Identifying artifically colored full red coppers

[AmericanCopper-migration]

I recently submitted a number of full Red and a couple of Red/Brown Indianhead Cents for grading and they were returned in bodybags for "Art Color". As there was no way I could determine beforehand they were not as they appeared to be, I suspect they were subjected to a cyanide gassing at some point in their life, thus no weight or luster disparity. What method does NGC employ to determine color originality and is there any method I could employ at home to ferret out these interlopers before submitting any others for grading? (Just for the record, all the coins submited were cracked out of PCI Gold Label and SEGS slabs that had no notations attached to the assigned grades).

[CHRISS]

The best answer I can give is probably not going to be very helpful to you. Experience is what NGC graders use to determine artificially colored copper coins. This experience comes from seeing thousands of coins that are both natural and artificial. After veiwing such quantities, the coins that are unnatural in color stand out quite starkly. I wouldn't be able to give you a color that is always bad because there really isn't one. The problem is typically more of how the color appears. Perhaps the best way to gain some of the experience necessary to determine artificial color is to look at many coins and compare those in NGC holders with those that are uncirculated or high grade circulated and raw where there may be some artificially colored pieces. Keep in mind that not all uncertified copper coins may be artificially colored.

 

Chris, NCS