1910 Indian Head Half Eagle ?

I went to the local coin shop and asked if the coin could be checked. There was very little interest on their part and they did not weigh it. It was checked with a glass and proclaimed to be real with a grade of AU...When I asked about the marks I was told to remember that gold is a very soft metal and anything could have made them...

I gotta say I'm a little disappointed in the way this was handled. I didn't just walk in and ask them to check the coin. I did have a stack of items I was purchasing and I've been in there many times before never leaving without buying something...but...in their defense it was a Saturday and the place was very busy. You could tell all the employees were a little tense. Maybe I should try again on a week day. Try to get there when they first open and possibly in a more relaxed mood.

 

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Doug, a lot of the marks you circled look indented to me like typical AU gold coin chatter. The exceptions are the marks in this image:



I cannot tell if they are incuse or in relief. If they are in relief then I agree the coin is NG, but if not, I couldn't say for certain.

One of the problems with authenticating gold from images is that color tones matter and it is impossible to see an image and know exactly what the actual coin loks like color-wise. Our 2 best authenticators wouldn't even use a loupe to look at this coin, they would be able to determine authenticity by color alone. The "Lebanon luster" is just a little off from what genuine coins should look like.

Bottom line, without seeing it in hand I am unwilling to say either way.

 

I'm going to chalk it up to a bad day. I like to give folks a second chance. I do intend to go back, maybe set up an appointment, and really have the coin checked out.

Doug, I want to thank you and everyone else for the input. It all helps out.

I've spent some time today looking hard at the areas you circled. They all look like intentions except the one spot under the "E". I'm having trouble getting a good view of this area.

 

Now I see it - when first looking at your response I thought they were incused. But if you study it long enough you can see they are raised.

Thanks..

 

the coin appears genuine to me... just rather marked up in some places.