Does anyone know what makes the different colors of the toned coins?

LittleDot

I was just wondering from looking at the different pictures, and saw a real pretty blue and was just wondering why the colors can be so different.
Thanks,
Diane

relayer

Electromagnetic radiation is responsible for color.

LittleDot

Electromagnetic radiation is responsible for color.

So do each different coins, example dimes, pennies, hold different Electromagnetic radiation. Or does it vary from coin to coin?

BigE

It depends on the kaliedescope the photographer is using-----------------------------BigE

anoldgoat

LeeG

Hi LittleDot. Here's a link for you that should help. Lee

Toning

LittleDot

Thanks Lee G I will read that!

Newmismatist

LittleDot - Don't belive those other guys - they're pulling your leg

It's really crayons

(well, don't tell them I let out the secret, but on silver, it from sulfer in the air or near the surface of the coin - the coin gets a thin film of silver sulfide that covers the surface of the coin from a chemical reaction with the sulfer and when the light passes thru the thin film it reflects back some of the colors, but not others, its like an oil slick on water or the colors that reflect off of soap bubbles. You can see the same effect when you rotate a CD ROM in a bright light. That's the best non-technical explanation I can give in less than 2 sentences).

relayer

<< <i>So do each different coins, example dimes, pennies, hold different Electromagnetic radiation. Or does it vary from coin to coin? >>



We don't see any object. Our eyes have receptors (called "cones") that are stimulated by different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation in a small portion of the spectrum we call “light”.

What we see is the light reflecting off objects and our minds produce an image based on the receptors in our eyes reacting to the different frequencies which our mind turns into colors such as “blue” and “red”.

So toned coins are just like paint. In red paint, the molecules are arranged to reflect the light back in the “red” spectrum of visible light.

On a Morgan silver dollar for example, a chemical reaction between the silver in the coin and sulpher form new molecules on the surface of the coin that will reflect light back by bending the light to produce different frequencies, which our mind interprets as colors.

It is the same reason the sky is blue. When light from the Sun hits the atmosphere, the blue frequency bends down towards the Earth.

The short answer (if that is possible at this point) is that there is "something" on the surface of the coin that is reflecting different shades of color.

Newmismatist

Try this thread and scroll down past the photographs of the Toned Coin Exhibit and there is an "Article" that explains (sort of in layman's terms) why we see different colors on toned coins. The explanation is about the 15th post on that thread. Hope this helps. Rob790s' thread in the link above is also very infomative, but a bit more scientific.

Toned Coin Thread Explaining toning

Here's a few examples of the different colors you'll see, depending on the "thickness" of the thin film of silver sulfide on the surface of the coin.

Here's another - the "toning" - thin film of silver sulfide - is thickest at the left edge ofthe coin and is progressively thinner as it goes from left to right to the point where there is no silver sulfide on the right side of the coin, therefore no "toning" there:



Here's another where the toning is across the entire surface of the coin:

coppercoins

All toning is environmental damage of one sort or another. The attractive environmental damage sells for big bucks.