The coin looks genuine to me, I don't see anything that would make me think otherwise. I am having trouble interpreting your pictures, but some of the pictures make it look like it was polished. Others of your pictures make it look fine though, so I don't know. Do you see hairlines or signs of polishing when you tilt and rotate the coin? I can guarantee that it has at least been dipped at some point - it is too evenly white for a coin of its age. I'm going to guess a grade of high AU. Determining AU vs MS from pictures is often very difficult, but I'm going to guess that there is light rub/wear in the open fields, which is giving the appearance of pictures 2 and 3. If it has not been cleaned, and if it is AU, then its value is probably somewhere around $70 or so. Obviously, if it has been cleaned then the value will be substantially lower.
Yeah, I'm not that successful at getting good pics. "Do you see hairlines or signs of polishing when you tilt and rotate the coin?" - NO The first edge pic shows an uneven horizontal line, copper in color, which makes me think it may have been dipped, then again, that could be from being in a book or holder at some point. While the coin is "shiny", there is a light film of what I would call patina on it. When I bought it, I factored in that it was probably "cleaned" at some point, and an AU grade. Paid $42, which to me was a fair price. If I was unhappy when I received it, the option to return it was/is available.
I agree that at some point it's been dipped and hard to determine if polished. One image looks good all natural skin,others look hazy that to me sez dipped. Nice coin in Au/MS depending on an in hand inspection . Book on Au 65.
The key to determining originality - as happens often - lies in the reeding. Plenty of color in the reeding here. Ever seen a coin that only toned in the reeding? Me neither. It's been dipped, enough to return the surfaces to "original" but not enough to completely clear the reeding. Probably a former occupant of an album where the reeding was in closest contact to the sulfurous cardboard, and therefore toned the most deeply. It's a shame, because it had to be fairly delicate toning for this to be possible. I couldn't speak to whether or not a TPG would find it market-acceptable. It would stand out in an Edgeview holder to anyone in the know, though. Having been dipped, it's probably always going to be a "slider" unless other images could conclusively indicate wear. In Speculation Mode, I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't circulated.
As others have pointed out, it's been dipped, long enough ago to have developed some haze. It doesn't look to have been polished, judging from the photos. It's a nice-looking, over-dipped coin. As for being genuine, I don't think there's much profit in counterfeiting common date Barber Dimes. Ditto with the polishing: since it's very easy to achieve an "attractive" look through dipping, and over-dipped Barbers are very easy to find, polishing doesn't strike me as offering that much gain for the coin doctor.
I wouldn't make that assumption. Virtually every date that has been minted, and many that haven't, have been counterfeited. They counterfeit common date morgans which sell for less than this, they counterfeit silver eagles for pete's sake - sure they'll counterfeit Barber dimes.
Since it's almost all pure profit anyway, it makes sense to counterfeit relatively common issues with a large demand base (by comparison to keys and rarities). Who cares if you only get $25 for the coin, if $24.97 of that is profit?
Yeah, you guys are probably right. However, I look at it as a matter of likelihood. There's no shortage of genuine common date Barber Dimes on the market; the odds of buying a counterfeit raw one seem very low to me. The challenge seems much greater of finding one whose dipping hasn't compromised its value. It's been ages since I've bought a raw coin precisely because this kind of angst that it can generate simply isn't worth it.
I'd like to clarify my above comment, not that it's important. I understand the appeal of buying raw. It can be more adventurous in several respects than buying slabbed. Some people like the challenge of finding a diamond in the rough. And it's generally less expensive, particularly if you're just starting out. However, if one is constantly second-guessing one's purchases—or afraid of making a new one—then this can be alleviated by buying graded coins. The nominal increase in cost (at least for many issues) is worth the peace of mind, and they can always be cracked out. I've bought my share of raw coins—mostly as a young collector—and have been burned on a few problems coins; all of us have to some degree or another. That's the cost of gaining experience. Despite this, I'm not cowed by the risk of buying raw; rather at this point in my collecting I don't have the time/patience to go that route. Some collectors consider this lazy; I consider it efficient. There is no one right answer. I love Barber dimes and own a few that look just like the OP's: good-looking coins in the slider range that have been dipped.
My photography skills/equipment are lacking, but the results are in: PCGS # 4857 Date, mintmark 1911 Denomination 10C Country The United States of America Grade AU58 Mintage 18,870,543 Holder Type Standard Population 112 PCGS Price GuideSM Value: $85
