Hi, I saw a few coins here on this auction site I subscribed to. They do property acquisitions for the Gov., and private companys. Thinking of bidding on these two. But want a second opinion before i place it. Right now the bid for the 1908 indian is $11.00, and the 1938d is at $32.00 Any opinions would be great!!!
Skip the indian it is already over priced and cleaned. For the buffalo I would go to heritage auctions to see what they are selling for at 66. Then do not bid too much. The last time I looked at the government property auctions the prices were reasonable(not good) all the way to the end. Then they went for outrageous prices - way over the top.
Just the fields are bright and shiny while the recessed parts are brown. The color around the coin just does not look even Don't get me wrong - the details are nice on the coin. I would put it in the AU range - touch of wear around feather tips, ear, and hair. Also around the shield, leaves and bow knot. Not really sure what was done to the coin and it could be the pictures, but I would avoid it. These are just my opinions.
Forgot to add - some nice brown AU indian head cents actually look nicer than the MS60 to 63 coins. Again just my opinion. I really recommend signing up for heritage - if nothing else to peruse the auction results for prices, look at what some cleaned(or recolored) IHC look like, and to compare coins for grading. I also recommend getting at least the IHC book by Rick Snow and the ANA grading guide.
$38 for a 38-D isn't bad , but I'd skip this one , looks like an over grade , but from the pics it's hard to tell . But I like the Indian . rzage
If that Buff got a 66 from PCGS, I would expect it will look SIGNIFICANTLY different in-hand. The coin has no luster in the photo, and PCGS wouldn't grade a coin lacking luster to the extent shown in the photos as a 66 in my experience. I would pass on the IHC -- I agree with others, the surfaces don't look natural. Not that it makes it a bad coin necessarily, but with these coins you can afford to be picky -- uncleaned ones are readily available and relatively cheap as well.
