i was just wondering if someone knows how to tel if a coin has been re-colored? i just am not a fan of colored ,cleaned or altered coins.. i can tell the cleaned and altered.. but how do you tell if a coin has been colored?? I cant seem to find out any information anywhere about this subject check out the coin pictured and tell me if it is a great coin or just to good to be true.. thanks everyone mark
Doesn't look recolored to me, although I can't be certain from that picture. Check out the fields and devices of the coin - if the color is lighter in the open portions and darker towards the raised areas, it's probably recolored. Your coin appears to have consistent color throughout the obverse.
The indian heads are difficult to be certain. there is a rheostat of copper nickel mix changing the color dramatically form one coin to the next. It does seem the copper mix more than nickel lasted longer than the indian heads that had more nickel than copper. I could only guess that the photo is the true penny. Check this photo out of an all silverish looking indian head: http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/1976/indianheadebayko8.png if personal preference mattered for the value, a more nickel based penny because of softness would be much more valuable in mint/great condition, but as far as I know that mix isn't even taken into account. (Strangely)
The composition is not taken into account because (for most years) all cents were made of the same composition, therefore, it would depend upon the mintage, not the composition. Naturally, 1864 being the exception.
By any chance did you check the rest of the coins that were being sold by the seller. If every coin he sells looks pristine then I'd be a little hesitant. Coin looks nice to me but it wouldn't fit into my collection. Too shiny for something that old. I'd perfer the chocolate brown ones better.
