Worth Having Graded?

I bought this Indian Head Penny from a dealer a few years ago.

I've thought about having it graded, but I've read a lot of articles about how some have been polished, making them look better than they actually are.

If the Photos don't help, I'll try again. Any help will be appreciated.

This is a 1908 Indian Head Penny.

 

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Can you get better pictures I don't think its an actual indian cent a cast metal copy and not worth certification.

 

Would the weight also help? I'd rather not waste money on grading if it isn't real. It weighs 3.1 grams. Thank you potty dollar.

 

Hi Southside!.... I am not 100% certain, but looking at your photo's that old injun looks to be polished up. I think it is a genuine coin..... I once helped a friend liquidate his fathers collection. He had a box that was chock full of polished indian head cents. They were mighty pretty to look at, but once they were shined up they were relegated to being damaged goods....... Now, I may be wrong so hold out for others.

 

Thank you Randy! They are pretty. Sad that people alter coins to make $$.

 

Looks agressively polished to me.
People outside of the hobby don't know what we like, so they clean their coins because shiny is better to them.

 

It wasn't that uncommon not too many years ago (and possibly even now) that jewelers would polish up old coins to be used as embellishments to a piece of jewelry..... And I always have to own up to being a penny polisher when I was a kid. I was so consumed with coins as a youngster and polished the heck out of my cents.... And I apologize to anyone that may own those old polished cents!

 

Thank you Even! I was just filling out forms to have a few coins graded, and this was one of them. I wanted to check here first. Going to remove it from the list! Much appreciated.

 

What are you sending in? Certainly brave! I'll check your other posts assuming you've posted some more.

 

You are hilarious! I've never polished a coin! lol I can see a kid doing that though!

Thank you Randy!

 

I sent 2 wheat pennies and 1 from the 70's in the be graded. The cost wasn't too bad. So I've been reading a lot about state quarters grading very high and collectors are paying a pretty penny for them. When the state quarters first came out, I'd buy bank bags from the mint to fill books. I mostly gave the books away, but kept just a few. At any rate, it's nice to preserve a great coin.

None of my coins graded higher than MS 66. Which is fine. The 1970's coin ended up being a proof coin! I had no idea. I have proof sets but I've never opened the casings.

This next order is mainly state quarters, minus an Indian head penny

 

When considering the grade for a coin (or whether or not to send it in for grading), check to see what the detractors are and where. Your Indian has a rather large ding in a very conspicuous location. In another spot on the coin, that would probably affect the grade less. Also consider the population for a specific grade. A saturated market will reduce the price folks will pay for a coin of a particular grade and might help you decide whether or not you want to send it off. We see a number of folks here anxious to send coins for grading which in most instances, will only consume their dispensable funds on TPGs rather than new coins for their collections.

 

Here is a neat link to a video of a $20 gold piece that had exactly the same treatment. Turned a $102,000 coin ($250,000 by today's prices) into a $6,000 coin with just a few passes of a polishing wheel . . . . . .



Z

 

I agree with others. No way the look of that IHC is natural. It had to be messed with some way. For verification OP, go look at a site like GC, HA, or similar and look at high grade certified IHCs. They did not look like this coming from the mint, let alone 110 years later.

 

Cringe.

 

Which grading service did you use for the wheaties?

Regarding state quarters, in most cases, if a coin won't grade MS68, it isn't worth submitting. Would you be using the same grading service that you used for the wheaties?

 

I would think IGC or ANACS hopefully not the big two there's no turning back.

 

We have no way of knowing.

 

I understand the thrill of having a coin slabbed. I also know that modern coins in extremely high and extremely rare (one in a million) condition can bring lots of money.

I have a suggestion, while you are learning the difference between 68-70 grades and the rest, hold on to your coins without having them graded. That way, you will not be paying the light bill at the grading service and you'll have more money in your bank account. If you can afford to pay a few hundred dollars for anything you want, anytime you wish...forget what I suggested. Have fun!

 

One high level suggestion I'll offer based on my own experiences:

Sometimes you're better off buying an already slabbed coin versus sending in yourself. For example, if grading fees plus shipping are coming out at $35, but the same coin can be snagged on eBay for $25 (and you're not 1,000,000% certain you'll get your grade), I'd suggest to buy the slabbed coin and save yourself the headache. Of course, this isn't always the case, but certainly worth a quick eBay search.