Mercury Dime changes color on me big time!

Tonelover

Today I got some coins out of my safe deposit box so I could re-do some pictures and just check everything out. One of them is a 1941-P NGC MS-67 Mercury Dime. This coin was bought about 5 years ago because it had a wild grape purple reverse with some on the obverse along with a few splashes of magenta. I never thought it was original but it was cool so what the heck. I felt that perhaps vapors from the old, thick NGC holder caused it to turn like that in the slab. Here's what it used to look like:



So I'm looking through my Dimes today and pull it out, only to be confonted with this:



Light golden-orange obverse splashes, pretty orange-red reverse rims with a touch of light blue in the center. Needless to say I was very surprised, a little bummed but mostly intrigued.

Lesson learned: Beware of bright purple Mercury Dimes!

kieferscoins

Thats a big change! Looks more natural now then before though.

Cameron Kiefer

Gonfunko

I kinda like the new reverse better....

Steve27

Wow, I thought it would get darker, not lighter.

TomB

Is it in the older, no seperation NGC slab? If so, I also have a few dimes that have toned a very similar wild purple color in those slabs, however, I keep my coins in Intercept Shield holders in my safe deposit box and, after eight years, there has been no change in color. I think you and I both believe that the NGC holder may have had something to do with the original color formation.

By the way, I have crossed some of them into PCGS holders as a sort of experiment.

nwcs

Weird that it changed in that way.

Tonelover

Tom, I know that we discussed these purple Dimes a few years ago so I'm glad you saw this thread. Yes, it's an old thick, boxy, no-separation NGC holder. For the past three years it's been stored in the bank's safe deposit room downstairs from our office.

I've never been a big believer in ICG Intercept technology, preferring to believe that a stable encapsulated coin doesn't need much help to stay that way other than in cases of extreme environmental conditions. Maybe I'm wrong about that but all my other coins are fine.

What surprises me the most on this one is that it got lighter when I would have expected it to darken if anything. And I must admit, if presented to me for the first time just as it is I would have never guessed that anything funny was going on.

So you crossed some Appalachian Nickels and now purple Mercs? I need to get you do to some submissions for me.

wingedliberty

Are they early generation NGC holders that were more porous and not as well sealed?
I have seen this happen before, especially in green bordered label NGC early slabs, but you have to remember that silver naturally oxidizes. I started collecting NGC slabs in 1989, thats 15 years ago, so things are bound to change, in your case its for the better.
You would have no problem selling them if interested.

1907Quarter

OK, now how will Estella Warren age Cameron???!!!

rainbowroosie

Was the dime AT to begin with?? Perhaps the original chemicals just kept reacting??? That said, I love the new look!!!!

TomB

I crossed one Merc and one Roosevelt, both with very similar toning.

The reason I use Intercept Shield holders in a safe deposit box environment is because many of the vaults used for storage have high humidity pumped into them in order to stabilize the paperwork stored in the vault. Also, they generally have poor air circulation. So, some of these vaults have a warm, relatively humid environment with some paper outgassing going on. This is why I use the Intercept Shield holders.

I've seen something similar, however, with a 1939 Merc that I bought raw for $6 at auction. The coin is an MS66 but also has wild splashes of terrific blue on it, mostly on the reverse. I sent the coin to PCGS and it was slabbed MS66 and then gave the coin to my father-in-law. Well, he kept the coin in his gun safe and over the course of about two years it started to turn very similar in color to your coin, but somewhat more brown.

I have edited this post to insert an image of a purple toned Merc in an older, thick NGC holder.

Rob790

While it is suprising that the coin has still continued to tone so rapidly, it should be no surprise that the colors have changed from dark blue to light blue/silver/red with a little light blue. If this is a surprise to you then you need to read my article on Toning Myths. This is a good example of what the next color progression should be. Look at the below thin film color progression shown below as a reference.



The top left black section is a film of nominal thickness and the bottom right is the film at it's thickest part. Your coin's reverse was previously in the first dark blue section and has now moved to the thicker light blue/silver/yellow/red/blue section. The good news is that if you leave it and wait a few years, it'll be in the lovely blue and green section. At that point, I'd move it to the intercept shield.

Learn your color progression and you should have no surprises in color changes and have a much better understanding of toning.