There is no physical difference between AT and NT, or...
notwilight
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">...a scientific look at "Artificial" Toning…(I'll address only silver here but analogous discussions can be made for copper and other metals.)
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Toning is a euphemism for what grandma called Tarnish. Now if we only used the word "toning" to refer to colorful tarnish, then we might draw a difference. But we don't. Toning is any change in color of a coin's surface color.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">What causes toning? Chemical reaction with things in the air. Most traditional silver tarnish is Silver Sulfide caused mostly by Hydrogen Sulfide. Speculation is that most people who tone coins chemically use Hydrogen Sulfide. However, I'm sure there are lots of things that can cause a chemical reaction with silver that might be colorful. Would you store your silver dollars with your pool chemicals? There are reports that lots of items including taco bell napkins are effective in accelerating toning. (note the choice of verb).
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Ok, I'm not a chemist and I'll welcome correction from a chemist. But I'm a physicist and remember a lot of chemistry. Toning is a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions all proceed at a rate. "Natural" toning proceeds at a very slow rate. The rate of a chemical reaction depends on a lot of things: concentrations of the reactants, temperature, presence of catalysts, etc. Toning isn't rocket chemistry. It happens naturally with air…so it shouldn't be hard to figure out what causes toning and accelerate it (there's that verb again.). But the results of properly accelerated toning should be the same as "natural" toning, the rate of the reaction was just higher. There is nothing magical about time when it comes to chemistry. Sure, initial attempts might result in different colors or different appearance but we have excellent results (for sale and in people's collections) that indicate that with proper technique, "natural" looking toning can be obtained in the "laboratory".
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So to become good at accelerating the toning of coins, what do you need to do? I'd guess that you need to be persistent, willing to try lots of things until you get it right, and have good lab technique. I would guess that some coins that experts call "AT" are those suffering from bad lab technique. But in reality, there is NO WAY that any expert can tell for sure that an evil person has toned a coin on purpose unless he was there. If I were to open my dead relative's foot locker and find brilliantly toned coins that had been there for 50 years, so brilliant that none like that had ever been seen before, 9 of 10 experts would quickly pronounce them AT because nothing had been seen like that before so it must be artificial, right? I'm sure that NT coins have been called AT just as it is clear that AT coins have been slabbed.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Now many of you will try to make a difference with intent. You'll say that if one intended to change a coin, it is wrong and the coin is AT. If you didn't, that's ok (NT). So the stupid person who puts his inherited Morgans in the garage next to the pool chemicals and finds wild color is ok? Or is he a doctor? I'm sure the opinions would be severely divided on this one too.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So why do "experts" claim to be able to tell the difference? Because they are experts. Non-scientists NEED experts to make them feel better. In the last several days there have been a lot of suggestions that MOC should do good by teaching people to tell the difference. YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE. Remember, he got caught by matching numbers, not by an expert leaning back in his chair and saying, "I've concluded beyond a shadow of a doubt that this coin is AT." I'm surprised that nobody has stepped forward and said, "yep, now that I look at MOCs coins I can tell they're AT." That's what the supposed experts usually do.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So the bottom line is: Toning is toning. It is a chemical reaction and trying to call it Natural or Artificial has no scientific basis. Trying to apply some other popular definition will not stand the test of time. Coins and coin grades need to stand the test of time. So I predict that toned coins will become more common. People who like them should continue to like them but some won't. Premiums will come down just as they did with dipped coins.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Another way of saying this: Coins are physical objects. The grade is based on physical properties. TPGs provide, in my opinion, a great service by making this physical condition well described and certified. But since there is no physical difference between "AT" and "NT", the distinction needs to go away.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">If I were a TPG I would quit addressing toning and let collectors deal with it themselves. But I don't believe they will ever do that. They will continue to try to do their best call coins AT or NT. To back off would diminish their positions as experts.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">This is just my opinion. I welcome opposing opinions, especially if well thought out and scientifically based. Those of you who would prefer to just post a one-line response calling me a name are welcome to do that also. But I won't respond.
