1911 2 1/2 INDIAN. WEAK D???

TWODOGS

I purchased this today and viewing it with a 10X loupe, swear I can see what appears to be a very faint D. Does anyone out there know of any die markers that will tell me if this is in fact a D mint? Unfortuantely, the close-up pic isn't very good.

Coulport

As I recall, there are two vertical lines in the recess in front of the arrow tip.

Meta

Nice coin.....whats the grade?

TWODOGS

Coulport, thanks. I'll have to check it out under strong light.

Meta, I'm lousy as far as grading Indians goes. I know nothing about strike or strike weakness. If I was forced to give it a grade, I'd say XF-45. Still has excellent luster, but I don't know if it's wear or a weakness in the feathers.

darktone

yes, I can see the D also. Is there luster in the fields? If so it grades higher than XF-45. mike

BillJones

Look for a partial wire rim on the obverse and scallop marks at the top of the reverse. Those are the diagnostic marks for the 1911-D quarter eagle. Even if the coin proves to be a 1911-D, pieces with virtually invisible or missing mint marks sell at a heavy discount.

TWODOGS

It has a partial wire rim starting beneath the 9 in the date to the 3rd star to the right.

darktone

According to the book not all 11-D's have the partial wire rim but the lines infront of the arrow show on all 11-D's.

FC57Coins

Very cool coin doublepooches!

TWODOGS

Thanks Frank. The only lines I can make out under a 60 watt ceiling bulb is in black on the revised photo. Looks like a die scratch. May be 2 or one continuous line. I really can't tell.

mdwoods

Nice looking coin, not heavily marked like a lot of gold.

BillJones

Here's my example of a 1911-D quarter eagle. Note the wire rim on the obverse (raised metal on the right side of the obverse) and the "scallops" at the top of the reverse. I hope this helps.

WACoinGuy

Here's a closeup of the die markings on my 1911-D quarter eagle. Yours look the same to me!



These may sell at a discount to strong D coins, but if you bought it as a 1911, you've probably at least quadrupled your investment!

WACoinGuy

BTW, your 1911-D looks a lot better than mine -- I'd probably guess it's an AU-50 from the picture, but you're right, it's really tough to accurately grade this series, especially once you get above XF-45.

TWODOGS

WAcoinguy, thanks for all your help. It sure does look like the same die gouge. The wire rim on the reverse of mine goes from the top completely down the right side of the coin.

Once again, thanks for the insight and pics.