Question about the Original Mid-grade Look

Cratylus

Those who collect the Barber Half series in the F-XF range are familiar with what many of us on these boards have dubbed “the original look”, or more simply, “The Look”. It’s that overall light-to-medium gray to a grayish-brown coloration with slightly darker toning around the devices and edges (such as appears on my avatar image). There are slight variations in both tone and pattern, but we all kind of instinctively know “The Look” when we see it. This overall coloration is indicative of a coin that has not been “played with”.

I’ve noticed that “The Look” tends to appear on mid-grade Barber, Seated, and Bust coins, but only rarely (if ever) occurs on mid-grade coins minted after this. For instance, there are many VF and XF Barber Halves that are medium gray in color, but hardly any VF and XF Walking Liberty Halves with that same color. The WLHs tend to display an extremely light gray coloration with hardly any toning at all. Does anyone know why this is? Does it have to do with a change in the way coin collectors stored their collections? Is it because of a change in environmental factors? I guess what I’m really asking is this. What exactly produced “The Look” on Barber, Seated, and Bust Halves, and why didn’t “The Look” become as prevalent on Walking Liberty Halves?

MrBreeze

"The Look" Doctor

Baley

I've got a roll of WHLs with "the look" somewhere in the back of the SDB.

They were pulled from lots "to be melted" so I'd think a lot of the "dirty" mid-grade walkers (and frankies) got melted, wereas the higher grade ones were saved. Any Barber 0r earlier coin with any level of detail was probably always worth more than melt. (and many with XF or higher detail have been, unfortunately, cleaned at least once)

Cratylus

But you would think that SOME of the midgrade WLHs with "The Look" would have survived. But I hardly EVER see ANY.

TTT for the night crowd.

ARCO

Cary - Circulated Walkers very frequently get that look. With walkers you tend to get a very nice rich antique silver color and not as much darker toning in the peripheries. One of the most beautifully toned coins I ever owned was a 1916-S Walker in VF30. I regret selling it every day. Mercs get it also, but the Washington quarters not as much. The quarters don't build up much of that darker gunk. IMHO, there is no coin that looks as cool as an original Barber half with the two-tone contrasting from dirt and gunk and those album created light spots....like this.




Tyler