Walking Liberty Ebay purchase

[Jtrams77]

Good morning to you all,

     Today I decided to take a chance and look around for some Walking Liberty Half dollars on ebay. My primary focus was to buy some that looked to be in AU condition. I found a post and won the auction for a 4 coin lot of Walking Liberty half dollars. The dates in the lot were 1945, 1946-D, 1942 and a 1943-S which I paid $43.75. I would like some feedback about my purchase. Do some of you believe I paid to much ? What kind of condition do you feel the coins are in. Thank you for your time, J.S.   

[JKK]

The big question relates to cleaning. The photos aren't close enough for me to assess that, though the 46D--which at AU-50 would be the value star of the group--looks so cloudy I suspect some form of inept cleaning. If none of them are cleaned, you probably got decent value. If any of them are cleaned, you probably did not. In my experience, cleaning can dock one to two grades of value.

[Jtrams77]

Does the cloudiness always mean some form of cleaning was done ? What is a good way to tell if cleaning was performed? Thank you

[JKK]

6 hours ago, Jtrams77 said:

Does the cloudiness always mean some form of cleaning was done ? What is a good way to tell if cleaning was performed? Thank you

Well, nearly nothing always means any given thing. Please do remember that I wrote "I suspect." I used that term very specifically. I don't know beyond suspicion, and am not able to know from the pic, and do not want to mislead you by over-assuming based on limited information.

Cleaning tends to come in two forms: chemical and abrasive. In chemical cleaning, the coin is 'dipped' in a solvent. If it is not well enough washed afterward, to remove all the solvent, trace amounts may further affect the coin, sometimes messing up the surface and sometimes leaving residue. In abrasive cleaning, the surface is attacked with mechanical means such as a brush, dremel tool, even a q-tip (they leave hairlines...trust me). With chemical cleaning, sometimes the coin will look unnatural, especially if the dip lasts too long or the coin doesn't get completely cleaned afterward. That's what I suspect here. With abrasive cleaning, under good magnification you'd see many fine scratches: either horizontal or circular. It looks hideous. That can also lead to a blast-white coloration of silver that is very unnatural and looks ridiculous on a well-worn coin.

I don't know what happened to this one. I just know that its surface doesn't look fully natural for an AU Walker. I can only suspect why.