Capped Bust Half Dollar Coloration Question

[jesbroken]

As it seems most bust halves that one sees lately have been cleaned--is the dark coloration of this coin representative that maybe it has not been cleaned and is natural or has a cleaning process caused this darkness almost blackness?

Thanks

Jim

[TJ'S Coins]

This is hard to decipher from your image. Bust coinage can turn almost dark black with the devices remaining lighter as your picture indicates. In many cases this is NT and can be a very desirable piece to collect.

 

Your coin reveals many details but the fields look like they have numerous contact marks. Sometimes people will AT a coin to cover over undesirable marks. Again I cannot tell from the image.

 

What kind of spot is that on the obverse shoulder above the clasp? It looks like some sort of post-mint damage as it is too low and too large to be the centering point for the coin.

 

I'm leaning toward NT but can't say for certain. Depending on the luster in hand I would grade this in the EF40-AU50 range.

[TomB]

To tell you the truth, the image of the coin makes it appear to be a nearly colorless, bright white example that I would think has been overly dipped. Is the presentation accurate? If so, it's not original at all.

[Mozin]

If those pictures are representative of the true look of the coin, it certainly does not look natural. You might try some better pictures, and include your personal thoughts as to how accurate the look of your pictures.

[Bruceswar]

This is the look you are after...

 

[James_OldeTowne]

This looks like a scan which can be tough to interpret. I suspect you have a coin that was lightly cleaned at one time, then allowed to retone through normal means, which can indeed lead to darker peripheral toning. Of course, we all realize that the huge majority of these coins in high grades (like yours) have seen some sort of cleaning over the years. The hope is always that it will retone gracefully.