1877 indian head penny info

Well, i have an 1877 IHP that i was given a while back by an aunt along with a bunch of other coins.
With the value of the dollar these days i'm thinking trading it for silver or selling it and buying some.
Could you fellows give me your feedback on it? These are the only photos i have right now, the coin is back home with my folks, i'm stationed in NC right now thanks to uncle Sam.

 

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Looks about fine++ to me (that could change with the picture quality), which is worth right around...$1600 for this one. A great gift IMO.

 

That is about what i had figured from what research i had done/the coin shops i had taken it into back in the day.
What would you recommend the best way to sell this? It has sentimental value, but no more then any of the other IHC's, so i'll keep a few of those instead.

 

need better photos on a key date like this.

slabbing it with PCGS is worthwhile,

if this were an 1890's coin the photos would suffice for giving a quickee estimate, not good enough on an 1877.

Photograph it better since this coin is worth over a dime if legit ( dime= $1,000.....gambling term). It should be slabbed if real if you want to sell for best money

 

for sure get it into a PCGS or NGC slab, maybe 6-8 weeks to do that, then it is highly saleable.

 

My advice is to keep it, even if it doesn't "fit" right now. If you get rid of it, even trading for something you might want at the moment, you WILL regret it later.

 

The major diagnostic looks like it's there... Not a F+ coin, though, at least I don't think. Pics are too poor to really do a solid job of grading it.

Take it to a respected dealer in your area, and ask him for his opinion on grade and take things from there. Don't sell to them, though, at least not the first time you drop by.

 

To get top dollar, it needs to be in a PCGS or NGC holder. Many folks will not bid on one of these if it's raw.
Great coin to own.

 

I would much rather have a cool coin like that than bullion. It's the key to the series, scarce, has history and character and will always be desirable and valuable. It is also a gift from a relative who wanted you to have it. And bullion is boring. That's the collector side talking.

However, if it's all about money and you think buying bullion at present prices is smarter than hanging on to this key, then get that IHC certified and graded by PCGS and sell it at auction (ebay, Teletrade, DLRC, etc.). Plenty of folks here can guide you through the process.
Lance.

 

I'm thinking more like $900.

 

+1

Keep it.

Slab it.

You won't regret it.

Get a better one/trade up later.

 

+1 - This reminds me of when I traded a Jerry Rice RC (that I got for a nickel at the flea market) for a stack of lower quality cards, packs, and supplies. Guess which parts of that trade kept their value, and guess who regretted that trade...the dealer, or the 12 year old boy (at the time.)

It's a great coin to keep. If you need the money, then it's okay to sell...but if you don't? Keep keep keep keep keep.

 

I thank yall for the opinions! I do think i'm gonna sell it or trade it for sliver though.
Sadly there are no dealers down here i'd trust, being on a military base everyone is out to swindle you. Not sure if i want to deal with getting it slabbed, dont exactly want to wait 8 weeks, but if i gotta do it i shall...

 

Tough to grade from those photos. I'd guesstimate it at VG-F but I'd really need to see how much of the word "LIBERTY" you can read in the head-dress. Can't tell that from those photos.

If it's your intent to sell it, get it slabbed first. A major key date like that will always be suspect if it's not in a slab from PCGS, NGC or ANACS.

Personally, I'd hold on to it. It's a family heirloom, and at one time in your life, you will value the story and the family history behind that coin more than you will a thousand bucks.

 

Just from what I gather, you don't sound like a serious collector. So, selling the coin may be in your best interests. But, do your own market research, and then speculate. Will silver keep its current trend, or will it begin to fall in the next couple months or years?

 

tip: You can enlarge the photo by holding down the CTR key and hitting the + key.

The liberty just isn't there enough to justify a Fine grade, IMO.Maybe it slides being the key date ?

To me it is VG-10 and a nice one.

This coin needs a slab ( PCGS or NGC) well worth the cost and time.

 

Your right, i already have too many hobbies right now, i'll keep a few coins for sentimental value, but i'd rather have silver as a family heirloom
You all being the experts on this, how should i go about getting it graded and slabbed?

 

I know, thanks for the tip anyway. The photo is just a wee bit too small and out of focus, but from what I can see, I'd go one grade lower than you, VG8.

 

not much difference there, I'll give it a 10 for gradeflation on a key, but it is not a Fine. You need to be able to read liberty for a fine....I'm old school....at least 6 letters now, maybe ?

 

I'm a fairly new collector (About 2 years now) and I agree with you... LIBERTY must be legible for it to be a F12 or better. I could forgive maybe one or two letters if it had better details elsewhere, though.