Not to mention that the high points, especially on the reverse, seem really really high and have no detail left which leade me to believe fake. I have VG's that have more detail left on the wings and shield despite being much more worn down.
As stated I saw this auction only a few minutes before it ended and decided to pull the trigger before really getting to scrutinize the pictures better. Why I posted this thread is the coin didn't look right after really taking the time to look at it. The obverse looks like liberty packed on a few pounds. Since the seller said I could get my money back I will wait to get the coin in hand. Good learning experience. You win some and lose some and this one looks like a loser.
Looks like a fake to me. Also, to reiterate what has been said, if not fake it is worth melt due to the harsh cleaning. Any coin that shiny that has not been slabbed has been harshly cleaned, and should be avoided. Look at the date, and look at the brightness? It doesn't match up--it was obviously worked on, as Barbers tended to tone quite a bit.
Thanks. I agree. The seller did just give me a refund. They think it is real but not even worth it with the cleaning like you said. Lesson learned.
The seller was kind enough to offer me a refund so I took it. Still kinda curious what that coin looked like in hand. Oh well.
Come on now, I have to assertively disagree with that statement sir. It may surprise you, but I have quite a few "shiny" really nice AU barbers in my "pile", none of which are certified nor cleaned. The whole world of US coins that are original have not been placed in slabs. Now, giving someone advice to be wary of unslabbed barbers on Ebay that appear to be shiny would have merit, but some of us who bought 20-25 years ago nice coins still have them. I have an even larger pile of AU, (and a few BU), original SL halves unslabbed as well.