Toned Canadian

Blackhawk

I got a set of centennial coins from Canada today. The "animal" sides were facing outwards and all the silver pieces were toned a blue color. When I got it home looked at the obverses and found some rather strange toning...it's kind of speckled in orange, reds, and blues. Because of the variety of ways that these were packaged by the mint, banks, and other private concerns, I'd imagine that there are a lot of different toning types and colors available.

TwoKopeiki

Interesting toning. I'm a sucker for a nice-looking toner. Canada seems to be producing quite a lot of them due to the way the mint used to package coins. Here's a couple of silver dollars I bought in those black mint boxes without any protective encapsulation around the coin. You can tell which side was exposed to the elements :





I haven't even taken this RCMP commem out of the box yet:



I think before my contract is up and I have to return to the States, I will visit a few local coin stores and stock-up on various toners.

shirohniichan

Did the set come in the original packaging?

The coins that toned dark blue were the specimens that came in the black cases. It looks like that's what you have. If left in there long enough, the coins tone almost black.

Blackhawk

They were in a long holder from a bank.

shirohniichan

<< <i>They were in a long holder from a bank. >>



In that case, the coins are most likely PL's or circulation strikes.

Interesting. I saw a set in a cardboard "Bank of Montreal" case that didn't tone very much. The cardboard red Mint boxes for the silver medallion sets generally didn't tone coins as much as the black leatherette specimen set boxes, either.

Perhaps the bank box that stored your coins had a high sulphur content.