Indian gold pieces -- question

GoldCoinLover

If you have a good microscope, and assuming the coin is geniune, is it possible to see die polish IN the INCUSED designs crevices by the neck of the indian? (Assuming it is a $5 indian).

earlwbollinger

I would think so.
In this case the tiny polish lines would be raised up out of the surface of the coin. As the polish lines would
be tiny scratches on the surface of the die itself.
If the polish lines were sunken in, like scratches, then someone polished it outside of the mint.

GoldCoinLover

Yeah, that makes sense. Since the coin is incused, and not reliefed. Do you think I could see it with my 10x hastings BAUSCH & LOMB loupe, or will a lighted micronta pocket microscope (30x) work?

JrGMan2004

If there is any die polishing... you should be able to see it with the naked eye... for casual inspection, do not use anything more than a 5x... if you are checking on an Repunched MM, Repunched Star, Date, etc. etc. or some other minute detail, then use a 10x... but for regular inspection, please, only use a 5x... anyone can make a coin look really bad by looking at a coin through a 30x microscope... then you see every little flaw, and even the tiniest, unnoticable flaw, looks huge under 30x... a 30x can certainly be helpful for variety attribution, and really getting a good look at some minute detail, but, is really not useful for evaluating the coin as a whole... just some helpful hints that will keep you from hating your coins...

darktone

You can see die polishing in that area without a loupe if you have good eye's but be sure it is die polishing you are looking at and not the tooling marks that show up in the area frequently on counterfiets. mike

mhammerman

Yes, die polish lines are not uncommon in the $10 Indian series. As darktone stated tool marks are much different than die polishing. Die polishing is fairly small but they run together in a more or less parallel fashion. I can't say that I have seen a lot of die polishing on the $5 Indians, at least not as much as on the $10 but then again, the $10 have huge fields. If you are talking about some very consipcuous stuff going on at the back of the Indian's neck on the $5 coin then you should be aware that that is one of the areas that PCGS Coin Grading tells us that: "Indian Head Half Eagle Close up of counterfeit 1911 D Indian Head half eagle obverse. Note the fuzzy detail on the necklace...and...Close up of counterfeit 1911 D Indian Half eagle oberse. Note the tooling marks at the back of the neck."

astrorat

Not to be too compulsive, but the $2 1/2 and $5 Indian pieces are not incuse. The designs are in relief below the surface plane. That is distinctly different than incuse. Now with that said, the coins are commonly (and erroneously) referred to as incuse. Oh and yes, it is normal for polishing lines to appear on the design elements. Think about the orientation of the dies and how they are cleaned polished and you will understand how polish lines can exist. As noted earlier, however, these must be distinguished from tooling marks which are often seen on counterfeits in the series.

I love those Indians!

Lane

robertpr