I'm curious what others here think about this one.. Grade, attribution, value and the like... I like the color on both sides with this one...
Nice. It's a head of '34, small date, small stars. Looks to be N.5 based on position of the curl above the 5, the tilted 2nd A. Maybe F12, worth about $30-40. Can't say about cleaning or coloring. Lance.
I agree it looks nice in the picture, but I agree with Doug that it was cleaned. Still I put it in the F range.
I don't know what it looks like in hand, but we have a woody expert whose opinion I would want. It has some earmarks of some coins usually seen about 80 years later on small cents. This would certainly be the oldest woody I remember seeing.
I wouldn't call the cleaning harsh, but I do agree the coin has been cleaned/recolored. Not a bad coin, but the toning (which looks like the beginning of corrosion/planchet deterioration) is a bit distracting, and this is not a rare enough to coin to settle for a sub-par example.
I believe it is an N5 and if so the reverse is usually mushy and gets worse with time. The surface quality is "described" as excellent along with some "luster" and eye appeal. There is a 7 day return option if I would opt to at least see it in hand. I agree it isn't rare enough for a less than higher quality coin. There was just something about it that I found nice. Though I am still on the fence so to speak..
I like the color, too, and I don't think this coin has been cleaned. From what I can see in your photo it looks like a no problem coin to me. What is your price point?
CQR lists vf20 as $80, so I think the price is high. I agree with around F12 for that one, and certainly no luster left...