Just got this one in the mail, not sure what grade it would rate. Don't see any obvious cleaning scratching.
No one I know can say anything about your purchase with the angle of the photos you posted. Check out the other threads to see how others post photos straight on. I stand corrected . Color of the coin is not as "frosty white" as I prefer so my guess is not original and AU. Commercial grade = MS62.
It is really hard to see the surfaces from the photos you provided. It looks like it could grade anywhere between the AU58-MS63 range.
NICE SHARP OBVERSE! Reverse out of focus (easy for me to say as I can't take photos). The coin is 100% AU. Note the change of color due to wear down the leg and on the head.
It's totally AU.. A trick that I picked up on this board (I wish I could remember who said it to credit them) is to hold the coin a sheet of white paper and look at the coin. An Uncirculated coin will reflect a nice even white all over the surface. An AU coin will have darker patches where the luster is rubbed off and gone. It's a very neat way of detecting very light wear. Give it a shot with this one. You will see a darker streak down Liberty's leg. Then check the reverse. You will probably see a darker streak from the eagle's neck across the breast and down the leg.
@jtlee321 thanks for the reminder...I'll take at least part of the credit for that one as I learned it in a beginners grading seminar taught by Skip Fazzari in the early 1980's and I posted his method on CT. Forgive me if I don't look back in 4000+ posts to find the date it was posted. I believe Fazzari also published that method in one his grading column in Numsimatic News. Let me add to your "trick." Place a white sheet of paper on a table. Place an incandescent light source on one side of the paper (depending if you are right or left handed) - dark room a plus. Now, hold the coin opposite the light near the edge of the paper and cock it over at about a 45 degree angle. Place your head (without blocking the light) so you can see the downward side of the coin. The light from the lamp will travel down to the paper and be reflected up to the coin. Instantly you will see a color change anywhere the original surface is impaired. Normally an AU silver coin will turn gray at the rub. Now you'll need to decide if the change of color is due to stacking (market acceptable) or friction wear (not acceptable). Additionally, if friction, you'll need to decide how much friction you will allow on a coin before it becomes too much (AU) for your standards. With experience you will learn how much the TPGS allow before each type of coin and each metal they are made of becomes their AU. It is not as hard as it sounds. There is a good discussion of luster on a very old thread here: Cabinet friction, stacking or wear. That may be where I posted this trick. IMO, everyone on CT should read it!
Thank you for expounding upon my post. It was probably your post that I read this on. I have used it several times and it works incredibly well and is very simple to do. It's saved my bacon a few times on a coin that was questionable. It is not flawless, but it is a great tool to add to the arsenal.
That trick worked well. I wasn't expecting a MS coin, as I only paid $15, so for the coin I received it works. My other 1944 half is a lot rougher, but is a D mint so only need S mint to complete year.
