Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.
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| Ancient Coin With Red Toning. Source: ForumancientCoins.com link below. |
Yesterday I said a few words about red cents and patination on coins. Today I'll talk about patination and toning.
I often say a few words on a topic and leave the rest for you to figure out. I can't write a book everyday, but it usually takes more than what I can post to make any serious topic perfectly clear. There is always more that could be said, or perhaps, that should be said. Hopefully you'll use the links if you want to learn more.
On the ancient coin shown here you can see a touch of red, especially on Agrippa's face. Here is what the article says concerning the red on that coin.
Some have said this is artificial and the coin is tooled. It is from the same hoard as the Agrippa coin above [referring to another coin shown in the original article]. Most of the high-grade Agrippa ases in collections today are likely from this same hoard. It is not tooled and the patina is natural. Red is most often an indicator of harmful corrosion but in this case it is very thin red toning or patina on copper similar to that of highly collectible red U.S. pennies.
(The parentheses, underlining and bolding in the above paragraph were added by me.)
The same article says, Patina is the oxidized metal that coats many ancient bronze and copper coins. It is usually green, but can be many colors including blue and red. The main reason you want to preserve it is that it is usually attractive and the coin under the patina usually isn't as nice. A coin with an attractive patina is often worth more than a coin that does not have a patina at all. A common coin, like a common Constantine dynasty AE3, that has been stripped of its patina down to bare shinny metal is almost worthless...
And here is the link to the original article which shows a good variety of patinated coins, including, red, green, blue, brown and more. Good article with lots of photo examples.
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=patina
If you look through the listings of old silver coins on ebay, you'll often see listings including the term "rainbow patina." A rainbow patina on old silver coins is desired and brings a premium.
And here is a great article all about toning.
http://www.coinnews.net/2007/09/03/what-is-coin-toning-how-does-it-affect-coins-and-their-value-3565/
Here is a little from the beginning of that fine article.
Coin toning can intrinsically increase or decrease the value of coins. Natural coin toning can be quite beautiful. It can also be outrageously ugly...
Toning is a term that describes the discoloration or light patina that forms on the surface of coins due to oxygen and chemicals in the air acting on the metal. This oxidation can result in a variety and level of toning and also depends on the properties of the metal – silver, gold, copper, nickel, etc.
Toning is a slow and normal process that can take months to years to appear. Should you worry about toning? If you’re storing your coins properly, don’t. Unless a coin is in a vacuum, it’s going to start at some point.
A coin that’s toned is in a normal "stage" of its life...
In fact, you’ll hear coin collectors use the word toning often to a describe a coin’s natural and appealing discoloration.
That is another very good article.
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| Dug Pennies With A Couple Red Pennies In the Middle. |
Here are photos of some dug red pennies.
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| Red 1924 S Penny Bottom. |
One big treasure coin auction house told me that their customers preferred what they called "toned" cobs. They didn't mean totally black like they are usually found though.
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The surf on the Treasure Coast is up to around three or four feet. The wind is not good though. Nothing very promising in the predictions either.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net
