An attractive example of this tough date, despite being just a bit dark for some people perhaps.  As with 98%+ of all better grade Barber Quarters, difficult to tell if it is original.  Under good light, some extremely light 'hairlines' can be detected under the blue-gray toning, however these could be from the short circulation it saw.  The color is natural in my opinion and obviously developed over a long period of time.  The bigger issue perhaps is whether it is 'original enough', and by the standards of the grading services it appears to be - I can't guarantee anything 100% as both PCGS & NGC have tightened up considerably in the last couple of months, sending me back some 'questionable' attributions as far as I am concerned.  I will also comment that virtually ALL of the AU specimens I reviewed had been cleaned, rather obviously. The fact that the grading services still holder these coins is both an acknowledgement of the realities of dealing with the Barber coin series’, and market demand for certified examples. This issue is notoriously poorly struck, with weakness on the tips of the Eagle’s wings, and tailfeathers/arrow fletches being the norm. The coin offered is struck better than most, with the central core of the top wing feathers being evident, while the tail feathers and claw holding the clutch of arrows being a bit weak as almost always found for the date.  The toning has 'eaten' most of the luster that remains however there are some traces if you look hard for them.  This is still an attractive coin, and certainly not seen very often, so priced based upon my cost and opinion of value.  You can decide for yourself ...  0402-03