Does this 1827 half have original surfaces?

dan9090

I got ahold of this beautiful coin recently, but I'm curious if the patina shows signs of cleaning. Its color is very light compared to other circulated silver pieces from the early 1800s I have. I was also wondering how much you would pay for something like this even if it was cleaned. Thank you!

MasonG

My vote would be "cleaned".

bsshog40

I would guess an old cleaning. But what stands out more for me is the scratch in the hair and the ding on reverse at 10 o'clock.

MFeld

Welcome to the forum.

The coin looks like it’s been lightly cleaned.

gumby1234

Welcome aboard. Yes cleaned and the obv large scratch is bothersome. Many of the bust halves were cleaned at some point in their lives, so long as its not too bad you are ok.

DelawareDoons

As the others have said, probably an old cleaning, but not a bad one, and has retoned decently.

fathom

Cleaned but not harshly.
Great pics for post #1 BTW.

dan9090

@gumby1234 said:
Welcome aboard. Yes cleaned and the obv large scratch is bothersome. Many of the bust halves were cleaned at some point in their lives, so long as its not too bad you are ok.

Thank you! A few others have mentioned that scratch, is it really more concerning to you than the cleaning? I would've assumed a cleaning would ruin eye appeal the most.

lilolme

I think the coin is an Overton O-115 variety (Note die chip inside 2). Maybe someone will confirm as not my specialty. If so, then a rarity R2 (unless there has been an update) which is common (R1 most common).

http://maibockaddict.com/1827-o-115-r2-capped-bust-half-dollar.shtml

gumby1234

@dan9090 said:

@gumby1234 said:
Welcome aboard. Yes cleaned and the obv large scratch is bothersome. Many of the bust halves were cleaned at some point in their lives, so long as its not too bad you are ok.

Thank you! A few others have mentioned that scratch, is it really more concerning to you than the cleaning? I would've assumed a cleaning would ruin eye appeal the most.

lightly cleaned on lower grade bust coins doesn't bother me too much. Scratches always bug me.

2windy2fish

Yes, likely an old cleaning but still a decent looking coin!

spyglassdesign

It depends on how it was cleaned and how harshly. A large scratch can be more damaging than a light cleaning that has toned over.

The issue with thus scratch is its large, and it's right in the main focal area.

Nice circulated example nonetheless! As far as value you can go to coinfacts.com (run by our host, PCGS) and find the coin, and use their photograde to get an estimated grade, and then use that to get a rough guide price based on the grade. Keep in mind the scratch will hurt its value at least somewhat. The cleaning if minor enough may have a little effect as well.

Welcome aboard! Feel free to ask questions any time. You may not always like the opinions here but you will get honest opinions, and there are many very experienced and talented graders and collectors here. There is much wisdom and knowledge to be had here!

lkeigwin

Are the surfaces original? No. Few 200 year old circulated coins are original.

Has the coin been damaged by harsh cleaning? No. It would likely straight-grade.

Is the obverse scratch fatal? No. On the whole the surfaces are not bad.

What is it worth? Let's call it a raw F15 with neutral eye appeal. Around $60, I'd guess.
Lance.

dan9090

I appreciate all of your input, these comments are very helpful. I'll definitely post here again sometime, have a good night everyone

ricko

@dan9090.... Welcome aboard.... The advice above is solid... Enjoy your coin. Cheers, RickO

Barberian

Lightly corroded, granular surfaces (soft PVC flips?). Cleaned and retoned.