The main difference between a naturally toned coin and a cleaned and retoned coin concerns lies in surface originality, color progression, and the presence of underlying mint luster. Naturally toned coins develop their color over decades of slow, passive environmental exposure, preserving the coin’s original surface. Cleaned and retoned coins have had their original surface layers stripped away by abrasives or chemicals and then stored in cardboard, typically, or some other envelope that triggers toning.
The coin below is cleaned and retoned with significant flaws, including scratches on the cheek area, a prominent place for deductions in grading. The damage would be more prevalent without the toning, which often masks flaws.
The above coin was offered in an eBay auction as a monster rainbow coin. It does have that natural rainbow of gold, amber, red, green and blue hues. But those probably occurred after the 1883-O Morgan dollar was dipped and placed in an album long ago.
The difference between natural toning and cleaned and retoned concerns chemical reactions. Genuine toning is vibrant with colors blending like a rainbow in distinct patterns. Cleaned and retoned can have the same patterns, but the colors are washed out.
See the differences in these 1903 Morgan dollars:
Be especially careful when purchasing unholdered toned coins on eBay. Many of the offerings will be cleaned and retoned. See these three below:
If you are looking for more information about natural patina, see “Types of Toned Coins.”
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