1812 50c 1 1

[Cardinal Ken]

Inherited house and contents. This is one of the coins I have found. Have several others, and foreign coins as well. Ballpark on this one?

[powermad5000]

From Pastor Ken to now Cardinal Ken?

This coin has an unnatural shine to it and seems to have been improperly cleaned. I would say AU details for the improper cleaning but that would severely drop its price to probably VF price levels and that might be a stretch. This might only sell for around $200 and I would expect a dealer to give you even less than that.

 

[Cardinal Ken]

It hasn't been cleaned, it just photos well. It is much more gray than the photos show. Not sure how to get a better picture.

This is it beside a shiny coin, although it still makes it look better than it is. It is particularly more dark around the rim. any suggestions for getting a more representative phot would be appreciated. 

Edited 21 hours ago by Cardinal Ken

[Henri Charriere]

"... seems to have been Improperly cleaned."

"It hasn't been cleaned..."

***

Oh brother. The coin is over 200 years old!  Can anyone state with any degree of certainty that the coin HASN'T been cleaned at some point since the War of 1812?

Are you experienced enough to tell the difference between a coin in its natural state from a coin that has been Improperly cleaned?  I am afraid additional photos will only affirm the verdict that has been rendered. Any number of viewers, with practiced hands, are shaking their heads and muttering to themselves, "Trust me, it has been Improperly cleaned."

For a quick comparison, why not view photos of coins of that vintage on eBay.  (Perhaps a member reading this can refer the OP to the date(s) on which similarly dated halves have been posted on the "Follow the lead" topic.)

SEE THE PHOTO OF A SIMILARLY DATED HALF POSTED ONLY A MINUTE AGO ON THE "FOLLOW THE LEAD PICTURE POST" ON THE U.S. AND WORLD COINS FORUM.  

Edited 16 hours ago by Henri Charriere
Add'l info.

[ldhair]

On 9/20/2024 at 12:57 AM, Cardinal Ken said:

any suggestions for getting a more representative phot would be appreciated. 

The second image of the obverse is much better but can be improved. You might try using just one type of lighting. When you mix lighting, you get odd results. Try two lamps. One at 10 and one at 2 and play with the angle of the lamps. Turn off all other lighting in the room. It's really nice if the camera will let you do a custom white balance. What type of camera are you using?

Most of these have been cleaned in some way at some point in their life. Take note of the obverse fields in front and behind Liberty. Note the difference in color from the rest of the coin. That's a good sign the coin has been messed with. Better images might help but won't replace seeing the coin in hand. Many of these can still get a straight grade if the cleaning was not too harsh. 

It's still a nice coin even if the services call it cleaned. Sure the cleaning will have an impact on it's value. 

[Cardinal Ken]

Thanks everyone. I will probably take it to the Louisville Numismatic Exchange so they can see it first hand.

Since i am not a collector or content creator, I dont have any way to set up lighting. Those pictures were under fluorescent lighting. Here are a couple under natural lighting outside.

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Cardinal Ken
aDDED PICTURES

[Mike Meenderink]

The coin above IMO grades XF Details Rim Damaged / Cleaned. Value Appx. $130.00 Cheers!

Edited 4 hours ago by Mike Meenderink

[Henri Charriere]

On 9/20/2024 at 7:21 PM, Mike Meenderink said:

The coin above IMO grades XF Details Rim Damaged / Cleaned. Value Appx. $130.00 Cheers!

Funny thing about coins is the perspective of the person owning them.

How one would react to your ballpark figure depends on one's perspective: a). Inherited; b). Just bought; c). In one's collection for years.

My own bias comes to the fore on this.  If it's inherited, it's no loss, really.  If it was just bought or recently acquired, it may be cringe-worthy.  If it's been in one's collection for years, I would presume your figure may come as a pleasant surprise for a coin that has presumably appreciated in the interim.

Probably why I do not particularly relish GTG or using the pejorative term "worthless" to describe another's coin exhibiting phenomena that may or may not be worth a premium.  I usually check myself by asking, "How would you feel if that were your coin being so described?"