A barber day.

Please voice your opinions on this Barber Half including grade and if it's been cleaned. Also, how did I do for $15?

 

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I'd call it VG8 and it might've been cleaned. It looks a little shiny. For $15 thought I don't think you did too bad.

 

G6

 

G-6 cleaned and since re-toned. $15 was okay, but just above what I would comfortably pay.

 

Yep yep and yep!

 

The lighting is too harsh to be absolutely certain if it has been cleaned or not. It may have been washed lightly to give it a lighter color, but that would not necessarily mean that it is covered in hairlines.

 

I defer to TomB's opinion - hard to tell - the lighting is too bright -
the coin looks washed out - tell us: how are the surfaces ? Any
Hairlines ? I think you did ok for $15.

Coin looks G8 to me - there is just enough detail left in the wreath.

 

Everyone says Detecto did okay at $15 but the last time I went to a particular coin shop down by San Diego they were selling Barber halves out of a tube in similar condition for $6 and Barber quarters for $3.50 each. I haven't been there in some time so I don't know if their prices have changed. As far as I can tell there's no good reason why these coins are selling for so much more these days.

 

I think you got your denominations mixed up. The melt value of a barber half alone is $11.60 and a quarter would be $5.80

 

The last time I was at this coin shop Barber halves were indeed being sold for $6 out of a tube and Barber quarters were being sold for $3.50 each. I just ran the numbers on coinflation and I got the same amounts as you did. The purported "melt value" is difficult to grasp. It shouldn't cost this much to buy silver coins, it just shouldn't.

 

If a knowledgeable shop was recently selling authentic Barber coinage at the levels you quoted then I sure hope you purchased every last single coin or else you would have been mighty foolish to walk away from free money.

 

I would gladly buy every authentic Barber coin at this coin shop at the levels I quoted but I would have to find a time machine to do so. I was last at this coin shop back in 2006. It is ridiculous that older American silver coinage is based off of some price in the daily newspaper.