How Does A Noob Tell A Real Penny From A Good Collector?

And last post on my penny buying saga before the penny goes back - pic of the reverse of my real 1925 penny. The rim, lettering, rows etc all glisten - like they were used right until today in transactions. Is this a good thing - do collectors look for this on their pennies? Or do they like a bit more patina, even on the high spots?
Cheerio,
Andy.

The reverse of the fake '25 screams fake. Once you have seen a few real ones you get a feel for what they should and shouldn't look like.
Also for George V pennies in general you should look at a few references (Triton.vg is a very good online reference) to see the correct die pairings of Indian/English obverses with the London, Heaton and Calcutta reverses.
Also learn about flat and curved lettering as most years only have one or the other.

The early years all had flat bases to the reverse lettering, the period around 1919-1923 had both and then the lettering was always curved (fishtailed). It is believed to be due to the master dies deteriorating by spreading and can be found in other denominations and in coins from other countries.
The forgers often get this wrong and is a handy tool to spot the fakes quickly.
As long as you have good images of a penny you can always spot the genuine coin (with experience). Lots of images on ebay are crappy, both due to poor photography skills and due to efforts to intentionally hide dodgy coins (both fake coins and scratched/cleaned coins).
Learn to spot the tell tale signs. For the coins themselves: wrong colour, unusual wear, fake toning, wrong letter/numeral shapes,wrong master die pairing and details hidden by unusual grime.
Also check out the sellers other coins and feedback history. If the feedback coins include a few of the same coins (Centenary florin,1930 penny and '38 crowns are common) then ask yourself did he find a horde of rare date coins or is he flogging Chinese fakes? Also if any of his coins are fakes and he doesn't mention that (or hides behind the weasel words "I know nothing about coins") then regard all his coins as suspect.
Look out for shill bidders, the seller might be trying to make noobs get into a bidding war, also look out for slow shipment (for any suspect transaction start a claim within the allowable time).
Best (and safest) thing is to buy from sellers who have impeccable reputations and sellers who you have had good dealing with before.
None of us who have made lots of purchases have never made a mistake or never been ripped off. But experience (and knowledge) minimises our risks and maximizes our wins. Nothing like seeing a crappy image from a low feedback seller and spotting a detail of a genuine rare coin that only a very experienced collector would know about. By that method I've picked up dozens of rare coins for next to nothing.
Knowledge is king.

"good enough to never be tricked"

Whether online or in person this is the goal, although an elusive one.

"high-polish to the raised areas"

I would expect the raised surfaces to tone differently from the protected surfaces.
And I do not think that an attempt to 'polish' the raised surfaces would not
cause a few stray marks below. Perhaps another clue to the overall 'rightness' of the coin.

In short, when the coin is all the same color, unless in high condition, I suspect foul play.

Same coin? DEFINITELY. And the back:

Yep, even with my very little knowledge, after looking & looking (and looking) at the two it's the numerals. The nine & the five. I can also see the point re round lettering - you could polish the top down to flat but you'd still have the "curvature" at the bottom of the letters & numbers.