I was the underbidder on this complete set of Indian cents. Did it close to cheaply?
braddick
Posts: 24,206 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'd love your opinion on this set of Indian cents (including Flying Eagle cents). Although a few coins look cleaned, all the key dates look pretty good.
Did it close to cheaply? Perhaps I should have been a bit more aggressive.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/363800528918?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=h31NA6rgb99e+d8OFV2UI3FIad8=&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc
peacockcoins
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Comments
The 77 looks fake. With the cleaning and problems,I don't think that is cheap.
Interesting observation. The reverse shows a shallow N and the obverse simply looks a bit pitted yet the date is right.
I appreciate your looking at the set. I'm still a bit bummed I didn't bid a bit more yet who knows what the top bid was from the winner.
peacockcoins
Well, the obverse alone of the 1877 definitely looks like something that might have been a Cracker Jack prize.
How can they call it a "Library of Coins Flying Eagle and Indian Head Cent Album 1856-1909 Complete Set." without the 1956?
Oh, and the seller has 100% positive feedback, all 4!
I would of pass I need to see every coin in hand and that was a mixed bag.
Hoard the keys.
Yes, that was my thought.
I saw that one. I did not have the patience to tally up the values, but suspected they were worth more than the opening bid. My sense is the set was not worth more than the closing price, so to me it appears you did not lose out on a "you suck".
I woulda pushed maybe $50 higher tops. Gotta have some meat on the bone for breaking that down.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
The 1877 appears to have the shallow N reverse, but there's also a more pronounced shallowness on the "EN" of CENTS... I've seen plenty of counterfeited 1877s, but none had the shallow N reverse. I'm sure the counterfeiters will try. The numbers on the obverse seem to be correct with the low resolution image provided, but overall it looks cleaned, and more importantly, smoothed or burnished to some extent.
Bottom line... way too much going on to plunk down that kind of money on an uncertified key date...
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
I appreciate all your opinions. I added up some of the semi-key dates, too—for example, the 09-S looks decent, plus the varieties. The Flying Eagle cents look pretty good too.
All in all, a wholesome set and certainly one I'd like to have purchased yet, as you all have stated, not at the closing price.
As far as the four feedback sellers, he listed and sold $6,500. Set of gold coins and received positive feedback for it. His other items make it appear he inherited an older collection and is selling it off on eBay.
(The cent collection was listed in the wrong category.)
peacockcoins
In the 60's and 70's there was a cottage industry of processing these sets. Based on that knowledge I wouldn't chase something like this. I might lose out, but I wouldn't sweat it either. I've seen sets with a nice F 69 and/or 72 to cover the fact that the 77 was cooked. Lots of people know about the shallow N, so they maybe took a fake, messed it up and sanded the N shallow. Who knows? It might not have even been the seller, his dad may have bought the processed set in the 60's or whenever.
Good point for similar auctions... if the 1869 - 72 coins look nice, F12 or better, they'll make up for key dates not being there... the '72 is a particularly tough date to find nice.
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
You did OK by passing, IMHO
So how much of your time would have been spent remarketing this set? The set looks to me to be more like a collection of culls rather than a collection put together by a semi-serious collector.
OINK
I think you should be ecstatic that you were not the winning bidder.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
You did well letting it go in my opinion!
some nice coins and some problem coins - where you interested for your collection or to sell the keys?
it is a coin flip if it went to cheap, but a high risk investment
The way things are going with fakes is starting to make this hobby high risk.
Pete
I would not have invested that sum, or even close to it, in that set. Generally, for a bulk purchase, I would have to be able to evaluate it 'in hand', or have a trusted associate do it. Too many clunkers and phony coins out there. Cheers, RickO
Not really. You just have to put some time and money into researching the PUP's for bigger dates. Or just hang out on places like this forum and read the awesome threads breaking down diagnostics.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."