What do you think of this 1908 S IH?

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by hummingbird1, Jun 20, 2019.

  1. Maxfli

    Maxfli Well-Known Member

    And those pictures the OP posted looked like scans, not photos.

    I often don't trust photos, but I never trust scans and wouldn't make a purchase decision based on them.
     
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  3. hummingbird1

    hummingbird1 New Member

    Hi Dillan,

    Thanks for your reply. i did hear back and they said that it is hard to know why the coin looks the way it does. They did not commit to a reason. i took your advice and just left a nice message for the auction house telling them about the condition of the coin. Not expecting much but you never know.

    When i examine the coin it almost looks like a light layer of rust or oxidation (copper doesn't rust, right?).

    Thanks again!
     
  4. hummingbird1

    hummingbird1 New Member

    Thanks for the heads up Maxfli. I thought that the contrast of what i thought was a photo was off. i think you are right, it was a scan. i felt a bit of relief when some folks onsite at the auction were also bidding. Live and learn.

    Enjoy the rest of your day.
     
  5. Dillan

    Dillan The sky is the limit !

  6. Browns Fan

    Browns Fan Active Member

    And outlined.
     
  7. Mainebill

    Mainebill Bethany Danielle

    I think it looks legit but dipped or altered surfaces. Or a bad ms 70 job
     
  8. Hookman

    Hookman Well-Known Member

    I agree with the concept of it not being graded.

    If it costs as much or more to get a penny graded, as the coin will be worth, then why do it?
    Unless it's for one's personal collection, it doesn't make sense.
    The return when sold, for the raw coin, versus a graded coin, would probably be higher, comparatively speaking.
     
  9. Hookman

    Hookman Well-Known Member

    I agree. It looks like it's been tooled from the neck up to the forehead in order to give it a sharper outline. That could be what the grading service meant by "altered surfaces".

    Aside from the outlining, I like the coin. It's got all the "bells and whistles" from the feathered headdress down to the diamonds and beads.

    But the profile does look tooled.
     
  10. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    When I was kid in the 1960s, I tried to clean a copper coin with ammonia and ended up with this color on the OP piece. The coin has been played with even if it is genuine. Here is a Mint State example.

    1908-S Indian Cent O.jpg 1908-S Indian Cent R.jpg

    I hope this deal works out for you, but even today, as a veteran coin buyer, I don’t buy coins like this raw any more, especially on the Internet.

    BTW, the 1908-S Indian Cent holds an important place in history. It was the U.S. cent to be produced at a branch mint. It took a change in the law a couple of years before to make that possible. That's the reason this coin is in my collection.
     
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  11. wxcoin

    wxcoin Getting no respect since I was a baby

    That's a pretty flawless 1908-S. I'm guessing MS66 RD at a minimum but probably MS67 RD.
     
  12. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    No, actually it’s an MS-65, RB. I bought it from Angel Dees. He is noted for stocking only high end coins for the grade.
     
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  13. wxcoin

    wxcoin Getting no respect since I was a baby

    That's a very nice RB. I've got a couple early RB Lincolns that look more red than many RD examples I see being auctioned.
     
  14. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    The weakness in the strike on the top of the headdress is probably what kept it from getting a higher grade. This was what I wanted anyway. I wanted get a nice example of the first branch mint cent without paying a fortune for it.
     
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