1857 Half Cent-Opinions Please

I purchased this 1857 half cent raw from a dealer at FUN a couple of years ago. He had it for sale as UNC but I told him I didn't think it was and would give him 45 money for it. He agreed, possibly because I had just purchased two nice proof Walkers from him.

I have wondered since (I know more now than I did then) if the dark color and the patchiness on the obverse could be attributed to an old cleaning and a subsequent natural or artificial re-toning.

Please feel free to opine on grade and color. I would like to resolve my uncertainty. Regardless of the consensus I will probably replace this in my half cent set because all the other coins are chocolate and solid AU.

Note: The "lintiness" is just from the 2x2 that I didn't blow off before I took the photos. Again, just another newbie mistake.

 

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I believe that the coin has been artificially retoned and was probably cleaned which prompted that action.

Here is a raw piece that is in my collection which I grade EF-40. This is the natural color. I have always tried to keep an 1857 half cent and large cent in my collection because they were the last of their kind.

 

Nice coin lots of details,but I agree cleaned , and retoned,after they realized the orginal toned color wasn't going to come off....then tried to get some of the color back to hide the voids seen in the orginal skin.
I like dark coins so to my eye its very acceptable....but most probably will not grade unless in a detailed holder.

 

Cleaned. EF -details

 

It's a raw coin and I never intended on submitting it for slabbing. You guys are verifying my thoughts and reinforcing my intent to replace it. I would like to get a few more opinions just to round it out.

 

The specimen is very nice....I wouldn't let a few opinions change my mind. Unless your intent is to have it graded.
There's nothing about its look that is horrible.....

 

Cleaned and retoned. Agreed. Au meat

 

And you would be 100% correct

 

Cleaned and recolored. It had a lump of some kind of crud on the neck below the ear and some of it still remains (what probably prompted the cleaning, remove the crud.)

 

Thanks to you all for your thoughts. The coin is going in the "duplicate" box and the search starts for a nice AU-55/58 chocolate brown replacement. Shouldn't be hard to find.

 

I still like the coin overall (especially for an album/raw set) but will defer to those that know this series better (it does have the cleaned and retoned look from the photos).

 

On the obverse I see signs of a past cleaning, and removal of some crust under the ear.