My first key date! 1877 Indian head penny

Look at this beauty! Picked it up for 10$ at a local flea market! Could I get some help grading and pricing it?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

These are often counterfeited. Better find out if it's real or not.
I can't tell but people here will know yes or no.
Why it may not be real:
1. It's not in a slab.
2. It has a great deal of luster.
3. You paid $10. People are not idiots who don't look up coins on the
net and don't know they have something valuable.
4."It was my grandmothers coin, I don't know anything about coins. I'll take $10 for it." Always a huge lie.

I hope it's real for your sake. But I doubt it.

 

Looks like it would come in somewhere around BS62 to me.

I'm no expert on the series, but the very first characteristic I look for on the reverse of an 1877 cent isn't there.

 

That's a fake. Design is wrong.

 

old saying that I live by with coins " if it seems too good to be true, it probably is". Not saying you can't find good deals out there just be wary of Great deals like this one.

 

Compare yours to a certified real one: Nose, lips, hair, eye, even cheekbone is wrong!

 

The N is too strong, feathers and hair design is off. Fake, sorry.

 

I was thinking it might be real since he didn't seem to know the market. He was thinking that a 1957 nickel was silver, and was asking 10$ for that too.

 

Oh well. I'll see tommorow if I can get a refund.

 

You have the coin, we just have photos. Take some time and look at some 1877 that have been certified and photographs online to compare. Jim

 

It's fake. Ask the dealer to trade it for something else.

 

Counterfeit. The business strike 1877 cents are weak at the bottom of the "N" on "ONE" on the reverse. That's one of the first places to look. Here is a genuine piece.



Unfortunately most coin deals that look like they are too good to be true usually are.

 

Right I am reminded of the weak N on the reverse. I think that's a huge clue. Your N is not weak.

Here is a quote from this site from 2012:
Mackwork: Strongly struck Ns are also an indication of counterfeit 1877s.

 

Unless it’s a Proof.

 

This is a learning experience for me and obviously getting some VERY good information here. I am curious of what the weight might be? (3.11 grams of the real variety) here is my 1877 cent (don't laugh too loud)

 

Not sure how many other markers would survive that level of wear and abuse, but the weak N is still very clear on your reverse. I'd expect that coin to weigh significantly less than 3.11 grams, between the wear and (I think) corrosion. I still certainly wouldn't kick it out of my album.

 

actually I was asking about the weight of the "fake" 1877. If I ran across one that might have been "aged" I'd like to know the starting weight of the fake one. Thank you for your comment on my worn coin. It's a keeper

 

You need to stop buying coins at that flea market. Didn’t you get burned by a damaged dime that was passed off as an error at a flea market dealer?

If it’s the same dealer, he knows exactly what he’s selling and who he’s selling to.

Educate yourself before making anymore purchases.

 

Southern if your coin is genuine, no one is laughing. I think it is P-01.
Def not AG-03. Maybe FR-02 on a lenient grade because it is a key date.

 

As noted above, your coin is fake. The obverse detail (namely the feathers), the fuzzy appearance, and the bold N make it plainly obvious.

That really means nothing. Ever been to a coin show? Notice how many genuine and raw key dates there are? Notice how many raw coins worth over $100 there are? Not everything that is worth something is slabbed.

The fact that it is slabbed means nothing as well, as the slabs are faked as well.

I don’t see any luster.

Such people exist, and I have cherrypicked genuine coins from them many times. Not just varieties; they literally have no idea what they have.

This does not appear to be a part of the OP’s narrative.