Changing the color of a coin can significantly reduce or increase its value. Natural discoloration can be quite pleasing to the eye. But it can also look downright disgusting.
Since beauty often depends on the subjective assessment of the owner of the coin, it is difficult to assess the monetary value in relation to color.
Pay more or less for color-changed coins? After all, a coin that has changed color has corroded?
1. What does coin patina really mean?
Fading - This term refers to a discoloration or light patina that forms on the surface of a coin due to the interaction of the coin's metal with atmospheric oxygen and certain other chemical elements. Oxidation can lead to various forms of fading and also depends on the properties of the metal - silver, gold, copper, nickel, etc.
Patina build-up is a slow process that takes months and years. Should I be worried about him? Not if you follow the storage conditions for your coins. If the coin is not stored in a vacuum container, its color will begin to change at some point.
A naturally patented coin is its normal "stage" of existence. It will not disintegrate into atoms before your eyes. In the worst cases, centuries pass before the patina reaches its darkest and most unattractive phase.
In fact, when you hear the word "patina" from numismatists, it means a natural and pleasing to the eye discoloration.
We are all familiar with the words "tarnishing" and "fading", they are practically synonymous from a scientific point of view. However, the word "faded" is more often used when it comes to a specimen that has faded in places, looks unnatural in appearance, or has taken such a form artificially.
2. How to determine if the patina adds value to the coin?
Several factors are critical to the value of a coin, but a pleasant appearance is paramount to people. If the coin is ugly (the exception is very rare), numismatists will not be interested in it and its value will be low. If a coin has darkened attractively, it is highly likely that the specimen will be valued higher.
Again, beauty is a subjective concept. Does this imply that there is a narrower market for patina coins? Someone would argue that if there are no other differences, then a shiny coin that looks like new will always have a larger market than a coin with a beautiful patina.
Of course, there is another side to this issue. If numismatics revolved around the search for shiny coins, collectors would buy refined coins much more willingly. But, as you know, this is not true.
To summarize the above, the value of a coin will always be higher when its attractiveness is natural. Historically, beautifully faded coins have priority. They are distinguished from all other specimens not only by their beauty, but also by their uniqueness.
Why? A shiny coin is just a shiny coin. Nothing special. A coin with a patina that is pleasing to the eye is not something you see every day. A coin that is both unique and beautiful is what the most experienced collectors are after. Such coins are less common and therefore cost more in monetary terms.
3.What forms of patina can you encounter?
As discussed earlier, the type of patina depends on the alloy from which the coin is minted. Older coins may have more color variations due to the more varied and less pure alloys. Metals such as copper and silver are more reactive and therefore fade faster when the coin is exposed to the environment.
Here is a list of the most common characteristics of the base metals used in coin minting:
- Copper - with a high degree of probability, what you will contemplate is a transition from orange to reddish brown, the latter to completely brown, and brown to black.
- Nickel - silvery to grayish.
- Silver - bright silver to brown and then black. Sometimes there is a "rainbow effect" that adds value.
- Gold - bright yellow turns orange or sometimes reddish.
4. Beware of fake (fake) patina coins!
Unfortunately, the loss of color that occurs naturally with coins can be imitated by "handyman chemists" (you can think of them as a kind of counterfeiter). If you google the expression "age silver", you will find many recipes for making it look tarnished.
Why artificially age a coin? Almost always, this is an attempt to improve the appearance of a coin or hide minor defects behind a layer of patina in order to bail out a large amount of money for it. This is not only an attempt to hit the jackpot by playing on the external attractiveness of the specimen. More than often, this is a concealment of corrosion that is present on the coin.
In any method used to change the state of a coin, the value of the coin changes immediately.
Fake patina coins should not be purchased!
It takes some experience to recognize artificially aged coins. If you do not have such experience and you are interested in the appearance of the coin, pay special attention to its price tag and the dealer's reputation.
Ideally, purchase expensive cabinet-patina coins that have been reviewed by a third party.
If the coin you bought went through such an assessment, you have at least some guarantees. The very last thing you need to do is pay for a coin that you found to be excellent, later discovering that the artisans have "worked" with it, devaluing it to almost zero.
We advise you to see:
Is the patina a flaw or adds value to the coin? Watch the video and you will learn a lot about the coins that have changed their color!
