Is this a cleaned Barber half?

Casey

I'm trying to recognize cleaning when I see it. This sure doesn't look original and uncleaned to me, but I know some scanned images don't help much in making the decision. Any opinions from the Barber people?
Barber link


Thanks for the comments! I was planning on steering clear of this one.

Placid

Yes. It's also scratched.

Dave99B

Looks like garbage to me.

Dave

michael

multiple edge bumps and looks like it was put into a vise and squeezed all around the edges like you see many trade (box) dollars to hold them when they hollowed them out

at least for a purpose........lol

this coin is sooooooooo cleaned/scrubbed that the coin looks like it is a contemporary cast counterfeit to be passed as face value in the early 1900's..........lol lol lol

sincerely michael

michael

but in some really serious way of thinking i really feel bad for the person that buys this coin and then thinks it is an original coin

for me overall i do not like ebay at all myself i perasonally feel that all these part time unknowledgable coin sellers do not help the hobby at all and actually hurt it

for me full time professional numismatists with experience in coins with intergrity
is the only way to go

sincerely michael

hughesm1

Cleaned, thumbed, dented, scratched; and certainly not a fine, more like VG10. Someones a gonna get shafted.

dorkkarl

looks reasonable to me, strong fine, i'd get it.

K S

Outhaul

Folded, spindled, mutilated

LanLord

The big give-away is that there is huge amounts of tarnish and black "gunk" in the stars and middle of the letters, but it is gone in the unprotected areas. This really is a horrible thing to do to a coin.

BTW, I think I did something like this to quite a few when I was 10 years old. Thought process of a child just doesn't include thinking of what the final product will look like.

OnlyBuffalos

I believe this coin meets the criteria for a grade of fine. Grading standards are:

F-18 Letters ER not complete, usually bottom of E and left foot of R.

F-15 Upper 1/2 to 2/3 of BER shows plainly.

F-12 Only the top ot letters BER shows, and may be weak.

Not sure if it is cleaned or not due in part to the design. Especially on halfs, debris accumulated in the devices and the high points often look cleaned from normal wear. The obverse is more prone to looking cleaned. The reverse on this coin does not appear cleaned to me.

Seller has a positive reputation and I would tend to believe him that the coin was original.

My opinion is it is an uncleaned coin grading F12 possibly F15. Wear including dings, etc. is consistent for the grade. Retail value between $40 to $50.

ARCO

Casey, the coin does have some of the original toning, but looks to have been messed with a bit. This particular Ebay seller has very odd colored scans. Although I have never purchased from them, I doubt the coin would look much like the scan. It also highlights many of the small nicks and scratches circulated coins pick up, and are more visible in this particular lighting and I doubt they are that bad.

Original coins come in many shades of antique silver to dark brown / Black. Because the lighting and the scan are so enhanced, it is very difficult to determine the true condition. I would avoid coins presented with this type of scans always as it generally enhances the coin at the buyers expense.

Tyler

dlshaw

To me it looks like one thats been in a belt buckel or something like that.

BillJones

Yes, there is no doubt about it. It's been cleaned. I find the dull pewter look especially unattractive.

Dog97

Some people saying cleaned and some saying not cleaned........
Having dirt around the device elements is not a diagnostic of a cleaning but it does look a little too shiny. It has a lot of ticks and it beat up but if you want an example of cleaning then that is not a good example Casey.

Elcontador

Casey, when you see a worn, circulated coin with many little scratches like this one, that's a warning sign and someone tampered with it.
Another one, as someone else pointed out, is where you have a lighter color in the fields, and a much darker color in the protected areas near the devices.

I've been collecting on and off for 35 years. I made only two what would be considered bargain purchases at the time they were made:

1) In 1968, I bought a complete set of Unc. silver Roosevelts.
2) Recently, I picked up a PQ 1899 PCGS MS 66 Liberty Nickel.

Both purchases were at auctions where people were interested in other material and did not pay attention to these items.

Most of the time, if the coin is selling too cheaply, this is because it is a problem coin.