1853 US 5 Cents

I'll agree with Bilbo on a VF-30 grade for details. This coin has the washed-out monochrome look I associate with cleaning. It likely was dipped in a tarnish remover to brighten it up and that treatment has damaged the surfaces somewhat. Fortunately it doesn't have any obvious scratches from scrubbing and it hasn't been banged up too badly. It is still a decent type coin, but would be worth less than than an original VF-30 example which had not been cleaned.

Cleaning is often hard to detect but easy to argue about! Sometimes it's just a "look" that seems atypical for a particular coin.

The obverse of your coin appears more obviously cleaned than the reverse. The washed-out color in your photo may be exaggerated by your brightness adjustment. However, another indication of cleaning is the fact that there is some dark toning or maybe just dirt around the date and stars. The fields and exposed areas are conspicuously white in comparison. My suspicion is that those areas were darker at one point but the coin was dipped and maybe even rubbed to lighten it up. The protected areas around the date and stars however retained some of that color.

My opinion is based on the photos. In-hand, the coin may look much better. If you trust your dealer to inform you about whether a coin has been cleaned and he says this one is OK, then his opinion is probably more accurate than mine!

I find it very hard to determine if coins have been cleaned by dipping from photos. The best way is to have it in hand and compare it to several other silver coins of similar age and wear. The overall lack of toning on this Half Dime makes cleaning a definite possibility.

Abrasive cleaning, which has a much bigger negative impact on value, is usually easier to identify from the hairline scratches, though sometimes subsequent toning will make even that hard to spot.