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Message:: [QUOTE="yakpoo, post: 1103185, member: 18157"]I've picked up a few inexpensive Bust Halves on eBay over the past couple of years to study. When I know very little about a series I find that's a good way to get interested. I had an opportunity to buy a very dark (much darker than yours) 1825 Bust Half for $60. The coin wasn't advertised as such, but was clearly an Overton-109! The auction was ending at an odd time and I thought I had stumbled onto a great deal.  The pictures were very detailed and the coin looked like a slam-dunk EF-40 (maybe better). I won the auction and when I got it...it looked great "in hand" (to me, anyway). A few months later I decided to remove the tarnish and submit it for grading.  To my HORROR, once the very dark tarnish was removed, it was clear the coin had been very harshly cleaned...there were unsightly scratches all throughout the fields. I had examined the coin, but never detected the scratches until the tarnish was removed. I don't know if that's happened to anyone else, but I certainly learned a lesson! I don't think that's the case with your coin...just sharing a bad experience.[/QUOTE]