What is the "Orange Peel Effect" on Proof gold coins?

SethChandler

I understand that Proof gold can have a nice deep warm orange color to it but.........isn't an orange peel rough and pitted? I don't get it. Also, is it true for matte proof gold?

Seth

MrEureka

Great question! Yes, "orange peel" surfaces have an uneven texture. No, they don't look rough and pitted. I have no idea what causes that effect. Somebody will have to enlighten us.

Orange peel surfaces do not occur on matte proofs.

dorkkarl

the "orange-peel" effect is particularly desirable on business-strike gold coinage - the true orange-peel effect, not "blazing cartwheels". i don't think i could describe it - that's for a man of words, like clankeye, to do.

it occurs at some point between when a die is freshly polished & when it begins to deteriorate to the point that it imparts typical "frosty" luster. it looks almost like a "now you see it, now you don't" kind of cartwheel luster.

good grief, i give up! can't describe in words,, but could point it out to you in a second

K S

SethChandler

So its NOT the orange color(toning)? Its the texture of the surface?

abuell

Type 1 SLQ's also tend to have orange peel lustre.

lclugza

There seems to be a white granular lustre on Type One SLQs and a golden granular lustre on the devices (not the field) of 19th century US Proof gold. The fields on such proof gold coins are golden mirrors without mint lustre, but with a dark orange color and perhaps a slightly watery appearance.

MrEureka

From Rick Snow's site:

Orange Peel fields. A real joy to behold is a gem early die state proof. These will have deep mirrors, frosted devices, and orange peel fields. When the dies are first made the steel is soft so that the design and date can easily be impressed into it. While the dies are in this soft state they are given a very fine polishing. After the die is hardened, the steel contracts slightly creating a wavy look on the polished fields. It looks like orange peels! After a small striking period the die may be reground and the orange peel will be wiped away. These later proofs will not have the deep mirror cameo appearance of the earlier die state pieces. It should be an automatic buy signal when you see Orange peel fields in my inventory listing.

lclugza

Matte proofs have a dull lustre and no mirrors.

dorkkarl

you can see why this would be particularly desirable on b.s. specimens, whose dies were not normally "intentionally" specially prepared

K S

lclugza

So few gold proofs were struck in the 19th and early 20th century that each proof was likely struck from relatively new dies. I speculate that many proof gold denominations were struck from a single pair of dies each year. (wonder if the non-dated reverse dies were reused from year to year?) On non-gold denominations more coins were struck from each die, and the dies eventually had to be repolished, losing the "orange peel." This is probably why the "orange peel effect" is so common on gold coins and not common on other coins.

roadrunner

Does the orange peel go away after lasering? Coin docs please respond.

roadrunner

lordmarcovan

Good question, and good answers. Thanks for the info. That term was something I had a vague idea of, but a proper definition had eluded me.

wallstreetman

At close inspection, there arent too many proofs that dont have orange peel! If you own a Chevy, look at its paint job, this is Orange Peel! Orange Peel refers to the bumpy texture, not the color, it can apply to any metal or substance!

jonesy

Does anyone have scans of this orange peel effect. I'm confused.
Glenn

lclugza

Unfortunately, I don't think a scan would show it. It's sort of a slight wavy effect in the fields that you would really have to see in 3-D, although perhaps if you made a movie or videotape of the coin, and moved the coin around in front of the camera, you could see it. It's like a slightly wavy mirror.

MrEureka

Does the orange peel go away after lasering? Coin docs please respond.

You didn't say that non-docs were precluded from answering, so I will. Yes, lasering will reduce (but not eliminate) the orange peel effect.