Silver Trimes - Why Are So Many Beautifully Toned?
GuzziSport
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Not a fierce collector of silver three cent pieces, I have only one, but I’m wondering why so many of the higher grade pieces are so beautifully toned? Is it because so many were left alone, or because so many are played with? Curious if there is consensus on that (dubious?) observation.
4
Comments
1851-1853 - .750
That’s a really insightful point about how many high-grade silver three-cent pieces show such beautiful toning. I think you’re right to wonder whether it comes from being handled or left alone. From what I’ve seen (and read from long-time collectors), the consensus leans strongly toward the latter — most of these coins were simply tucked away early on and allowed to tone naturally over decades. Because the denomination wasn’t widely used, a surprising number survived in uncirculated condition, often stored in paper envelopes or early album pages that encouraged those classic rainbow hues.
Another factor that seems to matter a lot is the coin’s tiny size. The trime’s high surface-area-to-volume ratio makes its thin silver layer more reactive to the environment than larger coins. Even mild exposure to air, moisture, or sulfur in old paper can produce dramatic color changes over time. That, combined with the 90% silver / 10% copper alloy, seems to make them ideal “canvases” for toning. In that sense, yes — the “area” of the coin absolutely contributes, just not in the geometric sense most of us would first think of.
Of course, there’s always the question of how many of these pieces have been artificially enhanced. Because toned trimes are so small and eye-catching, some have probably been “helped along,” which can make it tricky to separate the naturally toned from the tampered. But in general, the most striking toning seems to come from coins that were simply stored untouched for over a century. It’s a good reminder that sometimes the best way to preserve beauty in numismatics is to just let nature do its work.
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My experience as a type collected for 60 years is that those pieces are often spotty and ugly. I think the OP is looking more at the .900 pieces, 1854 to ‘73.
I seen numerous early trimes that have attractive tone more often coppery opposed to colorful but I argee mottled is most common which is why so many are dipped.
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I think it might be related to type albums or pages with slides. The silver trimes are thinner so more space for them inside Wayte Raymond, Whitman, Dansco pages .... The trimes inside the old pages had more room between slides for the gases to take effect.
Perhaps, and this is just a guess, it is because the nicer ones were collected in the age of paper envelopes.
Interesting comments about earlier issues. Dave Kahn has a very pleasing ‘52 on his site, and indeed it’s more of an attractive (to my eyes) grey dirt. Interesting coins.
I heard it’s just the Type 3 ones that are easy to find toned. I looked into it and couldn’t find nice toned ones for type 1 and 2 for my circulated type sets, but my type 3 is nicely toned. I remember reading why this was so on this forum, I think it was either Bill Jones or Tom B., maybe both contributing to the same thread, but I’m not sure, but there was a legit sounding reason why the type 1 and 2 aren’t usually nicely toned.
Mr_Spud
I picked this one up pushing 20 years ago. I wasn’t looking for one specifically (toned or not), but I couldn’t pass it up at a show.
Here’s what AI says about why type 1 and 2 aren’t toned as nice as 3. But I asked it in a way that assumes 3 tones nicer.
Mr_Spud
I had similar thoughts of sort. With the coins being so small and thin (thus very low relief on an absolute level) I wonder if it made contact with toning sources easier. Paper is that much more likely to touch most of the coin—fields and devices—when pressed on it. In an album, even the middle of the coin is within millimeters of the cardboard surrounding it, where on a large coin, the middle could be a few centimeters away. Overall, perhaps just a higher ratio of contact and distance to the toning source than other coins.
That’s a great looking type 2!
Mr_Spud
FYI, here’s my type 1, 2, and 3. I couldn’t find any nice AU58s or AU55s for my circulated type sets, but the type 3 was easy to find. I still keep an eye out for some nicely toned 1s and 2s, but still haven’t found any. It might be different/harder to find nicely toned ones that are circulated a bit.
Mr_Spud
My understanding is that these pieces had a propensity for being stored in coin boards... I do not know where that came from but I had an old dealer in NJ tell me this year's ago... I took it at face value and have never thought about it again until now..
I have a few comments:
This reads like AI-generated text. Is it? If it is, ignore everything after this.
How would the thinness of a trime make it any more prone to toning than a thicker coin?
Where is the relationship between coin size and likelihood that it is artificially toned? If anything, I would make a guess that there are more artificially toned coins larger than a half dollar than there are ones smaller than a half dollar, since silver dollars and ASEs are common and have high toning premiums.
The only unnatural toning I've ever seen on trimes is album rainbow toning over cleaned surfaces. I don't think that counts as "helping it along", since it's more than likely the person who cleaned their coin liked it better untoned.
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I had quite the opposite reaction to the @pcgsregistrycollector post. I thought it was quite informative. I am now curious to know if AI played a role. if so it is the first time it has not made a mistake that stopped me in my tracks for being so dazzling stupid. also, are you basing your statement on personal experience? I am only newly looking at these small coins so I am seeking any and all information i can get. James
What always bothered my more is the ones that are blast white. After all silver tones…clearly dipped but lots of people want them nice and silver. At the end of the day beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Btw the AI info is based on info that is published over the net. Like anything else on AI be careful as it’s not 100% accurate
Here’s a pair of toned type 2’s in 45.
AI response to numismatic questions is an illuminating example of its shortcomings; the information it regurgitates may or may not be accurate.
For example, I recently made a research query about the surface color of original circulated classic US coinage and it returned a result informed by _one of my own comments _on a thread on this board from a couple years ago.
I know a thing or two, but I’m not a professional numismatist by any stretch and am well aware of my knowledge gaps, so being cited in the AI response to a question I myself was asking was pretty eye opening.
Yeah, I noticed before too that AI often pulls from this forum when coin questions are asked. I use AI for doing literature searches for solving problems at work, I’m head of R&D for a company that makes softgel capsules, and I usually have to read the sources it pulls info from to get the whole picture. It sometimes takes things out of context so you have to be careful. But it gives nice succinct responses that are really useful, once I verify they are legit by reading the source material it pulls from.
Those circulated type 2 toners are awesome, gives me hope/motivation to keep looking for some for my circulated type sets 👍🏻
Mr_Spud