with AU53 on this coin? Does this Scratch obverse prevent this IHHE from a straight grade? What' s your opinion?
I don’t think the scratch would prevent it from getting a straight grade, but it looks more in the XF40/45 range to me.
From my experience as an appreciable collector of that type and date, you'd probably get a better grade (~AU50) normally from PCGS. I've found them to really be inconsistent on grading coins with "scratches". I'd suggest a NGC submission. JMHO
If not your coin, or seen in person, I would be more concerned that the obverse and reverse pics are of the same coin. There appears to be a lot more open space around the coin in the reverse pic than the obverse pic.
You show me a blurry, out of focus picture like that and ask me to comment on a scratch? Really, man, you've been here long enough to know that this is nonsense. Nobody can give you an opinion based on those pictures.
Looksmore XF to me, too. I see a couple of obv scratches and a few hairlines near the bottom too, don't know if that would prevent a straight grade. And, authenticity is always a concern with Indian head gold.
I may be considered "Nobody", but having collected these coins for many years, with many similar "dealer" discussions, having watched TPG grading practices, I beg to differ. I've hundreds of these coins, many CACed, which are quite easy to grade with poor images of the Obverse headband, knot, feathers, Reverse upper portion of wing. Especially with the current "Market Grading" practices of the "premier" TPG. CAC "beaned" coins indicate above average TPG graded coins, which many buyers would consider over-graded. I've beautiful specimens which were straight graded by others, but came back from a re-grade as a detail coin because of a miniscule scratch, while others with a straight grade appeared as might a cats claw sharpening toy. JMHO
AU-50 sounds reasonable. My concern is that the photo makes the coin look like “white gold” i.e. dipped, which many collectors don’t like. It may be that the photo is overexposed. The coin might have more of the natural gold color when you see it in person.