Forgive my ignorance but it's difficult for me to spot coins that have been improperly cleaned. Sometimes I see the streaks but with this one I'm unsure. Can you tell if it has been cleaned or do you have any tips for spotting them? The fields on the right are what made me 2nd guess bidding.
Several low spots are dark while the rest of the coin is not. And since we can see the lines in the back ground form cleaning from a photo, you should see them in hand. It's part of the learning experience.
With only one light and small images, it's difficult to form a coherent opinion. I will say, the parallel striations visible on the right obverse - note they're in two different directions - don't give me much confidence in its' originality.
One part of determining whether a coin has been cleaned or not, which not everyone incorporates into their thinking, is, "Is there any evidence of the need to have been cleaned on this coin?" If the surfaces have consistent color and luster even into the tighter areas, it tends to lessen the chance of cleaning because it's near-impossible to get cleaning tools into the smallest spots. On this coin, with these images, I only see two spots which give me pause: Between the W and E, and inside the U on the obverse. That's encouraging, but frankly the images aren't up to "conclusions" and in larger images I might completely change my mind, having seen more evidence of a need to clean. Look inside the letters, in the small openings of B's, R's and O's for instance, and in the narrow inside corners of E's, R's and S's. If they're dirty when the rest of the coin is not, a strong possibility is established, especially when the technical merit of the coin is as high as this one's is.
This member has me on ignore so he will not see my attempts to draw out his opinions when I disagree. SuperDave, posted: "One part of determining whether a coin has been cleaned or not, which not everyone incorporates into their thinking, is, "Is there any evidence of the need to have been cleaned on this coin?" This may be useful in some cases; however, as we all should know, many fools improperly clean coins in their possession whether the coin needs it or not out of plain ignorance. If the surfaces have consistent color and luster even into the tighter areas, it tends to lessen the chance of cleaning because it's near-impossible to get cleaning tools into the smallest spots." While this is generally true for mechanical cleaning, chemical cleaning will reach all areas of a coin's surface (especially combined with ultrasonic equipment). "On this coin, with these images, I only see two spots which give me pause: Between the W and E, and inside the U on the obverse. That's encouraging, but frankly the images aren't up to "conclusions" and in larger images I might completely change my mind, having seen more evidence of a need to clean. Look inside the letters, in the small openings of B's, R's and O's for instance, and in the narrow inside corners of E's, R's and S's. If they're dirty when the rest of the coin is not, a strong possibility is established, especially when the technical merit of the coin is as high as this one's is." I see no "technical merit" to this coin which is obviously improperly cleaned. Very often, after a coin is cleaned improperly, it will develop stains such as between the "W" and "E" in "we."
Personally I'm not comfortable saying yes or no on this coin. I do see a couple concerning things but with the photo/lighting quality I'm not certain they are what they look like.
I appreciate all of the helpful input. There's so much to learn. It's frustrating because I can find a coin that's appealing to me, but then I have 2nd thoughts because I want to make a wise decision. All of this wisdom really helps.
