Re-toning bronze coins

[Red Riley]

From time to time I have acquired various bronze coins which have had their natural brown toning removed (usually I would guess by small children with a tin of Duraglit). I have yet however to find a satisfactory method of naturally restarting the toning process - the best so far (but only partially succesful) was to spit on the coin and leave it on the window sill for a year. Currently I am experimenting with burying a coin in a flower tub in the garden - hardly hi-tech but it might work.

Has anybody out there got a really successful method which I can pinch?

[Chris Perkins]

I saw a controversial chemical somewhere that can be applied to re tone coins.

Also, experiment holding the coin in a clean flame (i.e gas) as this instantly oxidizes the coin, but is usually quite crap because it always turn out un-even. I used to do this ith coins as a kid.

[Gary D]

I've not tried it but putting the coin into a container or even an oven to heat would possibly give a more even tone.

[Emperor Oli]

From time to time I have acquired various bronze coins which have had their natural brown toning removed (usually I would guess by small children with a tin of Duraglit). I have yet however to find a satisfactory method of naturally restarting the toning process - the best so far (but only partially succesful) was to spit on the coin and leave it on the window sill for a year. Currently I am experimenting with burying a coin in a flower tub in the garden - hardly hi-tech but it might work.

Has anybody out there got a really successful method which I can pinch?

Some people recommend putting them in brown envelopes and leaving them on a windowsill but I don't know how well it works. Obviously there are more nefarious methods that will tone the coins using chemicals, usualyl sulphur based, but most artificially toned coins are easily discerned.

[RLC35]

I saw a controversial chemical somewhere that can be applied to re tone coins.

Also, experiment holding the coin in a clean flame (i.e gas) as this instantly oxidizes the coin, but is usually quite crap because it always turn out un-even. I used to do this ith coins as a kid.

A couple of Chemicals that can be purchased in the U.S. are "Nic-a-tone" and "Dellars Darkner"

Nic-a-tone is a liquid, and Dellars is a paste. Both will retone (darken) Copper and Bronze coins. If you have a reasonably decent coin that has been brightened by cleaning, both will work to retone them. I would never use it on a coin better than GVF though, since you have to gently swab the coin, until the desired color has been attained.

I bought a 1860 farthing mule, from Michael Freeman, that had been cleaned, and it toned back very nicely, using nic-a-tone.

Bob C.