Taco Bell Napkins and Re-Toning

Raybob15239

I want to try an experiment... I keep hearing about the old Taco Bell napkin trick to tone silver. I've found a nice, BU Morgan that was cleaned and has hairlines. Since its essentially a "melt value" coin now, I thought I'd give this a whirl...

So, how does one go about this process? Is there anything that needs to be done to the coin first? Do you just wrap it up and throw it in a drawer? Should I put it on the windowsill to get hit with sunlight? What about in the bathroom to get the moisture from showers? How long do I keep it wrapped? Should I leave it undisturbed or do I check on it periodically?

I figure the worst I would do is make it an ugly, black melt value coin, and I guess I could dip it... but maybe I end up with some wild colors? I figure, what the heck... Are there any folks here who have experience with this process who can point me in the right direction? Thanks!

Ray

silverdollarfitz

This is a good thread on another website for it. Read it recently. They say either put it in the sun for quicker toning, or leave it in a drawer or something for it to take longer.. others have different ways of wrapping the coin. ie just around the edge to give it toning from the outside in.

Taco Bell Toning

LanLord

Sounds like an interesting idea, but... just make sure not to start a thread about it on a coin collecting forum lest you be forever thought of as a coin doctor in training.

Raybob15239

Sounds like an interesting idea, but... just make sure not to start a thread about it on a coin collecting forum lest you be forever thought of as a coin doctor in training.

I prefer my Morgans blast white and would never engage in such nefarious activities. The reason for my wanting to try this experiment is to educate myself on artificial toning. I've got some other junk silver dollars and may try a few different ways to see how they turn out. I can always redip them to get them back to their prior, cleaned state...

PerryHall

I would rinse it in acetone to remove any contamination or body oils from the coin being handled with dirty hands. I would then wrap it in a Taco Bell or similar paper napkin and then put it in a warm, humid place such as on top of a hot water heater.

Robb

You may want to make it a pocket piece for a couple of months to work on the hairlines first.

If you are going on the heat and moisture theory, put it on the water heater for toning.

mbogoman

<< <i>and then put it in a warm, humid place such as on top of a hot water heater >>



Or in the case of my current experiment, on top of my DSL router, which generates quite a bit of constant and consistent heat.

a039

Napkin + Waterheater, just laying on top of the napkin. Yes it graded.

coinnut86

Robb

<< <i>Napkin + Waterheater, just laying on top of the napkin. Yes it graded.


>>



How long did it take?

shorecoll

I put a dozen blast white over-dipped AG barber halves in TB napkins on top of a water heater 6 mos ago, watered them about once a week for a couple of months, checked yesterday ...they're still blast white. Maybe whatever they were dipped in is TB napkin proof, they should patent it for that. 4 of them fell down behind the heater, maybe my kinds will get to see nice toning.

a039

It was between Six to Nine months.

Amigo

.I put a dozen blast white over-dipped AG barber halves in TB napkins on top of a water heater 6 mos ago, watered them about once a week for a couple of months, checked yesterday ...they're still blast white.

Same as my experience. I as well desired to see what the results would be to better tell AT.
I acetoned several silver coins. Wrapped in individual taco napkins. Place on the window seal to get direct sunlight a few hours a day. After about 4 mths, there was no change in the least. Wrapped them in new napkins, placed in the bathroom for the next 3 mths, again no change at all. Wrapped them in new napkins, put them in a glass case out on the porch with a water container inside to create humidity, again no change at all. Wrapped them in new napkins, put them in a flower pot with a piece of glass covering them, the Arizona sun baking them at probably 150 degrees or so thanks to the enclosed glass cover. Again, no change what so ever. This experiment took 11 mths in total. Darn if I can figure out why there was no toning.

relicsncoins

This was blast white and was placed in TP in a sunny windowsill for about 6 or 8 months. Checked it about once per month.



