why are rainbow toned coins more valuable

I don't think they technically are, but on auctions the prices for these always skyrocket, from the ones I've seen at least. Is there something special about this, or just not too common in combination w/ a nice color?

 

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Rainbow toned coins have a huge following willing to pay premiums over the normal price for the grade, even if the rainbow coins have less than superior strikes and luster. Personally, I'm not a fan, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

All depends on how the toning on a coin looks..If it is ugly, it won't sell at a premium, most of the time
Rainbow toning, on coins, adds tremendous premiums, on artificially and natural toned coins
The reason AT coins sell so expensive is because, some buyers don't know better, and think if it is toned it is real, which is not always the case
Natural (NT) coins, that are very attractive and have nice vibrant colors are hard to come by, at a good price, there will always be some what of a premium.
Oh LEHIGH, WHERE ARE YOU???

 

I think it"s a combination of something not seen on every coin and additinal eye appeal to those who like the toning.

But I"d listen to the more expereinced guy above me.... lol

 

Just a touch of crescent toning, and your coin could be worth a lot more

 

What's to stop people from artificially toning coins to increase value?

 

Wait for Lehigh to respond, our local Tone expert.

I'm mixed about toned coins, only if one is toned really nicely will I buy it.

 

I think part of it is the uniqueness of the toning. There are many people who love toned coins...and no toner is the same. If they find one they really like they will pay great premiums for it because they will never find another just like it.

I don't know what you mean about not being "technically" more valuable. The consumer drives the prices in any market...and they have driven the prices through the roof for nicely toned rainbow coins. So, technically they are.

 

lol, true I guess non-technically then. Unless they are more in pricing guides, I don't know.

 

Nothing stops people...
But they won't get any business here... We try to crack down on sellers who sell AT coins...
Yes, some AT coins, are nice, and worth having but some are just obnoxious...
Nothing is stopping anybody from making tremendous profits on toning a coin, but if they don't state in their listing that it is AT, and state it is NT, then I'm pretty sure you can report it.
But that is just wrong to toned coin unless you are keeping the coin or experimenting.

 

Nothing. And people do it. But normally to an educated collector, they look bad. You can usually, easily tell the fake from the NT'd ones after you look at a lot of them. Then there are always some that fall in the middle, in the gray area where you really don't know.

The major grading companies will not slab a coin that has questionable toning. If it falls in the gray area, it may or may not get slabbed. But there's a lot of artificially toned coins that look really bad out there. Some people don't know the difference and pay the huge premium for a ruined, common coin. If it's in a slab, you can be 99% sure it's natural.
A lot of the crescent toned or bag toned coins look the same, with the crescent covering varying amounts of coins and in different locations. Some coins such as toned Morgans are much more common. Where as something like a Franklin half to a Peace dollar, are rarely found with natural toning. Real examples going for big money of course. Toned examples are rare for most coins. Morgan dollars spent a lot of time sitting in canvas bags at the mints. They made way too many and they did not circulate well. Some sat for many decades without moving, which resulted in a lot of toned examples.

There's a lot of coins on ebay that have fake blue toning around the edges, on fronts and backs. (Supposed to be 'album' toning.) This is very common and I almost bought a bad one at a coin show last year before I knew any better. Luckily, the dealer was greedy and wouldn't negotiate so he took it home. Anything that looks totally bright and wild like you've never seen before has a pretty good chance of being fake. And usually both sides of a coin don't exhibit the same exact toning pattern or colors. It would seem that most of the time, one side has no toning at all, while the other was exposed to something. But this is not the rule.

 

It is all about eye-appeal. The better looking and attractive the coin, the more it will sell for.

 

definitely agree w/you there. It's kinda misleading if you think about it.

 

I guess it just really depends on how much you are willing to pay for a coin that is toned, and what kind of toning you like.

 

Yes it is, but it is all about the money....
Best thing, we cointalkers can do is be looking for each other, and help each other out along the way to help spot out AT coins, and get those sellers out of business

 

Off topic.

deadcat........I don't like your name........

 

I'm not big into toned coins like many but Camaro has it right. I've only purchased a couple toned Morgans. Both of them jumped out at me and made me want to buy them very badly. My desire to buy them was much stronger than most other stuff I've bought. I can't explain it. But they are really unique. Each one is one of a kind with different amounts of color and brilliance.

I don't believe I will ever focus on them but I could see buying one or two a year. They're just so cool and somewhat rare.

 

It's called Fishing Lure Syndrome. For those of you who do any fishing, you may recall back like in the late 80s or 90s, there came this color pattern on lures called Firetiger. Gorgeous bright green fading to yellow fading to orange and red with black stripes. Its still around and still doing what it does best. Firetiger patterned lures have hooked more fishermen than they ever hooked fish.

Beautiful rainbow toned coins are all about eye appeal and they get inside your brain and make you want them. Its not about rarity, its about the human response to the visual and desire for the unique.

I love it on Morgans, but can't stand it on my Mercs. Stuff from the 19th century works for me if toned nicely, but 20th century series don't seem to do it for me.

Rick L.

 

Please read this thread. It should answer most of your questions.

http://www.cointalk.com/forum/t39837/

 

No, you are right. That pretty much sums it up. Rainbow toning is beautiful and it gives the coin a unique look. Although coins in general with rainbow toning are not ultra rare, they are much more rare than their un-toned counterparts. In addition, each toned coin has it's own personality. No two toned coins are exactly the same in appearance even though all share similar characteristics. It is this combination of beauty and uniqueness that drives the premium. For a visual representation of what I am talking about, take a look at these Battle Creek Morgan Dollars.




Please note that each coin shows the trademark color progression of yellow-magenta-cyan but each coin has a vastly different overall appearance. The luster on each coin is also different. It is very important to remember that when dealing with rainbow toned coins, luster is everything. Without luster, the colors seem flat and lifeless. With luster, the colors become much for vibrant and sometimes seem to explode of the coin thereby greatly increasing the overall eye appeal of the coin. Of all my Morgan Dollars, this coin probably best represents how luster can make the colors explode.



One can easily claim that the appearance of this coin is a result of photo magic, but I promise you, this coin is the quintessential example of what toning enthusiasts refer to as a monster. This coin will easily bring 20X-30X wholesale value.