Book Report on Weimar White Wanted, Please

[hoard]

I am particularly interested in hearing about the chapter: Toning Is to Silver What Rust Is to Iron-Bad News. The chapter has a subtitle "Rainbow Colors Sign of Damage".

 

Thanks in advance.

[EZ_E]

W.W., strictly speaking, is correct when he states that all toning has a destructive effective upon the metal affected. Microscopic layers of metal are oxidized depending upon the color of the toning. Golden has the least damage and purple to black has the greatest. Oxidation like rust is a destructive process. Scientifically, this is true but science does not take into account the aesthetics of toning. True, it is totally subjective, but what one calls irreversable damage another calls beauty.

[James_OldeTowne]

Saying that "rust" (oxidation) equates to "damage" is not sensible. It's like saying hyrdogen atoms are damaged because they have become oxidized (to create water).

 

It isn't damage. It's simply a chemical reaction. "Damage" is purely a subjective pronouncement which others might term "improvement".

[kryptonitecomics]

To a Toned coin lover....Weimar White is the devil........we shall not speak his name hence forth........he's a toning Nazi

[TomB]

I haven't read his book, but I am a chemist and his chapter title, as quoted in the OP, makes me believe he has much more of an agenda than is healthy for open discourse.

[physics-fan3.14]

I own the book, and read it once. Yes, it definitely has an anti-toning bias. Yes, he misconstrues toning as being bad and ugly, and offers a few options for keeping coins tone free (he does discourage, for the most part, actually cleaning coins and removing toning though - once it happens it is there) However, I must give him props for thoroughly and scientifically describing the toning process. If you are a chemist or physicist, or interested in knowing the physical processes of toning, I would highly recommend the book, as I have found little to no other sources of this kind of information. So, in sum, parts of the book are exceptional but it must be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Many of the chapters are actually reprinted and collected articles from magazines. The article the original poster mentioned was printed in Coin World on October 10, 1994. I don't know specifically what you are looking for, maybe a little more of a direct question would help me know exactly what you want.

[BillJones]

To a Toned coin lover....Weimar White is the devil........we shall not speak his name hence forth........he's a toning Nazi

 

Yes, I agree.

 

Years ago (circa 1988 to 1990) Coin World a series of his articles that presented his theories as if they were pure fact. It made it hard to sell toned coins for a while, and caused dealers to dip some very nice material so they could sell it. Then the market turned and toned coins because VERY popular.

 

Coin World’s treatment of the Wilmer White articles and the rebuttals that came from some very creditable numismatic experts really made me angry. White’s articles were published on the front page as news. The rebuttals were printed in the “Letters to the Editor” page as opinion.

 

White can spout all he wants about how a toned coin will inevitably turn as black as coal. Given proper storage, that just isn’t true. I’ve owned this 1805 dime for 35 years, and it has not changed one bit since I purchased it. I stored the coin in a custom Capital Plastics holder and then had it slabbed by PCGS.

 

 

Mr. White’s solution, which is to dip everything white, is FAR worse for the coin. That removes a protective layer of patina and exposes bare silver that is even more prone to more discoloration and damage. Mr. White has described dipping as “restoration.” Yea right.

 

I’ll be politically correct and put it this way. One should take Mr. White’s opinions and suggestions “under advisement.”

 

[hoard]

I probably should have provided a little more information on why I wanted the book report. December's COINS had an article on coin chemistry and while not really interested in the chemistry of toning, I thought the chapter title mentioned in the OP was interesting. Having read the article I assumed that Mr. White clearly did not appreciate toning, and was looking for further insight from those that may have read the book.

 

Thanks.

[jackson64]

very good reply Bill, I was going to say that comparing the oxidation of silver and iron is ridiculous also. Although not comparable to the processes that occur with the noble gases-ie. hydrogen...a major salient point is that the "oxidation" or toning of silver is a superficial process as opposed to the leaching effect of oxidation of iron. There are many other factors like malleability and density of mass that determine if it is being corrosive or superficial........where technically he may be right, his comparison is laughable. The man, for whatever reason, obviously has a bias against toning...

 

Also Bill's point of the existing toning providing a layer of protection for the underlying metal is correct........it would be far worse to dip the coin and have a new layer of metal completely exposed to more oxygen