Rainbow color.... ??

[USTiger]

Hi all

what is the course of the rainbow color on coins.. like this Morgan for sale at Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTIMATE-RAINBOW-MORGAN-PCGS-ONE-OF-A-KIND_W0QQitemZ120092194495QQihZ002QQcategoryZ139812QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

USTiger

 

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[waseeker]

I'm going to guess that you mean what caused the rainbow toning.

It comes from the manner in which the coin was stored. Most likely it was in a wrapper, album or other storage media which had sulfur or some other chemical that was transferred from the wrapper to the surface of the coin.

This toning comes in many colors and depends on how, where and for how long the coin was stored. It can range from very attractive golds, reds, greens & blues to very ugly black.

Toned coins (like others) seem to go through cycles of popularity. Back in the 60's & 70's when I was active in collecting, most folks didn't like the tone and "dipped" the coins to remove the toning. At the current time they seem to be popular again and are demanding premium prices.

To collect or not collect toned coins is a matter of personal preference. Some folks love them and other consider toning to be damage to the coin and won't buy them.

hope this helps.

 

[USTiger]

thanks for the reply .. now i know it is a Defect hehe .. i sure wont collect them .. hehe

USTiger

 

[goldinmypan]

I'm seeing a lot of clad JFKs with various degrees of toning. I doubt these have been sitting in wrappers for long enough to tone them naturily. So my question is are they being dipped into some chemical or heated or ?
I've no interest in collecting them since the coins themself are only worth face value but they can be pretty.

 

[hasbeen]

Don't know what is causing the toning on the clad coins.At Christmas time I sorted and roller several thouand dollars in coin from the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettles. I noticed a large number of the States Quarter series with a golden tone usually only on one side.No amount of rubbing would remove it,I would guess it is due to a chemical reaction of some type.

hasbeen

 

[djui5]

thanks for the reply .. now i know it is a Defect hehe .. i sure wont collect them .. hehe

USTiger

You should reconsider, as some of the rainbow coins are fetching the highest prices...especially if it's a rare piece.

 

[USTiger]

well if i find some i will sell them .. and for the money i will buy coin for my collection

USTiger

 

[eagle77]

You can buy chemicals to produce toning on ebay. Don't know if it actually works or not.

Coins that are naturally toned achieve top dollar. There are methods to determine is the toning is natural or not.
I typically am very skeptical of the actual rainbow toned ones.

 

[gold fish]

Natural toning is pretty rare, and usually doesn't cover the whole coin, at least not without a circular orientation to the tone, and usually some "color" on th other side. There are many "fake"(artificially) toned coins being sold on E-bay, and for the most part they can be treated as intentionally damaged(much like "holing"). A truly age toned coin is so valuable because the re-action that produces the color is very rare, and true toning is proof the coin has never been cleaned. If you want to buy a toned coin, go to a reputable dealer and see the coin first hand, but don't expect t oget them cheap.

That being said, I knew nothing about toned coins before purchasing one at auction for a little over $15, they had it listed as "damaged", this morgan lists at about $300, because of the coloring, it doesn't show well in the scan, but the bottom edge is a brilliant dark electric blue-

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Rainbow toning, as noted, comes and goes as a desireable feature. You shouldn't pay any more for it unless you really want to. It does not alter the value or grade of the coin to a "neutral" buyer, or to a grading service. Coins used to be displayed in open trays and the air with imporities like glue vapors and esters in the drawer felt would cause that tone. Now they can be dipped.

Some guys like the painted coins. Abominations.

Here's a circulated Morgan I like that has a cameo toning. Just tarnish that has rubbed off the high spots. Kind of neat.

The 50¢ piece I showed earlier. It has a "case hardened" toning with blues and golds. This one was in an old desk that had been my great aunt's. It had a fine coat of dust and , like a dummy (I was 13 or so), I wiped it off and thus scratched the toning. Oh well. Probably lost in the back of that desk for 60 years. You can see the "shadow" where the dust wasn't below the date. Just tarnish.

If you know anyone with a coal burning stove or furnace you can "tone" a silver coin in a few seconds by waving it through the lit firebox. Sulphur in the air "tones" 'em like nobody's business.

 

[gold fish]

Don't care if it's desirable or not, charlie, that is a BEAUTIFUL 1900 rainbow. Right now they seem to be in vogue, that coin is probably worth a pretty penny(no pun intended).

 

[staceysallaboutu]

IF you take a coin and bake it in a potato at over 400 degrees for 30 min the toning will appear. (I tried it it worked 1 out of 4 times in my case) Another way ive heard of it being done is to set the coin on a peice of oak in the sun and the coin is supose to turn.(I have not tried this method). Or place a coin in an envelope with sulfer to turn it quickly. There are aot of ways to get the rainbow result without time being the main factor so dont get suckered into the hype that they are worth more..

Stacey