Why are many IHC Proofs so Colorfully Toned?

OneCent

They were issued by the mint wrapped in colored tissue paper?

Has anyone had the experience to see this mint wrapping "intact" or as issued by the mint with the IHC inside?

Shamika

<< <i>Why are many IHC Proofs so Colorfully Toned? >>

Could it be MS70?

CaptainRon

<< <i>

<< <i>Why are many IHC Proofs so Colorfully Toned? >>

Could it be MS70? >>




It's a shame that many gorgeous, naturally toned proof IHC's will now succomb to the fate of being ridiculed as being MS70'd

How does that saying go, about a few bad apples.

drwstr123

How does that saying go, about a few bad apples. .....saves nine.

RedneckHB

From the Eagle Eye website.......Beautiful toned proofs from the Prosky hoard. Coincidentally or not, Starting in 1878, it seems that one of the major coin dealers on the era, David Prosky, started buying up all the remaining specimens of the proof cents, 3 cent pieces, and 5 cent pieces leftover at the end of the year. This hoard of proofs was accumulated throughout the rest of Indian Cent series and numbered in the hundreds of coins per year. This group of Indian Cent proofs was still intact when the entire hoard was bought by Frederick C.C. Boyd, I believe around 1910. Later these were mostly all sold to Howard MacIntosh of Tatham Stamp & Coin Co. By this time the coins had mostly acquired beautiful iridescent purple toning and were advertised as such in their monthly ads in The Numismatist throughout the 1940's and 1950's. Today these purple toned beauties are very tough to find. Many have had their toning muted due to early rejection by PCGS and NGC. (They know better now and will most likely grade any original iridescent toned proof, if found) Although iridescent toned bronze coins invariably get graded as "Brown", they certainly don't trade anywhere near the "BN" bid. We accept iridescent toned coins labeled Brown as Red-Browns and price them accordingly.

Another hoard of Indian cents was owned by coin dealer Wayte Raymond (these may have been a subset of Proskey's coins). Raymond kept these coins at his summer home in Moutauck, NY - on Long Island by the salt air of the Atlantic Ocean! Needless to say these did not survive very well, and many spotted examples undoubtedly come from this source.

From the Heritage website......Beginning in 1878 and continuing beyond the end of the Indian Cent series, Philadelphia dealer David U. Proskey, as well as some others, began buying the Mint's entire stock of unsold minor coins. Many of the coins bought by Proskey remained in a huge hoard that was later passed to Wayte Raymond and F.C.C. Boyd. Raymond's coins were sold to various dealers in the early 1940s, among whom was Charles French. The latter's Troy, New York firm French's listed these proofs in ads in The Numismatist at this time. The Boyd part of the hoard was sold to Tatam Stamp and Coin of Springfield, Massachusetts. As a result of this distribution process, many post-1877 proof Indian Cents remained in the original Mint wrappers for anywhere from 30 to 60 years. These wrappers imparted iridescent blue, purple, and magenta toning to the surfaces. Although beautiful to behold, such coins typically receive a Brown color designation from one of the leading grading services.




It is a shame that recently a few have tried to replicate this toning and have slipped a few past the grading services. Still a wonderfully toned proof IHC is a joy to behold.

TwoSides2aCoin

Rick Snow knows these coins better than anyone.
I don't know the proofs, but I know copper. Copper proofs tend to react even worse than business strikes over time, after sitting in their original wrap or in albums... to a much greater degree than their counterparts minted for commerce.
Collectors, over the years, did their best to help a coin by "storing it" even if the storage was "improper", the colors that became part of the coin also created much suspicion as cohodk eloquently states above.... and then comes the "MS70"..and some coins benefited while some were hacked like a bad tribesman by the rest of us.
Way back in the old days, numismatists were not in great numbers and storage over time was probably not the greatest. We couldn't control our environment like we can now. Many of these coins are suspect, but their beauty is something to behold and they are really one of my favorites of all coins.

roadrunner

Aren't all IH cents beautifully toned?

roadrunner

LeeG

Super 1904 Dave!!!!!!!!

This ones not a proof, just a nice MS example:

LincolnCentMan

Most of them are artificially toned... even the ones in cerified holders... Had you ever seen one before five years ago? I know I didnt... and now they are everywhere. I wouldnt touch them with a ten foot pole.

-David

EagleEye

My new book (finished just today and off to the printer) has a whole section devoted to these coins. I talk candidly about them, their history and the on-again off-again collector acceptance of them.



Link to info and a page shot

EagleEye

Had you ever seen one before five years ago?

The Eliasberg collection was full of them.

CaptainRon

<< <i>My new book (finished just today and off to the printer) has a whole section devoted to these coins. I talk candidly about them, their history and the on-again off-again collector acceptance of them.



Link to info and a page shot >>




Any chance that you can change your sample page to the page discussing the toned proof IHC's

EagleEye

Any chance that you can change your sample page to the page discussing the toned proof IHC's

Just gotta wait for the book.

CaptainRon

Tease