It's a difficult question because at some point you are going to produce an AT coin that looks exactly the same as an NT one. I guess the starting point is what 100, 200, 400 year old silver looks like if untouched, which is that eventually it will go black. An evenly toned coin is far more likely to be accepted as NT than a multi-hued disc, particularly when the latter coin is modern. Random toning in different colours is far more likely to be NT, such as the patchy iridescent colours seen on coins from the 1800s - but even this doesn't exclude the possibility that the colours are due to the residue of a Georgian take-away. This is rarely seen on say 300 year old coins which have had a longer existence and in the main tone down to an even purple tinge with underlying gold highlights. Given that very few coins have a full history of their location over the past century or two, it is ultimately up to the individual to decide. Obviously there is no such thing as 'standard' toning, but there are sufficient examples of all eras to say what a typical coin will look like. There are of course also exceptions - good example of which is a 1731 shilling that I liberated from a broken Georgian drinking vessel base. This was still fully lustred. The situation is slightly different for copper, as it tends to dull consistently with only prooflike specimens showing iridescence, which in turn relies to a large extent on the angle of the incident light. I think most people dislike the fact that someone has deliberately tampered with the surfaces and are naturally suspicious of the motives. You can also get inadvertent toning from the surroundings which although is strictly AT, was not done with intent. A good example being a friend of mine who asked if some coins were worth anything. The box of G5 silver had been carefully laid out with lamb's wool to protect the coins and the entire contents were unc with an olive tone from the wool. AT or NT?