For those that like their Bust Halves Raw

GOLDSAINT

What do you think of the color on this 1812 ?

astrorat

Nice half . . . I bet the color is from years of storage in a paper envelope (the kind of envelope that contains sulfur).

Lane

coinlieutenant

Hard to say.. could be original...

Baley

Colorful, for an 1812!

a couple of my coins of the date (a favorite year for me) these are ordinary coin color:

Cladiator

kieferscoins

Bodybag at PCGS.

Cameron Kiefer

Betta285

Most likley paper envelope like Astro mentioned. I'd bet good money that it's original. None the less, beautiful coin


jim

dorkkarl

terrible color - that exact artificial-toning can be applied literally in about 5 seconds.

K S

coinlieutenant

The bottom pic makes it look AT...

too hard to say off that pic, although I imagine they would bag it at PCGS.

Myqqy

If I had seen those colors on a bust half in an auction, I wouldn't even stop to take a second look- it looks way too suspect to me, and wouldn't fit with the rest of my darker toned bust halves.....

kamehameha00

AT

GOLDSAINT

Actually I have no Idea, just came into today with a lot scheduled for NGC on Monday. It did seem interesting to me since the color is on top of the gray, not what you generally see on AT, but then I am no expert on that subject. The reverse is also gray like the front. I just put a different light and camera setting to bring out the color.

“terrible color - that exact artificial-toning can be applied literally in about 5 seconds.”

O.K. Karl,
Please give us the benefit of your expertise here, and tell us how the color can be applied over the gray surface?

Nysoto

It is difficult to tell from an image if a coin is AT, and since no person can give a clear definition of AT, makes it even more difficult.

Bust half dollars have no typical pattern of toning, as do some other series. They were stored in banks, in SD boxes under the house title, under mattresses, out in the barn hidden under the hay, etc. So the toning can come in any color depending on the environment it was in for almost 200 years. Some collectors say that certain years, such as 1805, you will find unusual toning possibly from impurities in the silver.

Bill

OKbustchaser

Kraft envelope

Jim

dorkkarl

<< <i>O.K. Karl,
Please give us the benefit of your expertise here, and tell us how the color can be applied over the gray surface? >>

i'll give you a hint - a 5 second dip in a very common household chemical will identical results.

now go have some fun (please use cheap coins)

K S