I have always loved Indian Head Cents, and I have found one on eBay that I have a question about (I was just virtual "window shopping"). There is a high grade 1898 that is bright red as if it is a new cent, not the red you typically see on coins of this age but that "brand new" copper "orangish" color that 2006 cents have. My question is, is it possible for a copper coin to be over 100 years old and still maintin this color without having its surfaces altered or is it highly likely that the coin has been dipped or something? Bare in mind, this coin is not slabbed. Here is the link, its quite a beautiful coin but it just doesn't seem right: http://cgi.ebay.com/1898-Indian-Hea...9QQihZ017QQcategoryZ41086QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I'd think so too, but you know how difficult judging a coins surfaces and color, from digital photos, can be. Damn, Doug. You just went over 10,000 posts. You sure do talk a lot. :smile
It's obvious that some type of work has been done on this coin, or this guy has a delorean with a flux capacitor design...
He also never said at all it had been certified, so I would assume that he graded it. That's allowed.
It's difficult to tell whether or not its dipped based on the pics. The tone appears to be natural and I can see mint lustre. You would usually see a pinkish cast if the coin was dipped and the mint lustre would not be present. My vote would be that it wasn't dipped, but seeing it in hand could reverse that opinion.
