Toning and Aging by Kevin Saucier

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Toning and aging


Toning or retoning can be best described as the act of artificially
aging a card in order to deceive or misrepresent its original state.
This is done to either hide alterations previously attempted or to
blend dark spots left behind by stains, chemicals, water etc.
Regardless of why it was done, it is doctoring a card.


As discussed in other posts, toning is the color given by the
natural aging process. It can be light tan or depending on the
cardstock, darker in color. Other times it can show as a gray/tan
color. Toning or the lack thereof is the single most important item to
look for when examining a card for alterations. Most, it not all
vintage cards have some degree of toning and is best displayed on the
edges or in the tiny edge-border chips and nicks left from a factory
cut of a card.


Retoning a card or sections of a card can also be done after other
alterations have been completed. Doctoring a card, in most cases,
involve removing some or all of a cards natural tone. It is then
necessary for a card doctor to artificially age a card by adding a
toning solution (retoning) or by other unnatural means.


Unfortunately if done correctly and with some degree of skill it
can be difficult to identify a card that has been toned or retoned by
looking solely at the color. Often you will need to look deeper and
beyond the falsely aged card to identify other forms of alterations
such as trimming or masked stains which can be a shade or more darker.


With enough practice you may even be able to ignore the tone at
first glance and dive right into the search for other doctored areas,
choosing to look at the tone later.


Not all retoned cards are done with subtle care and expertise. It
is these cards that can reveal an attempt at artificial aging. Retoned
cards may have had some type of solution added or may have been
chemically treated. Hold the card to your nose and give it a quick
sniff. As in the bleaching, the human nose can detect abnormal odors.
If a chemical odor is detected or the smell of anything that should not
be present is suspected, in conjunction with uneven, too even or spotty
aged tone, there is a chance your card has been altered.

With a halogen light study the card for inconsistencies in the
normal color tone. This can be seen as dark spots, both large or small,
an overall caramel-type color or a card that simply looks over toned or
abnormally dark in appearance. Smaller areas may actually be dark brown
or blackened. Study the edges closely with a loupe and note any grime
or tiny dirt specks that may still remain in the pores. This is a sure
sign the card has been rubbed with dirt or, sand or mud, since a
normally aged card should be void of any foreign debris.


If there are any creases, scuff marks, and deep edge pores looked
at them carefully. Retoned cards may have a darker color in low areas,
left by any potential toning solutions that sit too long or not long
enough when the card was doctored. Under the light, check the surface
gloss of the card making sure that it does not have film coating or is
very dull and glossless.


Beware of modern reprints of older cards, usually of some value.
Although they may seem real they are frequently toned, roughed-up
and/or dirtied to make them seem vintage. The tone may be more
pronounced on the borders and edges and get increasingly lighter
towards the cards center. This is because dirt and/or tone applied
easily sticks to the roughed up areas, whereas it may be repelled by
the modern cardstock.



Kevin Saucier