1849 Large Cent, Grade Please

just be careful buying raw on ebay. photos are not the best to assess a coin from. angles, lighting, shadows etc.

VF details (cleaned)

I'm going to give you my honest opinion on this one. this coin was cleaned. three things point to this.

1. the vertical scratches up and down the obv across the profile down to the rim. the coin was rubbed with something slightly abrasive

2. the hallowing around all the stars

3. the original toning should be that nice dark brown you see on areas around the obv. the original toning was removed and now you are seeing some of the actual copper

Looks like an xf, and cleaned.

EF details, cleaned.

Thanks, all. I concluded it was cleaned also. Fortunately I did not pay a lot for this coin, and frankly, it was the color that attracted it to me. I could not see the scratches on the ebay pictures, but was somewhat expecting issues could exist. I should have just asked- "was it cleaned?" based on the nice color (which did come though in the pictures). In any case, I will keep it because it is a nice looking coin that I can hold and show to others, and total cost (coin, ship, tax) was about $43.

John, the "nice color" coming through is the raw metal that was exposed when it was cleaned. this is not something you should consider as a plus for any copper coin. this is not "Red" which you would see in a high end AU or MS coin. you should be able to compare that color to your 1854 MS63RB. add this to your knowledge base for future reference.

most sellers on ebay that are handling old copper had to know this coin was cleaned.