How effective is sunlight for toning silver coins?

[Iron Patch]

Has anyone ever tried this for any length of time? I have a few silver with scratches that are obvious when the light catches them. I figured if the sun can tone a coin say over a year or so it would be a good way to dull a scratch. I've read sulfur does work, but would prefer to use a slower process and something more natural.

 

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[jasper62]

Have you ever heard of the Taco Bell Napkin method?I've got a couple of common date Mercs Wrapped up just for fun.Toning the coin will not ease the eye appeal of the scratch marks. Good luck with it
http://forums.collectors.com/messag...084826&STARTPAGE=1&ezquote=y&parentid=7084826

 

[Iron Patch]

Have you ever heard of the Taco Bell Napkin method?I've got a couple of common date Mercs Wrapped up just for fun.Toning the coin will not ease the eye appeal of the scratch marks. Good luck with it
http://forums.collectors.com/messag...084826&STARTPAGE=1&ezquote=y&parentid=7084826

No, never have... and yes it will ease it on the one coin I have in mind because it's fine to look straight on... it's just when the light catches it. Scratches don't bother me unless they shine.


You're link really does answer my question! Notice how the light doesn't catch the scratches as bad as the coin gets more toned. That's what I need to do.

 

[jasper62]

I looked at my mercs last night and after 4 weeks there's not much change in them.I'll keep them wrapped up for at least 6/8 months just for fun.Glad you liked the Link

 

[Iron Patch]

I looked at my mercs last night and after 4 weeks there's not much change in them.I'll keep them wrapped up for at least 6/8 months just for fun.Glad you liked the Link

Problem is there is no Taco Bell anywhere around here so I'll give the sunlight a shot. I'm definitely not in a hurry and would probably prefer a slow method.

 

[el_gral]

Hello,

I tried toning some of my uglier cleaned silver coins by leaving them in the sunlight over a whole summer last year but most of them had no toning whatsoever. Maybe a couple got a dull grayish color to them but nothing nice. I tried leaving them in different envelopes and paper like letter envelopes, manila envelopes, newspaper, notebook paper but nothing worked. By the way even thought it gets plenty warm here in MN but the sunlight isnt as intense as in other southern states so maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[Electronova]

The toning of coins is a chemical reaction that usually occurs with certain types of paper, cardboard, and canvas. Often times you will come across a coin that is only toned on one side. This occurs because the coin was in a coin folder or at the end of a bank roll for a long time. A coin that is toned on both sides is synthetically toned 99.9% of the time. If you want to synthetically tone a coin you probably want to wrap the coin loosely in canvas or cheap napkin or paper towel (the brown kind). This reaction will take a long time, but it can be sped up by adding energy to the system, in this case: heat. The trick is to heat them slowly. The best way to do this is to place the wrapped coins near or on a heat vent or a water heater.

If you want to test this out just for fun, all you have to do is get a torch and a junk quarter. First heat the torch up so you have a tight crackling flame and then place the quarter at the peak of the cone in the flame (use tongs). You will observe the coin heating up really quickly. Right before the quarter gets white hot, the rainbow tone will shimmer from the center of the coin to the outside really quickly. When toning a coin, the goal is to stop at this stage of the reaction. Not an easy feat.

 

[Silver Searcher]

http://rg.ancients.info/guide/toning.html

SS

 

[NHBandit]

Maybe it's me but looking at the pics on the link you provided the scratches look worse after toning.

 

[Iron Patch]

Maybe it's me but looking at the pics on the link you provided the scratches look worse after toning.

But they look like old scratches which is what I want and the ones on my coins are no where near as bad.

 

[BIG61AL]

I heard about toning differently. Most silver objects will tone in the ground but it's the heat from the sun that does it. unfortunately it tends to tone them black [silver oxide]. Certainly the fertilizer it gets at regular intervals does not help the coin either.

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

I believe some of the coin shops sell toning paper. I think its a black or dark blue paper envelope that requires the coin to stay sealed for a couple of years for best results? I believe this special paper has some kind of chemical reaction with the silver. Anyone else hear of this?