Maybe it's just the image, but this 1899-O Barber half looks weird

[James_OldeTowne]

See what you think of the Barber half in this eBay listing.

[TomB]

Probably because it is actually a Barber quarter, not a half.

[James_OldeTowne]

 

OOPS, still looks weird even as a quarter....

[Keleum]

Weird as in "chinese fake" or just some off center double die thingy

[bsshog40]

Looks authentic to me. Looks to may have a little mach. doubling on the date. JMO

[Dwaine]

I don't know, kind of hard to tell what's going on with the coin from those pictures. Something looks off to me.

[dooly]

Is the mint mark way to far over to the right ?

 

had a bit of a fiddle with the sellers pictures.

[bsshog40]

I think the mintmark is in the right spot. the only thing that throws me off is the date. Not sure why it looks doubled.

[jesbroken]

All looks ok to me, with the exception of the date doubling oddity, not necessarily wrong but certainly different.

[Elbesaar]

My first impression was that there's something wrong with it...maybe a cast copy...but its not a scarce date... then thought there's something seriously wrong with the date.

 

Have to further examine the MM position before I make any other comments.

My copy is at the SDB...but I've got Dave Lawrence's book in hand...

 

The MM position seems to be a touch too high and to the right of where the Dave Lawrence example MM's is.

 

However, according to Dave Lawrence, ..." Breen also noted an RPD with the final 9 repunched."

 

I hate to buy coins - or grade them for that matter - from images alone.

Still, this 1899-O doesn't set too well with me.

 

I just checked, I don't have an image of my example - which I bought raw from JJ Teaparty back in August of 1999 and was graded AU 58 by ANACS, yet only crossed to PCGS as an AU 55. All I can say is that my example is deeply toned at the edges and off white/ light gold at the centers...having spent a few decades in a Waite Raymond album.

 

 

[BillJones]

It looks authentic to me, but it looks like it's been gone over something.

 

I once had a 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter that looked like this. I swear someone put black shoe polish on it to cover up an old cleaning. The coin had a greasy feel to it. I had to get it certified in order to sell it so I sent it to ANACS. They thought more it than I did and graded it VF-35. The dealer through whom I sent the coin in for grading got real interested in it after that, and I sold it to him.

 

But I think that this piece has been treated with something, probably long ago.