What Happened To My Coin ?

mojjax · Jan 23, 2019

I bought this online back 2008 . I looked at it once and then I wrapped it in a piece of paper towel and stuck it in a small ziplock . I came across it today , it's all rainbow colors - gold , purple , greenish hues . What causes that ?

Icewing · Jan 23, 2019

My guess is chemicals in the paper towel have caused it to tarnish (or tone).

What is Coin Toning? How Does It Affect Coins and Their Value? | Coin News

Tommybuckets · Jan 23, 2019

Acid, sulpher or chemicals in the paper.

huntsman53 · Jan 23, 2019

Icewing said:
My guess is chemicals in the paper towel have caused it to tarnish (or tone).

What is Coin Toning? How Does It Affect Coins and Their Value? | Coin News

Yep as the paper towel began to breakdown (really not visible to the eye), the chemical reaction of the degradation produced gases and possibly heat that toned the coin.

mojjax · Jan 23, 2019

I wonder if what was in the ziplock before helped the toning process ?

jeff of pa · Jan 23, 2019

Some Plastics will Also Destroy Coins https://www.pcgs.com/news/proper-coin-storage

Anduril · Jan 23, 2019

jeff of pa said:
Some Plastics will Also Destroy Coins https://www.pcgs.com/news/proper-coin-storage

Following-up what Jeff said... some (in fact, most) plastic bags are air permeable.
From memory: polypropylene bags allow air in directly through the plastic itself, over time, even when very tightly sealed.
Polyethylene bags do not.

It's a quick experiment you can run yourself:
Just get some dry color-indicating desiccant gel and seal it up in the suspect bag... then wait it out.

So my guess is the coin discoloration was caused by air penetration into the bag (or, depending on the bag - the bag itself!!), and probably not the paper towel.
But I admit, I don't know what kinds of chemicals are in paper towels, but they don't strike me as something that would off-gas readily.
I suppose there could be acids in the paper. I don't really know.

Charlie P. (NY) · Jan 23, 2019

PVC, used in some plastics and the older coin flips, will tone coins. Here's a nice one that was in a desk and picked up a tone from the papers(?) in the desk.

Carlitosway2 · Jan 23, 2019

I think it’s pretty cool mishap! Some people pay a premium for toned coins my self included. Try it with some BU American Silver Eagles, they seem to get a more unique tone than others. :icon_thumright:

tamrock · Jan 24, 2019

Prolonged exposure to air pollution.

namxat · Jan 24, 2019

Hi there,

a nice rainbow coloring makes a silver coin more attractive imho, so I would leave it as it is. If you cant stand it, I would advice the aluminum foil, salt and boiling water method.

Thats a little off-topic but is it legal to mint private coins, name them e.g. Freedom Dollar and to cirulate them? I smell possibilities.... and mine will not tarnish (Stainless Steel will do! Digital will maybe do even better!).

Greets Namxat

MidMoTreasure · Jan 25, 2019

namxat said:
Thats a little off-topic but is it legal to mint private coins, name them e.g. Freedom Dollar and to cirulate them? I smell possibilities.... and mine will not tarnish (Stainless Steel will do! Digital will maybe do even better!).

Kind of. The creator of the Freedom Dollar, Bernard Von NotHaus, was charged and convicted by a jury of a violation of 18 USC 486, which prohobits anyone from minting coins that are intended for use as current money. The prosecutors argued a broad interpretation of the statute - that no one could make coins that Americans could use in commerce. Von NotHaus argued that his coins were not similar to any circulating US money, and that they were not a substitute for American currency, but they could be exchanged and traded much like bullion and foreign money. The judge agreed with the prosecution's jury instructions, and basically tied the jury's hands.

Legal and financial commentators still debate the outcome today. Some think that the law should be changed to specify that counterfeiting US money is illegal, but private coins should be allowed for trade. The Secret Service did end up returning the Liberty Dollars that they seized. I believe Liberty Dollars are still being traded today.

A2coins · Jan 25, 2019

Great post and it looks pretty cool to me.

Joe-Dirt · Jan 26, 2019

Huh, who knew

sagittarius98 · Jan 26, 2019

Yes, this is toning and very nice, if you ever sold it it would bring a good premium over a regular silver colored one. Don't try and remove the toning.