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Toning is a euphemism for what grandma called Tarnish. Now if we only used the word "toning" to refer to colorful tarnish, then we might draw a difference. But we don't. Toning is any change in color of a coin's surface color.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">What causes toning? Chemical reaction with things in the air. Most traditional silver tarnish is Silver Sulfide caused mostly by Hydrogen Sulfide. Speculation is that most people who tone coins chemically use Hydrogen Sulfide. However, I'm sure there are lots of things that can cause a chemical reaction with silver that might be colorful. Would you store your silver dollars with your pool chemicals? There are reports that lots of items including taco bell napkins are effective in accelerating toning. (note the choice of verb).
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Ok, I'm not a chemist and I'll welcome correction from a chemist. But I'm a physicist and remember a lot of chemistry. Toning is a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions all proceed at a rate. "Natural" toning proceeds at a very slow rate. The rate of a chemical reaction depends on a lot of things: concentrations of the reactants, temperature, presence of catalysts, etc. Toning isn't rocket chemistry. It happens naturally with air…so it shouldn't be hard to figure out what causes toning and accelerate it (there's that verb again.). But the results of properly accelerated toning should be the same as "natural" toning, the rate of the reaction was just higher. There is nothing magical about time when it comes to chemistry. Sure, initial attempts might result in different colors or different appearance but we have excellent results (for sale and in people's collections) that indicate that with proper technique, "natural" looking toning can be obtained in the "laboratory".
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So to become good at accelerating the toning of coins, what do you need to do? I'd guess that you need to be persistent, willing to try lots of things until you get it right, and have good lab technique. I would guess that some coins that experts call "AT" are those suffering from bad lab technique. But in reality, there is NO WAY that any expert can tell for sure that an evil person has toned a coin on purpose unless he was there. If I were to open my dead relative's foot locker and find brilliantly toned coins that had been there for 50 years, so brilliant that none like that had ever been seen before, 9 of 10 experts would quickly pronounce them AT because nothing had been seen like that before so it must be artificial, right? I'm sure that NT coins have been called AT just as it is clear that AT coins have been slabbed.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Now many of you will try to make a difference with intent. You'll say that if one intended to change a coin, it is wrong and the coin is AT. If you didn't, that's ok (NT). So the stupid person who puts his inherited Morgans in the garage next to the pool chemicals and finds wild color is ok? Or is he a doctor? I'm sure the opinions would be severely divided on this one too.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So why do "experts" claim to be able to tell the difference? Because they are experts. Non-scientists NEED experts to make them feel better. In the last several days there have been a lot of suggestions that MOC should do good by teaching people to tell the difference. YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE. Remember, he got caught by matching numbers, not by an expert leaning back in his chair and saying, "I've concluded beyond a shadow of a doubt that this coin is AT." I'm surprised that nobody has stepped forward and said, "yep, now that I look at MOCs coins I can tell they're AT." That's what the supposed experts usually do.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So the bottom line is: Toning is toning. It is a chemical reaction and trying to call it Natural or Artificial has no scientific basis. Trying to apply some other popular definition will not stand the test of time. Coins and coin grades need to stand the test of time. So I predict that toned coins will become more common. People who like them should continue to like them but some won't. Premiums will come down just as they did with dipped coins.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Another way of saying this: Coins are physical objects. The grade is based on physical properties. TPGs provide, in my opinion, a great service by making this physical condition well described and certified. But since there is no physical difference between "AT" and "NT", the distinction needs to go away.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">If I were a TPG I would quit addressing toning and let collectors deal with it themselves. But I don't believe they will ever do that. They will continue to try to do their best call coins AT or NT. To back off would diminish their positions as experts.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">This is just my opinion. I welcome opposing opinions, especially if well thought out and scientifically based. Those of you who would prefer to just post a one-line response calling me a name are welcome to do that also. But I won't respond.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o></o></FONT></FONT>0
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