I saw this little beauty. I cannot resist old classic U.S. coppers. Nice mostly problem free coin, kind of tough to find. The major issue is of course that it has been cleaned, but still nice (at least to me). Photos are a little dark, the coin is a dark brown.
Excellent! I would have acquired it too! Speaking for me, I am not concerned about old cleanings of old coins. (back in the day, I don't believe they were as concerned about cleaning as much as "collector", flippers & dealers are today, say in the last 100 yrs). But of course, I'm not buying with the primary intent to resell someday. I would avoid a harsh cleaning, but a nice old circulated one like this is "perfect"! Nice catch!
Half cents are not really common to come across especially in decent condition. I am a long time collector and "novice" numismatist, so resale never comes into play for me either. Cleaned older coins are, at least in my experience, par for the course. The lure of old U.S. coppers: large cents, half cents, Flying Eagles, two cent pieces, and Indian Head cents is often too much for me to resist, especially when they look this good and are not outrageously priced.
Nice coin, cleaned or not, I would have jumped on it too. Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year.
