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Questions about toning differences based on geography.

SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,102 ✭✭✭✭✭
I recently posted a thread about who lives in California. Many people replied. Today a thread about So. Cal. collectors getting together in Anahiem was posted.

The thread about So. Cal. jogged my memory of living on OC and working [driving] all over So. Cal. in 1981-86 and got me to thinking about environmental conditions and toning.

I have heard that Florida is a terrible place for raw coins unless precautions are taken [heat and humidity]. So. Cal. has days where the smog is so bad that you can not see downtown L.A. from the 101 freeway as you are driving through it. Flying into So. Cal. can be unnerving cause of the brown blanket. No. Cal., particularly the central valley has similar days. Other parts of the country have their own environmental conditions.

Do any forum members have any experiences [good or bad] regarding toning of their raw coins stemming from differing environmental conditions based upon moving from one place to another [i.e. moving from Idaho to Glendale, Cal. at the foot of the San Gabriel mountains where the only day without smog is the day of the Rose Bowl parade]?

Comments

  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,636 ✭✭✭✭✭
    There are noticeably more toned and corroded coins in mint and proof sets
    which come out of Florida or the southern parts of the gulf states. This even
    seems to apply to some other coastal areas but is not as dramatic. Sometimes
    every coin in every set will be quite unattractive when this is a factor. While
    I've never noticed problems caused by smog and the like, sometimes when
    packaging smells like cigarette smoke there will be a problem with the coins.

    Where coins are stored can be a factor also. Coins stored near heavy machinery
    or vehicular traffic can be vibrated in their holders or in a roll. This can eventually
    be seen as a rub sometimes after many years of storage.

    I've long suspected that the silica gel packs can ruin coins if allowed to become
    saturated and remain with the coins too long. Everytime I've seen clads that
    were very badly corroded they were in storage with the packs.
    Tempus fugit.

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