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How to tone a coin

ZoharZohar Posts: 6,698 ✭✭✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
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.

image
Habsburg Talers

TalerUniverse.com is a curated numismatic project dedicated to the silver talers, crowns, and medals of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, spanning the 16th–18th centuries. The collection emphasizes historically significant issues, rare mint varieties, and high-grade NGC/PCGS examples, presented with detailed historical context, scholarly references, and high-resolution photography. TalerUniverse aims to serve both as a private collection showcase and a growing reference resource for collectors, researchers, and students of early-modern European coinage.

Comments

  • TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,931 ✭✭✭✭✭
    How to naturally tone a coin? Leave it out of a slab and wait about 100 years image

    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:

    imageimage
    Instagram: 8 Reales Numis
  • ZoharZohar Posts: 6,698 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thank you!

    Anywhere specific the envelope should be kept?
    Habsburg Talers

    TalerUniverse.com is a curated numismatic project dedicated to the silver talers, crowns, and medals of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, spanning the 16th–18th centuries. The collection emphasizes historically significant issues, rare mint varieties, and high-grade NGC/PCGS examples, presented with detailed historical context, scholarly references, and high-resolution photography. TalerUniverse aims to serve both as a private collection showcase and a growing reference resource for collectors, researchers, and students of early-modern European coinage.
  • HussuloHussulo Posts: 2,953 ✭✭✭
    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.



    CoinsGB (Free British coin reference website) | Gold Sovereigns
  • ZoharZohar Posts: 6,698 ✭✭✭✭✭
    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.
    Habsburg Talers

    TalerUniverse.com is a curated numismatic project dedicated to the silver talers, crowns, and medals of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, spanning the 16th–18th centuries. The collection emphasizes historically significant issues, rare mint varieties, and high-grade NGC/PCGS examples, presented with detailed historical context, scholarly references, and high-resolution photography. TalerUniverse aims to serve both as a private collection showcase and a growing reference resource for collectors, researchers, and students of early-modern European coinage.
  • JimKJimK Posts: 605
    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
  • ormandhormandh Posts: 3,111 ✭✭✭
    Here is a little something on toning.

    Toning
    Numismasource ebay store
  • laurentyvanlaurentyvan Posts: 4,243 ✭✭✭
    Keep the envelope in something made of wood, that usually helps I've heard.

    Old coin albums as well...
    One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
    is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
  • IloiloKanoIloiloKano Posts: 1,051
    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.
    My US-PI One Centavo Circulation Strikes (1903-1944)
  • JZraritiesJZrarities Posts: 2,583 ✭✭✭
    Taco Bell Napkin
  • LancastercoinLancastercoin Posts: 251
    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.
  • ColinCMRColinCMR Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭
    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
  • ZoharZohar Posts: 6,698 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thanks all. Right now I have it in envelope in a cigar box. Will leave it there for a few months and see progress.
    Habsburg Talers

    TalerUniverse.com is a curated numismatic project dedicated to the silver talers, crowns, and medals of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, spanning the 16th–18th centuries. The collection emphasizes historically significant issues, rare mint varieties, and high-grade NGC/PCGS examples, presented with detailed historical context, scholarly references, and high-resolution photography. TalerUniverse aims to serve both as a private collection showcase and a growing reference resource for collectors, researchers, and students of early-modern European coinage.
  • IloiloKanoIloiloKano Posts: 1,051
    You found a cigar box?
    My US-PI One Centavo Circulation Strikes (1903-1944)
  • ZoharZohar Posts: 6,698 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Had one for quite some time where I stored stuff. I will give this a run.
    Habsburg Talers

    TalerUniverse.com is a curated numismatic project dedicated to the silver talers, crowns, and medals of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, spanning the 16th–18th centuries. The collection emphasizes historically significant issues, rare mint varieties, and high-grade NGC/PCGS examples, presented with detailed historical context, scholarly references, and high-resolution photography. TalerUniverse aims to serve both as a private collection showcase and a growing reference resource for collectors, researchers, and students of early-modern European coinage.
  • theboz11theboz11 Posts: 6,576 ✭✭✭
    My Oak Curio cabinet has done some very nice toning on silver medals in just a couple yearsimage
    My Medals collection

    FOR SALE Items
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