1913-D Barber Half Dollar

Hey Folks, does this coin look cleaned to you?

 

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I'd say dipped but I'll wait for the experts to weigh in .

 

Not sure, something looks a little odd to me with the luster.

 

Too good too be not cleaned . The strike is amazing though .

 

Something doesn't seem right to me about this coin. I'd have to see it in person to make any determination. @Seattlite86, do you see any evidence of the cartwheel effect when you tilt the coin?

 

I'm afraid I don't have it in hand. Someone sent me these photos to show it off and I remarked that the reverse looked over dipped and the obverse was too shiny for all the contact marks... I'm not a professional though, so I thought I'd ask those with more knowledge than me.

 

@Seattlite86 . I thinking the same thing.

 

I agree with your assessment @SensibleSal66.

 

@physics-fan3.14 @GDJMSP @desertgem @Insider I'm not sure if these photos are good enough for a definitive answer, but I would appreciate your expert opinions on this coin.

 

Looks like it's been dipped.

 

There are few people I would give that label to.

And thank you for your thoughts. I assumed it was dipped, with the reverse showing it a little more than the obverse. Over all, the coin still seems appealing, but I was looking for confirmation of my initial thoughts on the coin.

 

It's helpful to have photos with lighting from different angles; I don't see any grouped hairlines, so I don't think a TPG would call it cleaned. It does appear to have been dipped, and I can't tell if it's MS or high AU.

 

The surface of the coin is not original. Not even close. When you finally see an original, untoned Barber half dollar, it will knock your socks off. Now close your eyes and think of a blast-white, frosty CC Morgan dollar. That's what they look like and I still remember the first one I ever saw after decades of thinking that ones as this were original.

Unfortunately, this is the way most of the "commercial uncs" come.

 

Thanks! This confirms my suspicion enough to report it to my friend. The surfaces looked wrong to me, but I'm no expert, thanks to you and @GDJMSP for chiming in.

 

I have a 13-D which looks just like that one. I think it was cleaned at some point but NGC gave it a 55 anyway.

 

I agree with Doug.

Unfortunately, the TPGS have to deal with what is out there. The best example of this is seen in the Capped Bust half dollar series. Truly MS coins with either strong or weak strikes are Extremely rare. Years ago, I was astonished to read that a major female numismatist actually put that in print! However, market acceptable "MS" coins in major TPGS are as common as dirt! Even those graded higher than MS-62 (the "new" MS).

PS the ANA Grading guide states that coins grading MS-60 or MS-61 may have continuous hairlines over their surface. That makes coins that have been improperly clean a subjective decision. That's why the OP's coin would probably be "straight graded."

Are we having fun yet or what?

 

That's a term I haven't heard in about 20 years.

 

Am I seeing an obverse chatter strike?