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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;johnmilton, post: 4363244, member: 101855&quot;]Today collectors admire the $2.50 and $5 Indian gold coins. Although they failed in their mission to provide a blueprint for a more durable design with their incuse devices, they are attractive, at least in the better grades.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back when they were introduced, the reception was not so positive. Some critics said the Indian looked “tired” and “out of luck.” Others made a more serious charge. They said that the incuse design would be a germ catcher that would spread contagion though out America.</p><p><br /></p><p>These claims were proven to be untrue, but they provide us with an insight into one of the wild accusations that were made about the spread to diseases.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are my two best examples. I bought both of them from Heritage at different Winter FUN shows.</p><p><br /></p><p>This 1925-D quarter eagle has an NGC grade of MS-65. I think that it qualifies for that grade, although it&#039;s not in the &quot;right&quot; holder.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1102875[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1102876[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This 1913 $5 gold is in a PCGS MS-64 holder. This is what I call a &quot;threshold grade.&quot; At the time that I bought this pieces, $5 Indians were selling for low figure numbers in MS-65. This was quite a bit less and not far off from the pieces that did get that grade.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1102879[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1102880[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>When I was a young collector in the 1960s, I was never able to find a $5 Indian that I thought was strictly Mint State. Every one of the &quot;Uncirculated&quot; pieces I saw had a rub on the Indian&#039;s cheek bone or the eagle&#039;s shoulder. Finally I did buy one which ultimately ended up in a PCGS MS-63 holder.</p><p><br /></p><p>Why are these coins so hard to find nice? It has to do with the design, which is one of the reason why the U.S. has never issued another incuse design coin. The highest part of the design are the fields. They are very vulnerable to marks and rubbing for that reason. These coins became unattractive fairly quickly while they were in circulation, and the mint officials took note of that.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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