Here is a coin that is in an NGC holder.......eerily simmilar.

yellowkid

You are all probably familiar with the Louis Pasteur story? He was actually a coin collector who was trying to tone a five franc piece and that is what got him interested in microbiology, that rabies vaccine stuff and pasteurization came much later....... true story.

au58

Is the napkin supposed to be used or unused?

Robb

<< <i>Is the napkin supposed to be used or unused? >>



Well, you can pee on it first for extra sulfur content.

BBN

I currently have a frankie in a TB napkin in the garage. It's been about a year. Dry and very warm in the summer. After a few months it had a gold tone pattern in the same manner of the napkin texture. Now it's evenly gold tones.

MsMorrisine

<< <i>Sounds like an interesting idea, but... just make sure not to start a thread about it on a coin collecting forum lest you be forever thought of as a coin doctor in training. >>



Grampa Bell, Taco Bell, saved this morgan for me he got from change at a mexican food stand in this napkin. It's not artificially toned, it just happened that way.

Broadstruck

If you don't like the way it tones instead of dipping you can wrap it in this brand TP and place it on a window sill!

kingkoin56

Here is one I did using a tb napkin 4-03-09. Sat in my south window sill. Do not use a rubber band to hold napkin tight. You can see where it was tight. Seemed to tone very quickly.

InternetJunky

<< <i> Here is one I did using a tb napkin 4-03-09. Sat in my south window sill. Do not use a rubber band to hold napkin tight. You can see where it was tight. Seemed to tone very quickly. >>



You should just wrap the whole coin in rubberbands. Then the whole coin would tone blue.

partagas

This coin went into me chamber of secrets and came out

rodzm

Just a little bit off topic but within the toning subject. Does anyone here have any experience with toning coins using bank's canvas bags. My dad sent me some rolls of 09 nickels inside a canvas bag that he got from the bank and was wondering if the canvas bag will make a good toning environment for coins. If used could it tone coins at the same speed as Taco Bell napkins.

I guess that canvas bags may not tone the coins as rapidly as napkins or do they???

STONE

<< <i>Just a little bit off topic but within the toning subject. Does anyone here have any experience with toning coins using bank's canvas bags. My dad sent me some rolls of 09 nickels inside a canvas bag that he got from the bank and was wondering if the canvas bag will make a good toning environment for coins. If used could it tone coins at the same speed as Taco Bell napkins.

I guess that canvas bags may not tone the coins as rapidly as napkins or do they??? >>


Maybe wrapping the coin in a TB napkin and then inserting that in a Bank canvas bag would allow the coin to tone slightly different, and maybe with a different pattern!

ricko

Amazing, with all the fear and hatred of AT coins, so many people experimenting (just to see ) with napkins etc. It does work, but there are much better and faster methods to produce more interesting toning. Those canvas bags may produce the famous 'texture' pattern of the Battle Creek hoard (yeah, right) or you could use a fine grade of - nevermind, I do not want to give out more ideas. There is a plethora of AT coins on the market as it is... and most 'collectors' cannot differentiate. The fanatic search for 'color' is producing what may be the most profitable sector of the coin market right now. Cheers, RickO

ctf_error_coins

Here's my 2 cents worth. These taco bell toners are NT imo. I don't care about intent (silly aspect of it).

The coins were stored improperly, thus the toning. The old coins with "real NT toning" were stored improperly, thus the toning.

As long as no chemicals were placed ON the coin, if you store it improperly (many different ways) then imo you have NT.

The grading services may not agree with me. I could care less. If the toning looks great then it should get a premium.

I don't really collect toners, I do have a few, I collect errors so this is just a view from someone on the outside looking at it realistically.

PLUS I really like wild vibrant colors as you can see by my nature photography website. And yes my Nature Photos are NT and not AT.

rodzm

Well I placed a whole bunch of silver inside the canvas bag. Two ASE's wrapped in napkins and the rest of the silver inside the bag is a mixture of 64 Kennedy's, Walkers, ASE's, Engelhard prospectors, basically just a bunch of silver. I placed them on top of the dryer which is inside the bathroom. I usually gets hot and humid in there so we'll see what comes out