Photos of an 1865 Indian Cent
BillJones
Posts: 35,082 ✭✭✭✭✭
About a week ago a new collector posts pictures of an 1865 cent he had purchased. Unfortunately the coin had been cleaned. I mentioned that I had a piece in my collection that would show him more what he should consider when he is buying Indian Cent in addition to design detail.
Here are the photos of my piece. The is actually a little darker than it appears here, but hope this provides him with an idea of how a fairly high grade coin should look. My grade for this coin is MS-64, Brown. The coin is raw.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
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Comments
Nice IHC Bill... and I think 64 is a fair grade.... Cheers, RickO
"Fairly high", for that metal at that age, extremely would be a better description.
I think the lesson for beginners is to buy the best coin for the money you want to spend. Better to buy a nice AU than a cleaned MS coin for the same amount.
Of course, if the coin is a bargain, and you want to flip it for a profit, nothing wrong with that either.
Very nice Bill - and it also supports the comment I made in that previous thread that there are still nice raw IHC's available. I have a full box of them LOL. Charmy already cherrypicked out all the best semi keys though.
Unfortunately I bought that one back in the late 1980s from Worthy Coin bid wall in Boston. So it's not a recent purchase.
I collected a set of Flying Eagle and Indian Cents when I was in high school. I sold it for a big loss 45+ years ago, but I still like some of the dates like 1876, 1908-S and 1909-S plus the Civiil War years. That's why I have this "end of the Civil War" piece. I like the 1877 too, but it's too expensive to buy on any kind of "cheap."
Here is another 1865 for this thread, Bill. I bought it 9 years ago.
It is in a rattler graded 64RB and is the "fancy 5" variety.
Lance.
Dear Bill,
Using RAW coins for exemplars could easily upset the entire community of numismatic devotees.
Just watch it!
Hey! I want a FANCY FIVE !!
Great examples of mint state IHCs guys!
Very nice!
Click on this link to see my ebay listings.
Good example to show Bill, and old copper is hard for beginners to get a feel for, without making a lot of mistakes; I made my share but feel better (usually) in deciding what I like/dislike in a given circ copper piece.
If just starting out, buying copper from dealers who specialize in it (such as Rick) and freely share advice will pay dividends. On an even more basic level, buying cheap (but appealing) circ copper that has passed muster at the TPG's will help cut down on the really bad mistakes (whizzed, recolored, etc.)
Bill's 1865 has an interesting strike through depression within the reverse's "ONE" -- and is a really nice example of an uncirculated copper coin with a really pretty and protective brown "skin."
GOSH! That is one BEAUTIFUL coin!!!
The trick to buying any nice coin is look at a lot of images, and more importantly, look at a lot of coins of the types and grades that interest you. And ask questions. Ie., re IHCs, if at a show, if you have some questions, stop by Rick Snow's table when he is not busy. This is how I learned how to distinguish between an MS 64 and an MS 65 Braided Hair Large and Half Cent, and which coins were nice for the grade. Ditto re an MS 65 and MS 66 Walker.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."