1877 Indian Head Penny? Also, 1909S?

Hi,
So we have a complete set of the Indian Head pennies, including both of these. my friend listed them on Etsy to sell, but after doing some research, I think he has the price set much too low, but I'm not really sure, since I'm no expert in grading coins at all. the 1877 looks better then one I saw listed for almost 9K, and he has the whole set listed for not much more! he claims it was said to be "AU+" about 15 years ago, but to me, it looks better than AU I've seen pictures of. Actually, it looks better than pretty much any I've seen pictures of. same goes for the 1909 S...As well as pretty much the entire set. He has pictures posted of them, but all were taken through the plastic sleeves the coins are held in, so it's not really an accurate representation, which is another reason why I think they're much better than he estimates. we have not removed them from the sleeves to look at them directly, since I didn't want to take any chances mucking or marking them up.
I wanted to post around in some forms to see what others think these might actually be worth. not sure exactly how to attach images here, but I'll try to of the 1877.

 

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I would recommend removing the listing and providing us better photos. There are some really smart people who can spot a fake in a half second.

 

Agree with @Seattlite86 We are here to help. It’s what we love. Welcome to CoinTalk

 

I would pull the set from Ebay until you have a better idea of what you have.

 

If real, that 1877 is what is called "a very important piece".

 

Need better photos.
If it's real it has value. Not $9,000 to me though.
Possibly $2500 or more if it straight grades at a good number. If it's truly AU as much as $3000. If this has been polished you are going to be sad.
ETSY is a pathetic joke do not get any coin information or value there.
Let's see the 1909-S.

 

Either way, if real, eBay is the wrong venue. A numismatic firm is.

 

Good point.... and Etsy sure as hell isn't.

 

This is probably a very good idea, but not because you're likely to make more by doing so. You're potentially opening yourself up to a ton of headaches by going in on the blind, especially considering anyone likely to buy such a set as-is will most likely be expecting a fairly significant return.

 

Hi,
I will try to get more pictures of both sides later today..
the story is that the set belongs to my father, who has been piecing it together for decades, and it has been complete for maybe the last 15 years or so. Financial issues have caused him to have to try to sell it now.. One thing he is adamant about is he wants to keep the set together. He was already offered $1,000 on the spot for the 1877 at a local antique shop, but of course there's a significant markup factored in that price, and going by research I've done, I believe the condition of the coin looks much better than others going for that price. It would be sad to see him get $1,000, and then watch the guy turn around and sell it for $3,000+. So a friend with an Etsy store said he could list it, and sell directly to other collectors who would probably give a better price for it with no markup, or less of one, and a fairer assessment of its grade. I think he thinks part of the value is the fact that it's a complete collection.. Whether that's true or not, I have no idea.

 

It would not be wise to sell the complete set. A small group of the set are most of the value. Each coin needs to be looked at to know what you have.
We need a lot of good images of the important coins if you want information that will be helpful to you.

 

I just assumed Etsy was an error on the OP's part. It made no sense to me.

 

Hi,
I actually did mean Etsy, They do actually now have a category for antiques and collectible coins, believe it or not!
We don't have an ebay account, and in order to sell there, we would need a history of high feedback, which could take years. The Etsy store he has, however, pretty much has a 5-star rating, I believe. Also, they have a great payment gateway, better than pretty much anywhere. They used to be just Boutique for handmade items, but they have changed in the last couple of years rather drastically.
as far as the set, that's exactly what he said, that people would want the most valuable coins, and he would be stuck with the rest, which would be of less value since it would be an incomplete set. At least that's how he sees it. Also, I guess it's the decades of work he put in to get a 100% complete set. none of the coins are slabbed, they have been stored in a museum quality Intercept Shield specifically made for this set. He doesn't have the funds it would take to get anything graded professionally, until of course he can sell it. He asked a couple of local enthusiasts in the know, and they believe most of the set is MS+, and the 1877 is at least AU. He has an offer of $1,000 for the 1877 by a dealer, (who might both be "underestimating" it, and factoring in a large markup), but like I said, myself and the others who looked think it might be worth more than that.
I have the set in hand right now, and I'll get a few more pictures.

 

But that's almost certainly what will happen. In fact, what will happen is that someone will buy the set, then sell it off piecewise, making even more of a profit.

If your father wants to keep the set together, (a) he won't get as much money as he will by piecing it out, and (b) the person buying it will almost certainly piece it out anyhow.

The fact that it's a complete set doesn't add value. The care and attention he put into the set is a sunk cost, and while it makes the set more valuable to him (and probably you), it doesn't add anything from the buyer's perspective.

If anything, the fact that it's a complete set will cause buyers to offer less money, because they'll have to spend the additional time and attention to identify the good coins, sell them individually (or keep them), and then figure out how to recoup some money on the lesser coins.

I'm not a dealer, so please take what I say with a grain of salt. But I've bought a number of complete and partial sets myself, and that's the basis on which I come up with an offer.

 

OK, got a few more pictures of the 1877 front and back in natural light..
Also the 1909S, the same..

1877 front:


1877 front 2:


1877 back:


1909S front:


1909S back:

 

You really ought to get professional help to bring this set to market. I'm no Indian Cent expert, but those look nice, with plenty of numbers to the left of the decimal if they're real and problem-free.

The 1877 is the big one. Not a $9000 coin, I think, but well into four figures if it's real and problem-free.

Having said that, you won't find anyone willing to pay anywhere near what the set is worth based only on online photos.