F Details, cleaned. That said, your coin doesn't have a terrible appearance. It has re-toned quite a bit.
One of the clues to a cleaned copper coin is red (or red-orange) color in the fields and deep recesses of central devices of an older coin that grades below AU. It can't be mint luster, so it has to be evidence of an older cleaning that is still re-toning. Note the color creating a "halo" around the portrait on your coin. This would be mint luster on a higher AU coin, but shouldn't exist at all on a coin below EF-40. The color itself is also wrong for luster. It has a dull orangy-red tone that suggests copper cleaner.
@okiecoiner makes a really good point on the "Vicky gunk." The detailed design elements (denticles, dots, leaves and vines, etc.) definitely were crud-snags.
Silver coins are a bit tougher. The major TPGs all say that "dipping isn't cleaning," but they all treat
over-dipping as cleaning. Over-dipping creates a flat surface appearance on coins that should have cartwheel luster. On circulated silver coins, an older cleaning that has re-toned may well be market acceptable, and straight grade.
Harsh cleaning, such as rubbing, almost always leaves surface scratching, and is never market acceptable. A staggering percentage of the silver British North American (pre-Confederation) coins have been cleaned. At least 80% of the Newfoundland
Twenty Cent and fifty cent coins that I see have been cleaned. In short, look for flatness where luster should be, surface scratching, and coins that are toned too lightly for their grade and age.
Some of the cleaned coins on
ebay are painful. There is one seller of Canadian and Provincial coins and tokens who brags of using a Dremel tool with a brass brush to "improve" his coins. He "improved"one pre-Confederation token from a $300+ example to worthless copper shrapnel. Another seller of US
Morgan dollars and world silver coins "improves" circulated coins to what he calls "MS++++" coins with harsh abrasion and silver polish. It actually hurts to see their listings.
Just some thoughts.
Posted 07/05/2020 3:38 pm
