Here's a description/title I don't see every day: 1895 Barber Half Dollar PCGS MS-63 Nice Obv. but Rev. Toning is not for everyone Is there a grade annotation that's the opposite of "star"? To be fair, the reverse isn't terrible, but it really is a disappointment compared to that obverse. Too bad.
I assumed that the reverse really is toned that way, and not bearing any kind of soluble residue. I honestly don't know how people would value this coin compared to one that's toned the same on the obverse and dipped blast white on the reverse. They're asking almost full 63 Numismedia FMV for this coin. I know high-grade Barber halves don't have much use for price guides, but it seems to me that this one would land somewhere in the bottom of the price distribution for 63.
I've often wished there was, but doing so would be almost as bad as saying - we over-graded this one - on the slab. Looking at that coin sure makes me wonder if somebody "did" that toning. I mean some of those edges are just so sharply defined. Natural toning just doesn't happen like that, but using Deller's or some other darkening agent sure does.
I'd pay more for the coin with nice obverse toning and a dipped reverse than I would for the pictured coin. I do find that reverse pretty terrible. You'd have to pay me to admit I owned that coin.
