How Can A Coin Be Toned?

YCCY9229

Hi all!

I am a begginer so I have a question about toned.
I saw some coins has really nice beautiful toning such as rainbow.
My question is how do these nice toning come out? Do these tonning come up naturally?

Y.C.

braddick

Toners like this:


proves there is a GOD.

YCCY9229

<< <i>Toners like this:


proves there is a GOD. >>



That is right braddick. How do these beautiful toning come out? What cost it?

Purple73

Light and air will tone a coin. I believe sulfer oxide does the work.

LeeG

Be very careful about NT/AT. Do a "Search" on this subject. Alot of people out there just wanting to take your money for AT stuff if your not careful. Post a picture of a coin "before" you buy here on the Forum and you'll get some thoughts. I Love toners also Lee

jonesy

Doesn't the grease left on the coin also have smoething to do with it???

braddick

I wish Iwog was logged on.

He'd explain it using simple terms.

GoldCoinLover

<< <i>Hi all!

I am a begginer so I have a question about toned.
I saw some coins has really nice beautiful toning such as rainbow.
My question is how do these nice toning come out? Do these tonning come up naturally?

Y.C. >>



Toning on a coin is the result of sulfur (sulfur is in paper, or sometimes frabrics), oxidizing. Loosely speaking, Oxidation is the process of chemicals when they meet oxygen at the surface, when this happens the metal tarnishes. There are 2 types of toning. NT (Natural toning) and AT (artifical toning).

Coins, (if kept in the right conditions) tone this rainbow color over time. It takes years for a coin to fully tone. Depending on the chemicals in the paper, coins will turn different hues of colors on the paper overtime.

This is natural toning. Artificial toning is when someone deliberately speeds up this toning process, to sell the coin for a premium.

What they do is coat the coin in chemicals, and put them in the oven or some type of heating device. The heating process speeds up the toning , and 99% of the time the coin will be toned hues that look unnatural, and aren't 'splotchy'.

Through my own obversations, 'splotchy'ness is a term I came up with . It describes how a coin tones over time. On NT coins, there will usually be some missing toning here and there, where you see the metal underneath (untoned) .

On artifically toned coin, this splotchiness is not evident, and the colors blend in an artifical looking way.

For example, think of toning as a rainbow. Under the proper circumstances, a coin will tone in a rainbow hue. That is, red to violet. In other words, Baking coins to speed up the process will produce colors (usually deeper tone) that does not blend well.

Usually the toning you see first, is brown or yellowish. I've tried to naturally tone several coins over time, and all of them have resulted in ugly splotchy brown spots. Not rainbow color. I use different paper though, so if I were to adjust the paper I'm sure the colors would too accordingly.

YCCY9229

GoldCoinLover, if I put a coin inside a piece of paper, it will be toned in few years?

lordmarcovan

If you put a coin in a piece of paper, it might tone over time. Some papers contain sulfur.

lordmarcovan

Both of y'all using Trozau's old icon is making my head spin...

YCCY9229

Thanks for you guys' help. I learn some thing new today from this forum.

YCCY9229

<< <i>Both of y'all using Trozau's old icon is making my head spin... >>



I am going to change my icon to the picture below. Just waiting for the icon upload date.

Jdurg

<< <i>Loosely speaking, Oxidation is the process of chemicals when they meet oxygen at the surface, when this happens the metal tarnishes. >>



Not quite. The term 'oxidation' is kind of a mis-nomer. Oxygen does not have to be involved at all for something to be oxidized. Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine are all very good oxidizers and none of them require oxygen to 'oxidize' their target. Oxidation is actually the process where an atom loses electrons and obtains a higher formal charge. So if the Silver atom goes from a formal charge of 0 (As in a pure metal) to +1 (As in an oxide or sulfide), it is oxidized because has lost an electron. Reduction is the opposite of oxidation and results in a lowering (reduction) of the formal charge. So when a silver ore is reduced to pure silver, the silver atoms which exist in the ore, with a formal charge of +1, gain electrons and form metallic silver which has a charge of 0. Toning is a result of the oxidation of the metal atoms on the surface of a coin. As was stated earlier, papers contains many sulfur and chlorine containing compounds which will readily take electrons from the metal and 'oxidize' it. This forms various compounds which change how the light relfects off of the surface, thus creating 'toning'.


(Sorry, but I'm a chemistry person so I pick out these tiny errors. )

GoldCoinLover

<< <i>

<< <i>Loosely speaking, Oxidation is the process of chemicals when they meet oxygen at the surface, when this happens the metal tarnishes. >>



Not quite. The term 'oxidation' is kind of a mis-nomer. Oxygen does not have to be involved at all for something to be oxidized. Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine are all very good oxidizers and none of them require oxygen to 'oxidize' their target. Oxidation is actually the process where an atom loses electrons and obtains a higher formal charge. So if the Silver atom goes from a formal charge of 0 (As in a pure metal) to +1 (As in an oxide or sulfide), it is oxidized because has lost an electron. Reduction is the opposite of oxidation and results in a lowering (reduction) of the formal charge. So when a silver ore is reduced to pure silver, the silver atoms which exist in the ore, with a formal charge of +1, gain electrons and form metallic silver which has a charge of 0. Toning is a result of the oxidation of the metal atoms on the surface of a coin. As was stated earlier, papers contains many sulfur and chlorine containing compounds which will readily take electrons from the metal and 'oxidize' it. This forms various compounds which change how the light relfects off of the surface, thus creating 'toning'.


(Sorry, but I'm a chemistry person so I pick out these tiny errors. ) >>



Thank you. I figured this had probably some effect.

I was looking at my science book for physical science and noticed a repulsion effect of colors when two negative charges opposed each other. The image looked exactly like that of rainbow toning on that paticular coin. Probably because, like you said, the atoms lose eletrons creating a positive charge, and two positives or two negatives are have repulsive effects. It was just interetesting. Don't try this, but the image I'm referring to are a bunch of rainbow hued colors that interfere with each other, it would happen if you were to hold a magnet up to a color phone LCD.

No problem about it. I knew I was wrong in some way..I just didn't know what. I don't know much about chemistry.

GoldCoinLover

<< <i>GoldCoinLover, if I put a coin inside a piece of paper, it will be toned in few years? >>



It will definitely tone over a few years. I did an experiment recently. I put a MS-66 Semi Mirror Proof-like morgan dollar in a brown envolope, and let it tone over several months naturally. It toned in a few spots, but the color was yellowish/brownish, nothing pretty.

pharmer

<< <i>Hi all!

I am a begginer so I have a question about toned.
I saw some coins has really nice beautiful toning such as rainbow.
My question is how do these nice toning come out? Do these tonning come up naturally?

Y.C. >>



Check out the thread I will bump in a minute for toning information, it's one of the best.