with a textile bag is not "environmental" damage. I would say there are some technical problems with the wording and diagnosing the condition of a coin.
it's all part of the curent market grading phase the hobby is in. it will take time to sort things out with regard to the toning issues. my view is that textile tone patterns are seen as being acceptable and PVC damage is seen as not acceptable.
al h.
Why do you love your wife or girlfriend over another woman? Why do we do what we do, like what we like, not like certain things. There is no answer or principle. Infinite expressions in infinite degrees. Part of the infinity of being. There's my philosophical understanding.
I remember someone saying that coin grading is an art. I kinda disagree.
I would think it was a science and therefore would have to abide by some strict rules.
If coin grading were an art, anything would be accepable.
Nice try stman, but we already know that toned coins suck.
Looking for Nationals, Large VF to AU type, 1928 Gold, and WWII Emergency notes. Also a few nice Buffalo Nickels and Morgan Dollars.
Monty...
<< <i>Hey guys: if you're going to post pictures of coins you never or no longer own, don't you think you should mention that in the post? >>
The proud poppa of all of those
I don't like AT coins. I don't like coins that have been dipped to death.
I agree that collectors have become too hung up on toned coins. They are over paying for many of them, and they are getting buried in a lot of AT coins. In addition a lot of decent coins are being ruined with AT finishes to please the exceessive demand for toned coins.
But that is just me, everyone should collect what they like, just don't expect others to feel the same way.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
TBT
Ditto.
I appreciate luster and brilliance but collecting a series of all blast white coins isn't for me. I enjoy the vast variety of toning you can find, particularly on some series like Morgans and Franklins. And not all toned coins are void of luster so you get to enjoy detail, luster and an endless number of patterns/colors when building a set of toned coins.
I also appreciate the fact that many coins, especially those minted 50 or more years ago have toned as a byproduct of the time period in which they were minted and initially stored. The toning attest to that period in history and I don't necessarily feel (my own personal opinion) that that signature of history should be dipped off.
To each his own.
great looking bust half...
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.