Gold sovereign toning question.

[jazzman]

Hello i am new to the forum, i own a 1967 sovereign which has toning around the top edge , is this normal for a sovereign. I have measured and weighed it and everything else is fine. I bought it from a reputable bullion dealer so do not think it would be a fake but i did not think gold would tone, i do know that it contains some copper being 22 carat so i hope that this is normal, thank you in advance for any replies.The toning is a copper/bronze type colour.

[Paul]

if you could post a photo of this it would be useful to evaluate better, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I have various sovereigns and carded ones from the 2000s that have an almost 'rose gold' proof like finish to them, i have 1890s coins which are a dirty and well circulated, majority just look like normal 22crt gold as.

Provided the weight is exact and the diameter are right and finer details under a loupe look OK. you can be 99.9% sure its real.

 

the beauty of sovereigns is their abundance.  

In a sale to a major dealer It is just seen as a sovereign.  

 

It is 7.32g of gold regardless of condition, toning or no toning

 

hope this helps

[jazzman]

Thanks Paul, it was only bought as a bullion coin,i collect gold more for savings then anything else so my only concern is that it is genuine. I am a bit behind with technology and would not know where to start with putting a photo on the forum, but thank you for the reassurance, that is very kind of you to spare me the time.It is as you metioned a rose coloured type of toning.

[jazzman]

I suppose a better question would have been does anyone else own a sovereign which they know to be genuine that has toning on it.

[garthy]

Hi Jazzman, because sovereigns are 22k and mixed with copper or sometimes silver they have been known tone, as it's from 1967 it's definitely possible, as long as it's not a proof coin it should't affect the value.

[HighlandTiger]

Just get the brasso out. That'll get rid of the toning.........

[jazzman]

Thanks for the help, is it ok to clean sovereigns with brasso then, i am new to gold and silver collecting and have a lot to learn. I mean no disrespect to highland tiger but i thought i heard or read somewhere that it is best not to clean coins.

[Shamatti]

Thanks for the help, is it ok to clean sovereigns with brasso then, i am new to gold and silver collecting and have a lot to learn. I mean no disrespect to highland tiger but i thought i heard or read somewhere that it is best not to clean coins.

 

I think he was pulling your leg. I certainly would not clean a sovereign. Although, as it is only bullion, it would probably not affect its value, but it might affect its desirability.

 

Leave it as it is, it will be fine.

[HighlandTiger]

Thanks for the help, is it ok to clean sovereigns with brasso then, i am new to gold and silver collecting and have a lot to learn. I mean no disrespect to highland tiger but i thought i heard or read somewhere that it is best not to clean coins.

 

Ah jazzman, you have now stumbled on that age old question that divides us all into two camps, and drives some demented.

 

Some people here will say vociferously that you must never clean your coins, some like me have a few rules, and will clean coins on occasions. My rules are simple, if they are coins that were once in common use by the general public then you should not clean them. The coin collectors get heart palpitations if they see a cleaned coin. But when it is a coin designed simply as bullion, whether it be gold or silver, and that it has been solely created as a store of wealth then giving the coin a bit of a clean if it has toning or milk spots ot dirty fingerprints then I don't see it as an issue.

[HighlandTiger]

I think he was pulling your leg. I certainly would not clean a sovereign. Although, as it is only bullion, it would probably not affect its value, but it might affect its desirability.

 

Leave it as it is, it will be fine.

Actually I don't have a problem cleaning a sov. I have cleaned a half sov, which was absolutely filthy. Like you say it's only bullion, and when i come to sell, it won't be via ebay or a collector, it will be by whatever the highest price i can get from a dealer. And they won't care if it was cleaned or not   

[Shamatti]

Actually I don't have a problem cleaning a sov. I have cleaned a half sov, which was absolutely filthy. Like you say it's only bullion, and when i come to sell, it won't be via ebay or a collector, it will be by whatever the highest price i can get from a dealer. And they won't care if it was cleaned or not   

 

Well, yes, technically you are right. But I have a sov from 1968, and it has a lovely patina, I like to see that on these older coins. Signs of it's age, a little wear and tear.... I am a similar age, and have similar signs lol. Although I do clean me more than I clean my coins lol. The myth about hippies being unwashed is entirely untrue. It is their stack that is unwashed! lol

[Pete]

I positively hate grubby sovereigns with caked on old grime and god knows what was in the previous owners pockets 100 years ago; or where they could have been temporarily stored !! ? - out of sight but not out of sh*te.

As regular bullion with absolutely no numismatic value whatsoever I give them a hot ultrasonic soapy bath and they look fresh again.

If you have a sovereign and want to clean it with a commercial scratch free gold polishing cloth then go ahead and get it clean and shining again.

If however it is rare and valuable then leave well alone and do not attempt to clean it.

I still find this hard to understand because non-contact cleaning or cleaning dips surely beat decades of dried on dead skin and other mumified fats etc. doesn't it ?

Museums have experts that try to restore priceless artifacts, they don't leave them in the condition found.