I just received this bust half i bought on ebay, and i'm not sure if i should send it back, my concern is that it may have an old cleaning that isn't really evident in the sellers pics. https://m.ebay.com/itm/1826-CAPPED-BUST-HALF-DOLLAR-/283053781554?txnId=0#vi_
I always look at the Date first (if something else doesn't blaringly show itself). compare another die.
that link is not even the same coin. 1826 vs 1828 oops .. it's one of those "listing not available, but here's something similar" thing I got.
It is generally accepted that these old halves were cleaned in a previous generation or two. Our numismatic ancestors didn’t view cleaning coins as we do. Old cleanings are regarded as acceptable typically.
When I look at these I worry when they are cleaned like this. They are nicely polished. The stars are clean but have the dirty stuff around them (basically emphasizing the looks of the stars). Then the bust has really detailed areas of the hair and shoulder button. I'd go searching on aliexpress for similar ones just to be sure. now, for everything that I buy, I research it's probability of being a fake first before bidding. I've been buying a lot less lately just because it takes the "convenience" of buying something out of the equation. This certainly was polished up nicely it seems. I don't know if this is a fake or not, but I would have skipped it.
That's what i get for looking at the sellers pics on my phone instead of my laptop, i couldn't really see the polishing in the sellers pics, and in hand it isn't fully "bright" like a newly polished coin would be. My gut says it's genuine, but i don't really want a polished coin in my collection, so I'm returning it.
before you package it away can you go to a well lit room (don't use your cellphone light, etc). and take pictures of it from STRAIGHT ABOVE so it's not at an angle. I want to see if the "6" is skewed higher than the other numbers as it kinda looks like it is.
Sorry, i already packed it up and dropped it in a mailbox, i had some errands to run and figured i'd take care of it. If i missed out on a super rare variety, please don't tell me, I'll be kicking myself over it.
lol. no. I was going to see if I could find a duplicate fake. usually shifted numbers is one thing I look for as I learn more about counterfeits.
There are several different date positions for the Overton varieties of each date. This one looks real, just harshly cleaned.
ok. Those Overton varieties I'm learning about too. There's so much to learn about a particular date of a coin it's sometimes totally overwhelming. lol
It's a cleaned VF O-102--a very common die marriage. For the 57 bucks you spent you would have been OK. Sending it back it OK as well.