I bought a few of these coins that seemed to all come from the same owner. I can't tell if they're cleaned or in really nice shape. Normally farthings are a much darker color, but I'm just not sure.
I'm no World coin expert but I know some things. Looks pretty much untouched, to me anyways. Very handsome coin Sir!!
Let me preface by saying that it is very difficult to assert anything with any certainty from photos in this case. This having been said, I see no reason to say that the above farthing has been cleaned, other than the fact that I would generally expect either a truly 'red' UNC, or a more 'streaky' patina on a British bronze of this period. In terms of your 'dark' concerns - perhaps you are being thrown by the fact that some Georgian bronze was mint darkened? I can say that this year was issued undarkened, and so might well come 'red.'
I think that the coin has original surfaces and displays the color that results from toning as the original red fades. It is nicely preserved.
Thanks for the reassurance. I didn't see any reason to think it was cleaned other than the color. Most farthings look more like this one I'm attaching, but I hoped this was just better preserved and that seems to be the consensus.
The first one looks AU50-ish with original surfaces because there appears to be some luster still hidden in the devices particularly the shield. We're probably seeing some copper haze on the surface which tends to happen to copper coins when they're in coin folders too long. I experienced something similar with my childhood Lincoln cents in my old Whitman folders.
My gut reaction was to say cleaned, due to the surface colors. But I’d take @johnmilton ’s opinion over my own.
I personally feel the OP’s coin lacks the luster seen here. Lighting could definitely play a role, of course.
