How to tone a coin

Zohar

Hi all,

I have this relatively hard to find Taler which I purchased raw. It has quite nice details yet had been cleaned. How would I tone it naturally? I currently have it in an envelope.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

TwoKopeiki

How to naturally tone a coin? Leave it out of a slab and wait about 100 years

A different question is this: "Is it still natural toning if you expose it to an environment to accelerate the natural progression?"

Tone the coin you have to expose it to and environment containing sulfur. Old yellow coin envelopes contained trace amounts of it, so placing a coin in one will give you toning in a couple of years. A few years back on the US forums one of the members used a yellow Taco Bell napkin (which apparently also contains sulfur) to get the desired toning in 6-8 months.

I have a box of yellow coin envelopes where I keep the blast white "less-than-undesirables". In the last 3 years a few exhibited some toning.

This 1842 was heavily dipped when I bought it in 2006. It took 4 years in an old yellow envelope to look this way:

Zohar

Thank you!

Anywhere specific the envelope should be kept?

Hussulo

Not all envelops will tone a coin the same. I think the more sulphur in the envelop the faster it will tone. Also leaving it somewhere warm like a windowsill in direct sunlight will help it along. Whether this is "natural" toning, the debates out, many might say it isn't and PCGS and other TGP's and dealers would still be able to see it has been cleaned (if displaying hairlines) under the toning and would tell the toning isn't natural ie sped up.

Zohar

I assume the sulphur exists in the typical yellow envelopes one uses in office. Will give this a try and take snapshots of coin over time.

JimK

Not sure, never tried it but- I understand exposure to wood (like a wooden box maybe) might take a little longer but would probably look more natural?
Let us know how your experiment turns out there Zohar.
Jim

ormandh

Here is a little something on toning.

Toning

laurentyvan

Keep the envelope in something made of wood, that usually helps I've heard.

Old coin albums as well...

IloiloKano

I had placed some wartime silver nickles in a drawer of a roll top desk a few years back, and when I found them again about six months ago they had toned beautifully, though they had never been cleaned and I did not intend to tone them when I placed them there. I suspect that aromatics associated with the wood may have contributed to speeding the process.

I no longer have the coins to take pictures, since I gave them to a forum member to pass out to his Young Notables class shortly after I discovered them again.

JZrarities

Taco Bell Napkin

Lancastercoin

Windowsill, no envelope, 8-12mo - don't forget to flip it over at some point. A rinse in acetone (and maybe soap&water before that, depending on the originality of the surfaces) is advisable.

ColinCMR

I've heard many things

sunlight
in a cigar box (will smell, and is one way of checking for AT)
buy one of the Royal Canadian Mint silver dollar boxes (like the 1971 RCMP silver dollar type of box) and store the coin in there

Zohar

Thanks all. Right now I have it in envelope in a cigar box. Will leave it there for a few months and see progress.

IloiloKano

You found a cigar box?

Zohar

Had one for quite some time where I stored stuff. I will give this a run.

theboz11

My Oak Curio cabinet has done some very nice toning on silver medals in just a couple years