1954 proof withawesome toning

[BadThad]

Well, I checked the site and no recipes for what I have. Laying it on wire should cause contact marks so I will try to balance the coin on a cookie sheet...but even that sounds a bit difficult unless I can find a perfectly flat cookie sheet and a perfectly level oven. Then trying to see the results would probably cause it to fall.
I will give it a try on Monday, but may I ask if you've actually tried this at home ?

This is a VERY easy experiment. I would NOT use a proof coin. There's no need for that. Simply find a BU copper cent and use that. Heat a stove top burner, drop the cent on it and watch it. After a few seconds, remove it and let it cool. I've experimented with quite a few cents. It will also fry off the brown patina on a circ cent. I once had a nice BU cent with carbon spotting all over it. The cook method removed ALL of the carbon spots...heating is an excellent method of coin cleaning, it will also vaporize verdigris. The problem is the distinctive, baked look when your done.

Another interesting facet is that the melting points of tin and zinc are lower than copper. When you get the coin hot enough, the tin/zinc will migrate to the surface and, when the coin cools, you'll have a "sliver cent".

All collectors should experiment cooking coins so they understand how they look. There's plenty of these "toned" coins on the market. Sometimes they are intentionally created, other times by accident....but they are out there.

http://www.lincolncentresource.net/forums/showpost.php?p=16532&postcount=8

[BadThad]

When looking at toned coins, there are two states; natural toning (NT) and artificial toning (AT). I am not much on toning, but I would question whether your coin is NT or AT. The splotching of the toning would lead me to believe that it was AT and not NT. However, I maybe wrong.

BJ Neff

While those are the generally accepted market terms, I do not like them. Depending on the expertise of the person intentionally toning a coin, it is impossible to differentiate the two. This topic has been beaten to death on the various internet coin forums for a few years. I much prefer the terms "market acceptable toning" and "market unacceptable toning" and really wish the TPG's would move to using "market unacceptable toning" on the coins they bag.

[liveandievarieties]

I do like your idea Thad, market-acceptable vs unacceptable. But that could open a pandora's box. As I understand it, TPGs, especially PCGS are leery of toning because for decades artificial toning has been used to hide certain flaws on a coin.

I'm not much of an "experimenter", but I have seen people's work where they've taken a dull unc. coin and turned it into a bright, vibrant example which you'd expect to grade quite high on the MS scale. Where and how do you draw the line? Grading alone seems to be so subjective, hard to imagine the firestorm of opinions and battles with TPGs that it would create. I think the TPGs liability of guarantee would keep them from ever considering it.

[jallengomez]

Still haven't found my rolls yet, but did find a couple of stray 1977 Proofs and also a 1956 Business Strike. Never could get the timing right for the rainbow toning, but here are some results. I posted the 1964 for comparison. It's a natural end roll toner. Notice how with the heated coins the toning looks like it's sitting on the surface, whereas the end roll toning looks much deeper.

[Maineman750]

While those are cool, they do stick out as AT. I'm still thinking mine is NT and BadThad only reinforced that thought. Are these some you had already done, or some you just did ? I've tried to balance a cent on a cookie sheet and it just won't happen.Am going to borrow a hotplate type sheet which might be thick enough that it doesn't move when heated.Am going to try some of Thad's experiments too.

[jallengomez]

While those are cool, they do stick out as AT. I'm still thinking mine is NT and BadThad only reinforced that thought. Are these some you had already done, or some you just did ? I've tried to balance a cent on a cookie sheet and it just won't happen.Am going to borrow a hotplate type sheet which might be thick enough that it doesn't move when heated.Am going to try some of Thad's experiments too.

I just did these. It will not matter about balancing it. The nickel was done on a cookie sheet with the reverse side down.

[Maineman750]

Yes,I can see the difference on the nickel...I'm assuming that one side will be different on all of them because of that.Those are some nice pictures by the way.

[jallengomez]

Yes,I can see the difference on the nickel...I'm assuming that one side will be different on all of them because of that.Those are some nice pictures by the way.

Thanks Maineman. Actually the 1956 Business strike was done the same way, and even though I didn't post a photo of the reverse, it came out looking identical to the obverse. I'm not sure why the nickel looked different.

[wolfkill]

i remeber back in the 70s those toned nickels were abig thing,i got sucker into buying those toners i thought they were great!ha!

[Maineman750]

"I'm not sure why the nickel looked different"

I had expected it because of the temperature difference...much like how a cookie can burn on the bottom but not the top.Not having tried it, I was only guessing.

[Roller]

Just wondering; are you folks burying these altered coins in the back yard or returning them to circulation? Frankly this entire "experiment" makes me feel uneasy and I find it questionable for us to continue. We all expect authentic coins in purchase and searches. This post seems like a tutorial for how to alter coins.

[Maineman750]

We eat them I understand what you're saying, but unfortunately, there are tuitorials all over the internet and as BadThad suggested, learning how it's done is actually and educational tool for the collector.If only a few people know how, they can fool a lot of people.If everybody knows, the gig is up.

[Roller]

We eat them I understand what you're saying, but unfortunately, there are tuitorials all over the internet and as BadThad suggested, learning how it's done is actually and educational tool for the collector.If only a few people know how, they can fool a lot of people.If everybody knows, the gig is up.

I guess you like them fried. Bon apetit.

[jallengomez]

I agree with Maineman. It's not like we're handing over the nuclear briefcase; this stuff has been going on for decades and it's good for people to educate themselves on what is possible. Now the scary recipes are the ones that aren't all over the internet and are fooling even the experts. Just me personally though, I think toned coins are toned coins and I don't draw a distinction between "natural vs. unnatural" when it comes to me personally. I think if someone likes the look of a coin, then they should keep it and be proud of it. Who cares how it got to look like that? Even cooked coins are almost like snowflakes, and there are no two alike. My concern is that people might spend money on trying to get a TPG to sanction them as "market acceptable" and lose money doing so.

[Maineman750]

"I don't draw a distinction between "natural vs. unnatural"

That's my thinking too,what's the difference if it sat in front of a window for 10,20,30 years or in an oven for two minutes...if it looks the same,it is the same. I'd be willing to bet there are many slabbed coins out there that were AT, if you can actually define AT.