No real need for grade or value, I just want to know if this has been cleaned. A simple yes or no will suffice. I am asking because you all are so good at helping. Thanks!
ldhair- I know I asked for yes or no, but can you tell me why you think it's cleaned? The owner says that the pics are from a phone and are dull and that there is a lot of luster left on the coin. I am trying to make quite a large deal with quite a few coins and this is one of the big ones so I want to be as sure as I can. So if anyone can tell me how sure they are that is has or has not been cleaned that would be awesome. Thanks so much for the help everyone!
There are two streaks of a darker color that are inconsistent in their appearance. The rest of the coin is too consistent in appearance and the color is not naturally distributed. I am saying it that way in case the color in the image is an issue. What I really think is that the color is fairly accurate and the coin is too orange in color a sign of cleaning or dipping with a chemical like Brasso copper cleaner. There are fine hairline scratches that follow the border of the lower part of the eagle, a sure sign that the cleaning was done particularly on the fields around the eagle. There are similar fine hairlines going in an up and down direction above the eagle's tail. Again, signs that the coin was deliberately cleaned. There is a darker area that starts from above the 18 in the date up into the eagle. All things lead me to think that there were three major stains. The two that are still obvious and the discoloration above the date and into the eagle. An attempt was made to minimize those stains by dipping the coin in the liquid portion of the "Brasso" -like chemical (Brasso separates into two components. The liquid chemical and the abrasive material in the mix. You can pour off some of the liquid and use it as a cleaner). That didn't work well enough so some minor abrasive material was used to complete the job. The coin was no doubt cleaned. Also, luster is a function of the metal orientation as a coin is struck. All the surface of this coin shows signs of circulation and no luster. Luster is created at the moment of striking. This coin may have "shine" but that is different than luster. If this coin is being offered as AU, for example. It's not... The coin is EF-details, cleaned.
I would say yes based on the lines and small scratches that look more recent to the coin but it still would most likely get ef, au details grade !!
Thanks for the great responses! I agree with what you all are saying, it's just good to get it from those who know better than I.
