President William C. Massey called the MCCC to order at 7:19 p.m. on the evening of June 13, 2000 --- in the midst of a remodeling project at the Senior Citizens Center. Over 30 MCCC members were present, including 2 Young Numismatists (YNs) and 1 first-time visitor: Stanley Olesh of Maryland --- who found the Club via our web site at the ANA. Stanley noted that he had begun collecting as a teen-ager, when he inherited a set of coins from his grandfather; he's now getting back into numismatics and seeks to learn more about his coins. Welcome, Stanley! (Everyone: please invite friends and relatives, especially young people, to come to the next MCCC meeting.)
The Gold Raffle prize was an Austrian 200 schilling coin (0.1 oz of gold), a Vienna Philharmonic design dated 1998. The June gold raffle was won by Steve Lokey.
The Bison Chip drawing named John Chiusano; this is his second "leg" of three needed. (Note: you must be present to win.)
The Maryland State Numismatic Association's education forum (3:30-5:30 on Saturday) was fairly well attended and very stimulating. John and Nancy Wilson gave a talk on $3 bills, showing one $3 note or circulating check from each state and territory, with a scarcity rating. Almost all of the notes were pre-Civil War, but there was one example of Depression Scrip and a couple of circulating checks from later in the 19th Century.
ANA President Bob Campbell gave a very interesting talk on artificial toning and coin doctoring. There are many collectibles, such as jewelry, where doctoring the original piece (i.e., a raw stone) adds value, but numismatists prize original surfaces whenever possible. Coin doctors have discovered ways to re-proof and tone coins to increase their market grade and skew the supply of high grade coins. Re-proofing occurs when a coin doctor polishes the fields of a proof coin to eliminate hairline scratches, and often sprays a chemical on the devices to make them frosted (cameo proofs). These can be very difficult to detect, but a magnifying glass will show that the "frosting" either does not cover the edge of the device, or has bled over onto the field.
Artificial toning is done to either hide defects on a coin, or to give it a dazzling rainbow of colors that increase the market grade while leaving the technical grade alone. Real toning is caused by sulfur in the air and turns a coin yellow, then magenta (reddish purple), then cyan (light blue). The cyan might mix with yellow to make green. The toning is affected by chemicals on the coin's surface during striking (CC dollars are notorious for blotches caused by the annealing acid remaining on the planchet), as well as the flow of metal from the strike. Most devices don't tone, or tone at a different rate than fields, so a rainbow toned coin might have a gray date, with magenta toning inside the 8 and 0s. Also, the recesses of the hair portrayed on Liberty's head, and the word LIBERTY may be toned a different color than the higher points on the device. These are signs of natural toning. Artificial toning is done with liquids that tone high and low points together. If the toning is the same on the letters or stars as on the fields around them, or is blotchy, or climbs up onto the rim, then the coin may have been doctored (though some natural toning does this too). Other signs are strange colors, such as orange, brown, or olive green, which rarely occur with natural toning. Bob showed slides of naturally and artificially toned coins, and then had a set the audience could vote on. He also had cases with the actual coins in them.
The Baltimore Convention Center is a great place to hold a coin show, but it can be expensive to park nearby, or the traffic may be congested if an Orioles game coincides with the show. One of Baltimore's best kept secrets is a FREE parking lot only a few minutes from the Convention Center. If you are coming from the DC area, take 95 north past 695, then turn right (east) onto Caton Avenue (the first exit past 695). Caton becomes Patapsco Avenue as you continue east a couple miles, past (and over) the BW Parkway. This is a nice divided highway with little traffic, even in evening rush hour! It also has some of the cheapest gas stations in the area. A few blocks after the BW Parkway are signs for the light rail. The Patapsco Avenue light rail has a large, empty parking lot and you can park within feet of the train. The parking is free, and a round trip ticket costs only $2.70 (less for children and seniors; compare to $8 for the cheapest downtown parking lots). There are ticket vending machines as you approach the tracks. To go north, cross the tracks and take the trains that board on the side away from the parking lot. All trains will take you to Camden Yards or Convention Center stops (they are only a block apart). In bad weather, you have to walk a lot less if you take a train than walking from all but the most expensive parking lots, and the stops are covered (Camden Yards has better cover than Convention Center). Trains run every 5-10 minutes, and the trip lasts 10-15 minutes. Trains do not run early morning on the weekends.