Does anyone know what striking condition causes a silver coin to look "frosty" ? Is this considered a positive, negative, or neutral attribute? Is it generally popular, or do most people try to avoid those coins? If anyone can summarize all the types of strikes and their relative value or popularitiy, that would be great I can only think of some types of strikes: Prooflike or Mirrored Matte Satin Frosty If there is an old thread on this, let me know
As with toning, I think you would find a similar consideration on Frost. On old time coins such as Morgans, frost is thought to occur from crystallization of the areas in the depth of a die from repetitive pressure of the strikes, or one authors comment that some specimen strikes show frost, from similar crystallization due to higher pressure die hubbing. The crystallization produces variations in depth of the metal surface, and these microscopic variations are then imposed on the higher surface of the blank when striking, and since then are random, chaotic, they produce the diffuse reflection of frost. Now this can be done artificially by sandblasting the inside of a die and then polishing only the high areas ( which are fields and won't show the frost), leaving the sandblasted inner areas frosted ( modern mint technique). So for these coins, frost is normal and even though some place higher value on it, it is intended. Frost can also be chemically added to a coin to enhance reduced frost ( such as after dipping too much), or add frost to a coin that didn't have it.Truly AF ( artificial frosting ) Jim
The slowing of molecular movement and the formation of crystals within the molecules as the temp is reduced to 32 F and below. Ice generally forms after that... LOL Jim you beat me to it. You know I am just foolin around right? RickieB
great info thank you! are frosty coins less popular (will it cause a coin to be downgraded or sell for less?)
It's not a striking condition. At least not in the way I would use those terms. Frost, is only ever caused by one thing - die preparation. For there to be frost on the devices of a coin the die has to be intentionally prepared to cause that frosted effect. What it amounts to is simple, the recessed surfaces of the die are roughed up. There are, if you could look close enough pitted. But that pitting is done to such an extent that virtually every microscopic pit touches all of the other adjoining microscopic pits. When you realize that this frost effect is created by using any of several different methods such as acid, sandblasing, or a laser, then it is easier to understand the pitting I am talking about. And of course since a coin has the opposite of whatever a die has - a depression on a die is bump on a coin - all those microscopic pits in the die create microscopic bumps on the coin. It is those bumps that create the frost. Yes frost is always considered to be a positive. But given the picture you are using, and the term frosty you are using, it is also important to understand that when somebody says a Morgan is frosty, that doesn't mean the same thing that using the word frost means. The word frosty is typically used to describe Morgans that have the same look as the one in your picture. Yes, the devices of most Morgans have frost, but not all Morgans are described as frosty. When you use frosty it is used when trying to describe the look of the fields more than anything else. And that frosty look is caused by nothing more than luster and the early stages of toning. Now there are other coins that sometimes have a frosty look to them, but Morgans are far and away the most common. But in all cases it is caused by the same thing. Those are not types of strikes, they are types of finishes and they have nothing to do with strike. And frosty is not even a type of finish. All finishes are the result of inetentional die preparation. Your color adjectives are just that - adjectives. They have been used over the years to describe the way a coin looks, nothing more and nothing less.
I swear to God ya'll, I saw the title of this thread and first thought what causes actual frost, frost as in freezing frost! Still, frosty Morgans have to have the best eye appeal.
