What Would Cause Diagonal-Striped Toning on an Indian Head Cent?

[astrostu]

First, I apologize that there are no pictures, and I realize this is a difficult question to answer without them.

 

That being said ... I was in the coin shop today looking for my birthday present to myself. I came across a really nice 1907 Indian Head Cent that was at least uncirculated. I say "at least" because it looked almost proof-like because the rim had a highly reflective surface (not the rim as in the 3rd side, but the rim as in the border on the the obverse and reverse). The fields of the coin did not have this mirror effect, but they looked like they may have at one time. The coin was marked as "Gem" and not proof, and it was priced at $145.

 

I *almost* bought it. But, the lack of mirror on the fields of the coin vs. the rim held me back first. Second, across both the obverse and reverse was a diagonal stripe effect with the toning (going from around 2:00 to 8:00 orientation). It was not a very fine-line toning as one may possibly expect with cleaning a few decades ago, but the striations had a width of maybe 2-4 mm and they were varied in width.

 

So, with that description ... any ideas what may have caused this? Or if it's perfectly normal? Or if it is indicative of some alteration?

 

Thanks for any help.

[MunkyMan95]

It's not Wood Grain toning, is it?

[astrostu]

It's not Wood Grain toning, is it?

 

What's wood grain toning? Can you post a sample? 'Cause just based on that name, it very well might have been.

[MunkyMan95]

 

Is that what it looked like? Similar, maybe?

[MunkyMan95]

Also, I misspoke earlier, it's not actually toning, but rather an improper mix of the alloys.

[astrostu]

Hmmm. Definitely similar, but the striations, or slightly different colors, were much wider. For instance, one of them (the widest) was nearly the full width of the cheek. Would that still work for your explanation, or for the improper alloy mix do the striations need to be thin, as you've shown in that example?

[MunkyMan95]

Hmmm. Definitely similar, but the striations, or slightly different colors, were much wider. For instance, one of them (the widest) was nearly the full width of the cheek. Would that still work for your explanation, or for the improper alloy mix do the striations need to be thin, as you've shown in that example?

 

I was searching for examples ATS, and they varied from small bands like the onw shown above, to ones more like you describe. So, I would say yes, it could still be wood graining.

[astrostu]

Okay, then, IF it is wood toning, then should I steer clear of it, or does it not really matter?

 

(I actually need to go back to return a $1 bill I accidentally bought but already had, so I'm going to ask if I can take a picture of it.)

[ant]

wood graining is ok in my book and ive seen examples in slabs so i dont see why it would be bad. lots of times i think the grain look is better

[MunkyMan95]

Okay, then, IF it is wood toning, then should I steer clear of it, or does it not really matter?

 

(I actually need to go back to return a $1 bill I accidentally bought but already had, so I'm going to ask if I can take a picture of it.)

 

It's not a bad thing, in fact, some people actually prefer it to blah cents. I like it, myself.

[Oldtrader3]

Many late date IHC's had wood grain or other diagonal toning streaks because of poor alloy mixtures. Without a picture, it is hard to say if the toning is legitimate but it sounds right for the date range. Did the '07 IHC look anything like the '09 shown below? If so, it is normal for these dates.

[TomB]

Improper alloy mixture causes woodgrain or striped toning on IHCs. Some folks hate this characteristic of these coins while others like it quite a bit. I am of the opinion that many of these coins look quite cool, but would not pay a premium for the look.

[astrostu]

Oldtrader3 - Nope, it didn't look like that.

 

And yeah, I realize it's really difficult to tell without pictures. I'll try to get some, but it might be a few days and I don't know if the guy will let me.

 

[robec1347]

Here is a link to a short discussion on woodgrain toning.

Link

 

 

[WoodenJefferson]

Did it look like this?

 

The marks, not the coin

[astrostu]

WoodenJefferson - it looked more like that than MonkeyMan's. It actually looks similar to adamlaneus' post about a third of the way down this post ( http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=654011&highlight_key=y ), although more pronounced.

[astrostu]

Okay, I finally have photos. Sorry for the quality, I was doing this in-store without a tripod and shooting through the plastic on a flip. The colors have been adjusted to emphasize the weird coloring on the obverse (it's not really present on the reverse).

 

So, what do you folks think? Woodgrain toning? Something else weird? The dealer said he "honestly doesn't know" if it's real or artificial or what might have happened to it.

 

 

[TomB]

It looks like an AU58 with woodgrain toning and, in my opinion, would only be worth a small fraction of the $145 quoted in the original post.

[MarkFeld]

It looks like an AU58 with woodgrain toning and, in my opinion, would only be worth a small fraction of the $145 quoted in the original post.

And even if it's uncirculated, I'd still stay way at that price level.

[astrostu]

It looks like an AU58 with woodgrain toning and, in my opinion, would only be worth a small fraction of the $145 quoted in the original post.

 

It actually looks a lot nicer in-hand, as I said the photos are pretty bad because of the situation under which they were taken, and the processing I did to bring out the weird striping.

 

But, he has a much more "problem-free," or, "not-woodgrain-toned" 1907 IHC that I think I could get instead and be just as happy with (and not worry in the back of my mind that it was artificially done).

[WoodenJefferson]

[TomB]

The woodgrain effect you show in your images is a well-known occurance within IHCs and early Lincoln cents and this was not done by someone as AT. Regardless, that coin is only worth a small percentage of the originally quoted price.