1909-S Indian head penny. REAL OR FAKE? please help

I brought this coin to my new favorite coin dealer to possible submit for grading and he told me that it has a small chance of coming back at altered or fake. Please tell me this isnt true. Need some more educated help.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Very hard to tell from your images, something is bugging me but i could be totally wrong it just kinda looks like the area around the int mark was worn down a bit more then the rest of the coin but i could be wrong !!

 

http://indiancent.wikispaces.com/1909-S

Doesn't look like the right S to me.

 

the area around the "S" has a slightly different color. but that also occurs around the rest of the wreath also in alot of different spots

 

awsome link. thanks dsmith

 

It is true that the background color is more than just around the mintmark, but that might be from the S being attached with solder and a chemical was used to cover the fact over much of the reverse.

 

Great. well that really ruins my indian head penny set if it is a fake. How in the world would someone get a tiny little "S" and be able to attach it to a coin? i find that amazing

 

That was the easy way, except the person had to have experience with metal manipulation and soldering. But it was worth the price difference. Some actually drilled a small hole in the edge of the coin nearest the mm and then inserted a tool and pressed the min mark up from the surface and then filled the hole. Old-timer engravers and die workers had marvelous skills. Think of the engraving on the plates that made some of the old paper money, they had to skills.

 

so in everyones opinion this is not real?

 

Take it to a local coin store if you have one and ask for an opinion, but it does seem very fishy to me. Don't label it a fake just yet

 

Not really, something like this can be extremely difficult to be positive about from photos. If you own the coin, does it have to be grade immediately? I often find something in a similar situation , and I label it and put it aside until I study it more and compare with references.

 

This was my first thought when I saw this coin. I would take it to a local reputable dealer and have them take a look. Certainly suspicious. I wouldn't condemn it as these things can be hard to judge in person. Someone knowledgeable needs to see it in hand.

 

Here's an example of mine for comparison:

 

I think the OP's coin may have been cleaned and/or enviormental damage. This may also be a coverup for a possible altered "S"