Ok - so dont laugh..... I just purchased a 1913 Indian Quarter Eagle and after looking at many pictures of other ones I cant seem to see what I would call a protuding vein on the neck of the native america on the obv. am I missing something in those photos or is my coin a die crack ?? Also would anyone like to take a shot at a rough estimate as to the grade of this coin? I'm trying to get my legs on grading, but using books is not really helping. Feed back on what I'm looking at would be a great help. I'm guessing EF-40 There is still nice luster (not appearent in photo) in all of the recessed/protected areas. And another question - To grade and slab or not to grade and slab? that is the question. M.
There seems to be an almost perfect vertical line from the bottom of the jowl to the neckline of his robe. In my opinion, though I am not an error expert, it looks like a die break to me. I'm sure one of the error coin gurus will be able to give you a more in-depth answer. Do you have a picture of the reverse also. I'm not comfortable suggesting a grade without seeing both sides.
Looks like a die crack to me. As for grade - like Susan said it's hard to judge grade based on 1 side of the coin only. But based on the obv only I'd say you're right in the ballpark - 40/45.
REV picture Ok - so here's the REV of the eagle. So should I repost this on Error Forum? But to revisit my last question - When should we decide to have a coin slabbed and graded? how much does it cost? Who is the best company to use? It looks like there's a new one everyday on ebay and the funny thing is it seems these new companies can't find a coin that DOESNT grade ms-70.
Yeah -- I think it's a die crack, too. Seems like an interesting variety -- the "stressed Indian" variety with the bulging vein in his neck! As for the grade, somewhere in the XF category seems about right.
LOL - thats a good one Ziggy. BTW - congrats on your gold coin collection. **warning #7498** I started buying gold for my son - he was born in 1998 and I'm collecting every proof set of US coinage from that date on - including gold, silver and platinum eagles. Then when the first gold eagles fell into my hands I was like "i gotta get me some of these" and started by buying an MS-65 St Goudens back in march for my bday. That was 9 gold coins ago.....Well it's beter than spending my money on useless things like food, clothing and shelter -lol
Oh, and when to have it slabbed and graded? I think it's an individual decision, but from the standpoint of when it makes financial sense, while there are no absolutes, I'd generally say -- * If it looks mint state and worth $100+ in that mint state grade -- slab it. Otherwise if you try to sell it raw, there's a good chance you only get AU money for it. * Any coins valued at maybe $200 or more -- slab 'em. * Key dates -- slab 'em. Even if the grading isn't in question (most people can grade circulated grades better than MS, and can tell the difference between F-12 and VF-20 a lot more easily than the difference between MS-62 and MS-63), getting the vote of confidence for authenticity is important. Future buyers can offer more, with confidence, if they trust that the often-faked coin isn't faked. * Mint state gold -- slab it. There's a lot of it floating around as fake. Plus if it's mint state, US gold, it will fall under bullet #1, anyway. * These guidelines can be relaxed a little if you have a lot of coins to submit. Two-way shipping and insurance charges make it costly for 1-2 coins, even at the economy rate, but with 10 coins, the cost per coin is low enough that even some common-date circulated coins (like this one) with reasonable value can be slabbed at a net cost that will likely be lower than its improved marketability and market value. Personally, what would I do in this case? If I had a lot of coins to submit and could use the economy rate, I'd submit this one. If this were the only coin I wanted to submit and had to pay a higher-tier grading cost plus two-way shipping and insurance probably hitting $40 or more for one coin, I don't do it.
Sure looks like a die crack to me. Personally I don't think it adds anything to the value of the coin, thus I would not certify it. Die cracks are really quite common. Neat find, though. I like it! Nick
Now that I've seen pictures of both sides, I feel the coin is an EF40. Even though die cracks are relatively common, I really like the one on your coin - it's nice and even, easy to see, but doesn't interfere with the design - a really nice find.
Not only that, but it's in a place that makes it a very interesting piece. The die crack wouldn't nearly be as interesting in the fields or randomly across the devices as it is when it makes it look like the poor Indian is stressing over something and has a vein bulging out from the neck as a result...! Most die cracks and die breaks neither increase nor decrease the value of the coin. There may be widely collected exceptions where there may be a little premium, but in the general case, no.
Well, as an amateur genealogist, I could tell you that 25% of me *is* an American Indian (note that most of them *don't* use the term "Native American"). And that he may have been in angst about losing his ancestral lands, losing his tribal traditions and all that. But I won't go there. If you prefer, his boss was giving him heck about an unreasonable deadline at the office and he wasn't sure how he'd get all the bills paid this month. Some images are timeless and universal!
