My Collecting Dilemma With Morgans

Much like spotting cleaned coins in person, the more ebay listing you look at youll start to be able to notice the little lighting tricks that some sellers use so their coins are presented in the best possible fashion.

"The person imaging it is either very good, or very lucky. It's presented in the best-possible light, with excellent contrast and sharpness. I don't think the cheek will be as nice in-hand as it is in the image. Second: if the color is somewhat accurate - actually, even correcting the background to a more "white" appearance as it looks to be - that single-shade coloration resembles how a coin tones after a dipping/cleaning."
Does this mean that you believe tHe color and/or contrast were enhanced and that the background was white and the seller made it darker to his advantage? Are you determining this based upon the colors of the pic? I'm trying to understand how you

Whether on purposer or not, the person who took the image has used a single source of flat light at an angle such that it's very difficult to see remaining mint luster. Instead of seeing variations of reflection (glare, as in cartwheel), you simply see one color light reflected. The entire field is simply white (actually, a very light brownish beige). It doesn't look to me like this coin was harshly cleaned or polished, but the angle makes it very difficult to tell.

The best way to learn how photographers trick potential buyers is to practice photography with a few coins in varying states, varying metals, various surface ocnditions. Keep the light sources consistent (though, you should change their configuration to see how that impacts the photograph).

I try very hard to NOT trick potential buyers, and that too can be difficult.

As always with any series, key dates should never be purchased raw.

In that condition, there should be some luster. From the picture there are no hints of luster, but sometimes scans don't show the coin accurately.

OK, I was able to take some photos of the coin. They have not been altered in any way, but I couldn't get the purple hue to show up. Maybe someone could still tell me if they notice anything? I also purchased a scale, and the weight was 26.78 grams. I tested the scale with calibration weights, and it was dead-on. It is very reliable. My question is whether or not this "artificial" toning (if it is) might cause an increase in weight, as in left-over residue? Thanks.