I do not have the coin in hand but I did purchase it from eBay. Thoughts on condition / grade are appreciated. New collector still learning.
That's an impaired Proof. Obverse is top with nice toning, but reverse has seen a light improper cleaning. That's sad.
Grading proofs from photographs is an excercise in futility. I will say, though, that there appears to be an abundance of hairlines on the reverse, and that is going to kill the grade. Because of that, you might be looking at a 63 or 64. If it is bad enough, you might get a "Proof details" grade.
63-64 I lean towards the lower end because of the reverse hairlines. I wouldn't pay a large premium over melt for it.
I suspect the obverse image was angled just right to show the "toning." That is not primary toning, however. That is secondary toning after the coin has been dipped or cleaned, and is retoning. This toning is prompted by dip reside after the coin was improperly rinsed or stabilized. That characteristic orange spotted coloration is a clear sign that this coin has been dipped and is retoning. I'm wondering if the obverse will show hairlines as well, when you get it in hand. Honestly, I don't know how much you paid for the coin but I would strongly suggest returning it.
Interestingly just today I just bid on a cheap but beautiful PF-65 Walking Lib half but then the nick in the wing got to me and I phoned in to cancel my bid. It had really nice fields, no haze, beautiful mirrors, but in the end I decided I didn't like the nick and I guess I need a PF-67 to match the coin. A good decision as a PF-67 Walker is not that much more than a 65. Strangely enough there is a huge price jump between a PF66 and PF65 1961 Franklin. Seems to have some issues with the right field obverse. Aside from providing for entertaining commentary from on-line spectators like us, is there really any reason to buy coins on EBay? I must be missing something.
One issue is the amount of time required to find decent buys. About a week ago, either here or on "Coin Community" there was an excellent review article posted about counterfeits on Ebay. Apparently Ebay is doing nothing or very little to remove listings of the counterfeits. There are areas of coinage where I feel a little competent to detect counterfeits. Now I could carefully look thru Ebay listings but I'll bet that in the next 5 years I won't find a single listing, at any price of a coin that I can use. For more common US coins (since this is a US thread), Great Collections seems to offer a reliable protected venue that Ebay can't match. Also Ebay uses the seller rep as a selling point. Thus you'll only be buying coins from dealers who picked up pieces from somewhere and are reselling them at a profit. You'll rarely see coins from an original collector who, after 20 years decided to sell his collection*. That's because he's not a dealer so he has a EBay Seller's reputation of 0. Hence he'll sell his long time collection on a regular site like GC, or Stacks, or Heritage, or Goldbergs, or Sedwicks. For really good buys of usually lower end stuff you could also join local coin clubs where some of the older members sometimes sell stuff at or below melt value. *There are the ubiquitous [and amusing] EBay listings from people who've claimed to have inherited coins or had legacies donated to them. They claim not to know anything about the coins so they're posting early US stuff at 1/50th the proper value. I'd suggest avoiding those EBay listings.
First off WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!! As you can tell from my avatar, I'm a fan of Franklins. Barring major nicks, dings etc. a Franklin PROOF is graded by the hairlines in the fields. These are almost impossible to judge from an image. With regards to Franklin proofs, one thing you might consider is are you more interested in toned proofs or cameo proofs. They both have their attractions. For example, I prefer cameo proofs and toned business strike Franklins. Both toned and cameo proofs can be found in "the raw", although expect the raw coins, in general, to be PR65 or less. If you are looking for higher technical grade coins I'd suggest you buy a PCGS or NGC coin, as the price differential can get rather substantial between grades. If you buy on eBay MAKE SURE that the dealer has a return policy. If you can, try and go to some local coin shows. Almost invariably there'll be some Franklins there, and you can start to learn more by looking at a bunch of them. 1961 is a common year for Franklins. Take your time and you'll find some nice ones out there. With regards to collecting coins in general, buy ONLY with disposable income, as the odds are that you'll lose money when you try and sell your coins. Coins are an enjoyable hobby. You'll learn about history, art, money and politics. The odds are you should meet a variety of nice people through having common interests. This brings us to the most important part of coin collecting... HAVE FUN!!!
Looks like a PF-63 to me, on the borderline of damaged enough to be a details coin. Would not buy it, if I were you; it is an easy date to find in beautiful gem proofs. Pass on that coin.
