I'm not sure how to grade these Indian Head gold pieces, and while adding this to my spreadsheet, I found that the highest grade ones are worth far more than I realized. Where on the scale would you put this one?
That's a trick of the lighting because of how these were made. If you've never seen one in hand, the Indian is actually sunk into the coin - the outer fields are the highest area on the coin.
I was thinking more like AU58. Why do y'all think EF40 on this? Obviously "high point" wear on an incuse relief is a bit ludicrous, but there are wear patterns according to the grading guides and I'm not seeing anything except bag wear here. Not trying to argue - I'm genuinely interested in how to grade this and what to look for on my next purchase.
At my table at show would offer blue book for EF40 if interested in acquiring. It’s not an AU which would have some luster and has more wear than one. This one definitely EF40 - lacks luster and has considerable wear. A nice coin but not AU. AU58? Nowhere close. Be careful of raw US gold, many fake.
Yes it's inclused in design but that doesn't mean there are high points. Look at the design. The high points are cheek bone, feathers and bonnet. The coin lacks luster which is the first sign of circulation wear. The feathers, bonnet and cheek bone are all worn. They were originally bold and vibrant. Same on the reverse. The eagle feathers are worn when they should be bold. They are the high point. It's a solid 40.
