Indian Head Cent Authenticity Input

I just purchased an estate collection that features a real trove of Indian head cents. Pretty much all dates were represented in various conditions. Among the coins were these two pieces which stood out…for obvious reasons. I’m of the “if it seems too good to be true then it probably is” mindset so I’m operating under the assumption that these are both inauthentic. Might these (especially the 1874) be proof strikes? The date on the 1877 looks a bit off. The bottoms of the 7s don’t seem to”plump” enough. Any input would be appreciated. I’m including photos of a cool 1908s that was in the mix as well. Thanks in advance!

 

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Mark, I'm no expert on IHC's, so take this with a grain of salt until the experts arrive. And they will, because the few representative coins you've posted sure look sweet.

My take on the '74 and the '77 is this....

The '4' in the 1874 looks off. The bottom serif just doesn't look right. It looks too long. Unless there are varying dies that I'm unfamiliar with that 4 doesn't appear genuine.

I'll say the same for the '7's' in the 1877. The top serif 'bumps' don't look good.

The '08-S looks good to my eye.

Again, I AM NO EXPERT. I am looking forward to hearing that I'm wrong though. I'd like to hear you have some beautiful acquisitions.

Edit to add: Upon further review the '8' doesn't look right on the 1874 or the 1877 either. The two holes are wrong.

 

On the 1877’s the space between the date and rim looks a lot closer than the ones I see in CoinFacts.

 

I'm sure the 1877 is counterfeit. Note the strong N on the reverse.
I don't know about the 1874 but it looks odd.

 

It looks like we have a whole new set of counterfeits for an American series of coins. The 1874 is “off.” It’s the same general design, but the execution is not quite right. If you have collected the series, and are familiar with the dates, you know what I mean.

The 1877 with the “N” in “ONE” strong at the bottom is a quick give away. Only the Proofs look like that. A comparison with the real thing shows that the date is misplaced. It also has a wide rim, which the genuine pieces does not have.

The “S” mint mark on the 1908-S is wrong. It should be “fat” in the middle.

I am sorry, but you estate purchase seems to contain recent counterfeits.

 

I agree that they are all counterfeit! In fact, they are not even good counterfeits; so many things wrong with them.

 

So here’s some more strangeness with this collection of IHCs…there were a handful of old rolls…all IHCs…mostly worn….the occasional 1863 or 1860 or even a few flying eagles…then this one popped out of a roll…weighs 4.86 and seems suspect like its friends….

 

Again, number of things not good. The obverse font is wrong. That's the most glaring.

Here's mine for reference:

 

Some lessons to be learned here, thanks for the posts, everyone.

 

Sounds like a financial lesson? Sorry. It also seems like this "collection" was seeded with fake high dollar items, but maybe the collector didn't know any better. Any recourse for a refund?

 

That thing looks like it’s made of copper or bronze. The real thing is 12% nickel, 88% copper and has the color of the modern nickel.

And, yes, @masterswimmer is right, the font is wrong.

 

Just doesn’t look right to me.

 

Fortunately I’m not out any real $$$ as these were all mixed in a collection of about 1000 mixed loose carded and rolled IHCs. I paid bulk prices for the group. I’ll post up some photos tonight of the legitimate ones from the lot which are better dates and condition. I’ll end up reselling the bulk of it in 200 coin lots and then keep some of the better ones for my own collection.

 

Do be careful not to bulk-resell the fakes, though. The next buyer might not be so careful, nor so ethical.