Has this 1837 Capped Bust Half Dollar been whizzed?

I looked at the sellers other listings and none of the pictures seem to be enhanced in any way.
The way I see it is, if the coin ends up grading mint state, then I've gotten a good deal. But if it comes back cleaned, at least I'll have saved someone else from unknowingly buying a cleaned coin. Assuming that the seller states that the coin is cleaned when he lists it again. The seller will be sending me some more pictures tonight, so with those pictures hopefully we will be able to determine whether it is worth buying or not.
Thanks for the good advice.

 

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This thread at the NGC forums has 49 pages of early halfs.

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=963846&fpart=49

Several of these collectors should have very helpful opinions.

 

It has absolutely been dipped, there can be no question at all about that. Regarding eye appeal, you seem to think it quite nice while I think it a horror show in its dipped glory, but that is the difference in our aesthetic taste. It looks to have hairlines consistent with a choice AU (AU55 or AU58) and both PCGS and NGC will certify a coin like this in a problem free holder as long as there is nothing hidden by the images.

 

it's obviously been cleaned/dipped which should kill half the value. you are better off buying a high grade slabbed TPG coin. it's all about how much money you want to shell out ? middle grade so-so money, high grade=high money. maybe you could get a deal on a common coin ? or is the date you need for your set ?

 

The coin has definitely been dipped at some time in it's life . But if the coin is even MS is moot in my opinion with those pics at least . Ask yourself this , if you had a beautiful Reeded Bust half in MS-63 condition with no problems and wanted to make the most money by selling it on ebay , wouldn't you have it graded . Then your assured of top dollar . Now the coin may be every bit what he claims , but I have my doubts . It could be a beautiful AU-58 which is the way I went .

 

Here's mine , If I dipped it it would look almost the same as the one your looking at .



Image View: Normal | Medium | Large

 

I'm afraid that if I posted all of mine that we would have quite a long thread.

 

Here is one of my AU "Details" dipped.

 

I was just trying to show the op what his coin might be . I'm also pretty sure yours would be better looking and with a nicer image .

 

Oh, yes, I understand and meant no harm in my post. I had just thought I would do the same and then hesitated because there are a number I could choose from. This is my favorite US series and I am a bit of a geek about the RE half dollars.

 

As far as I am (and certainly some others are) concerned, you now have had a professional's opinion and suggest you take it to heart.

With that said, I also hope you will take to heart the point I've been trying to make. Until or unless you have your own educated and experienced opinion on a coin, and/or understand the individual TPG's standards, buying raw to submit is likely to be a sucker's game, and since you're not looking at $20 widgets, an expensive one at that. Also, please understand that getting a coin into a graded holder does not make it great, just acceptable, so if you really want something nice, perhaps you should save a little more and/or wait until one you truly fall for shows itself. In the long run, you'll be happy you did. Good luck to you, sir.

 

Here are more pictures. Thank you all so much for helping me!

 

Wow, that's a beautiful coin! In which area of the coin is the wear? I'm having trouble spotting the wear lol

 

Honestly I really want it for the eye appeal. What do you think it's worth?

 

Yes, I have definitely taken your point to heart. Now I am more leaning towards not purchasing this coin. I posted some more pictures of the coin. Could you tell me your opinion of the pictures? I will make my final decision soon, but it is likely that I won't buy the coin.

 

I would love to drool over some more beautiful half dollars. It would be great if you could post a few pictures

 

Yeah, I see your point. I probably won't buy the coin, but I did post some more pictures and I would love to get your opinion.

 

it is probably worth half the price you are gonna buy it at. it has a nice grade but since it has been cleaned all shiny you will NOT get back what you bought it for. what is the buying price he is asking ? like the other guy said down the road you will not be happy with this coin when it starts turning dark color after being cleaned like this. I am saying this for your benefit. believe me I had to learn the hard way myself. I am glad I learned early what a cleaned coin looks like. otherwise I would have overpaid for many coins I wanted. a cleaned coin is a problem coin. not many experienced coin collectors want to buy a problem coin. If you are gonna buy this coin and keep it with the intention of never selling ok buy it. do not be surprised to see this coin turn dark grey to black later on. good luck.

 

Thanks for the advice. I've decided not to buy the coin. At least now I won't have to save up over $1000 for the coin.

 

Even though I dislike the appearance of the coin very much, I will defend the coin in that I don't see evidence of it having been harshly cleaned in a manner that would preclude it from being certified in a problem-free holder by either NGC or PCGS. As I stated previously, it has without doubt been dipped, but dipping is a practice that the larger market accepts and embraces and that both NGC and PCGS accept as long as the remaining surfaces are generally fine. Again, I dislike dipped coins very much and part of this is the obvious nature of the alteration as well as the removal of what might have been original surfaces.

I will also defend the seller because I went to ebay to look up the coin and noticed that the seller is a client of mine whom I have sold some very nice raw coins to in the past. This coin, of course, did not come from me. I have also purchased from this collector when he had to liquidate a part of his collection, which is what is happening right now, and the deal went smoothly. It was off of ebay, however.

If you are drawn to dipped classic coinage then you will have many pieces to choose from and will have lots of company in terms of folks who share your preferences. I would not be one of those folks and as a full-time dealer we would likely never interact on a coin, but I understand that just because I don't like a coin shouldn't stop someone else from favoring its appearance. Please keep that in mind and separate it from any comment about future liquidity, which should be based on the broader market and experience.