1872 Indian Head

Any idea on a grading and value for this coin?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

The pics aren't the best but I would say AU-50 to 53. Grey Sheet in this grade is around $500.

 

AU. I would use acetone x about 1 hour and then mineral oil to get off that finger print if you buy it. If this is eBay becareful, but it looks pretty nice, but maybe an old cleaning that retoned nicely.

 

Mikaila,

Welcome to Coin Talk! After copying the pictures to my PC, editing and cropping then zooming in at 150%, I believe that the coin has near MS-62/63 details but appears to have some Verdigris as well as dirt and may have suffered some environmental damage. I would recommend sending the coin to NCS for conservation and when the conservation is complete, have NCS to send the coin over to NGC for certification and grading. Although the coin has uite a bit of Gold/Red Mint Luster left, there is a lot of Brown toning some of which is bad due to the fingerprints and the environments in which it has resided over the years and would probably receive a BN (Brown) color designation next to the grade. I think that the best that you can hope for is a Net grade of MS-60/61 but if it does receive a grade around this, then that still makes the coin worth around $800 give or take $50 to $75 bucks either side depending how well the conservation turns out.


Good luck...Frank

 

Frank,

I could be mistaken (and the photos leave a bit to be desired) but it appears to me that there is wear on the eyebrow, first feather tip, hair above the ear and temple and hair behind the ribbon. Then again it could be the lighting.

 

I do own the coin, I've had it probably for over 10 years now. I found it in our house along with some other coins. According to parents it came from some great grand parents I never met........ It was lose in a box w/ the other coins. It's been kept in a coin card the 10 years I've had it. I highly doubt it has ever been cleaned..... I will try to get some better pics, I'll have to use a magnifine glass or something...... My camera won't focus any closer than that.

 

Professional help will be along soon

 

Hobo,

I could also be mistaken but I believe that the bright spots are more due to the lighting than wear! Even at 150% zoom, I could not really tell if there was wear or rub due to the lighting. It appears that the lighting was somewhere North of the "ES" in STATES and casts brighter areas on all the details that slope down on the North side (towards the lighting source). This can also be seen on the Reverse as well but to a lesser extent due to the Reverse details being somewhat lower in height than the Obverse details. My assessment of the grade may be wrong but because of AJ, I now trend towards Market Grading on rare Indians and Lincolns, so you can blame him for that! :whistle: (Just kidding Jack!)


Frank

 

I can buy that. Like I said above, what looks like wear may be the lighting. It's hard to grade a coin only from a photo.

 

It's a Proof. I grade it PR-58 based on the pictures. The reason is the bulging T reverse. It is only used on Proofs 1872-1877 (not all of those years, of course)

Here's another one.

 

And it is prominently illustrated and described in Richard's book by Whitman, Guide Book of Flying Eagle and Indian Head Cents , pg. 121.

Figured he wouldn't mention it, but I will. Excellent book!

Jim

 

Sorry about the url tag, I just did a quick-n-dirty search.

As for the value, Proofs are usually worth less than business strikes for 1872. This coin looks like a MS piece, so it fits in a AU/MS collection. It may even grade MS, as I have seen them many times (usually AU-55 to MS62BN) in certified holders graded as such. If an AU 1872 is a $700 (grey sheet is off on the value for AU) coin and a PR-64BN (the PR coin posted above) is a $650 coin, what is this worth? There is temptation to offer it as a "MS" AU rather than a "PR" AU for obvious reasons. I suspect it is worth $600 as it sits.

 

Rick's not called "Ealgle Eye" for nothing.

The 1872 IHC Grey Sheets at $250/$290 in PF-60. So a bit less for a lightly circulated Proof.

 

The 1873 IHC Grey Sheets at $250/$290 in PF-60. So a bit less for a lightly circulated Proof.

The Grey sheet is wrong here too. Which would you rather have a F-15 or a PR-60? I thought so. I'll take all them PR-60's too.

 

I think it is insanely cool you inherited such a great coin. I had a bad experience with NCS, but you may have a different one. Several key dates had the toning removed to reveal a prior cleaning (hairlines), etc. and now my 1914 D won't grade and has to sit in an album forever, trying to safely retone it. I believe in conservation via mineral oil and a rose thorn. NCS uses some solution that changes the color of their copper coins - all of my indians/lincolns they conserved turned bluish/violet colors, and in fact some of the verdigris they removed that looked like rust is coming back. This takes a lot of practice which I do 3-4x/wk on low value wheats and have done on more valueable coins with good results. Just my opinion and experience. Not telling you what you should do, but that is what I would do with that coin and then send to get graded to one of the top 4 graders. Most do not agree with this advice however, I recognize.

 

I think it is great the way it is, why mess with Mother Nature.

 

Rick,

Nice to have you on the board! I've been studying up on IHCs and your book is a GREAT read.

Many thanks for your work.

 

That is one sweet IHC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I should have also said that it is a great coin and a great inheritance ! Now, you just need to get the rest of the set:thumb:

Jim

 

Is this Rick Snow? Wow, honored to have you here. If you could read my post on cracking out my 1909 S IHC and removing verdigris that would be great. Based on your last answer I guess your not in favor of removing grime from coins, by rosethorns or olive/mineral oil? Anyway, eager to follow your posts. I have a 1872 RB PCGS as my prized possesion and want to complete my graded set in my lifetime. Welcome!