is it just my experience, or have others found that alot of vf-au flying eagles seemed to have been cleaned? hard to find an untouched one for the type set, so many have the abraded bright orange look that it tires of looking for 1.

MJK

all the FE cents I have look like they were dug out of the ground

I've seen quite a few FEs that have not been cleaned - at least not recently. Remember that in the late 1800s and early 1900s cleaning your coins was a common thing.

The orange color usually means they were dipped. Very bad color. They can be recolored but it takes time if you want a nice even natural color. Good luck on your search.

Here's a rather nice 1858 LL AU58 PCGS - looks to be a very nice coin. If you find slabbed coins they will either indicate cleaned on the slab or for the most part they are original.

1858 PCGS AU58 LL Flying Eagle Cent


NGC AU53 1858 LL

I would like to see them recreated like they did the buffalo nicks....

That would be a really neat thing. Probably an instant sellout as well.

I think being cleaned applies to most 18th and 19th century collectibles coins of decent types. I know in bust halves that's definitly a large majority. Less so in copper since the cleaning people do tends to be more hamrful there and is thus avoided.

Ahaha...as do most of the ones I've had.