Guess the grades for these two 1926 $2.50 Indians. Which would you keep?
MrBeast
Posts: 132
While I love the design of this coin ($5 Indians were my 1st serious attempt at collecting a set), for some reason the $2.50 coins just don't do it for me in the same way the half eagles do. With the arrival in today's mail of my newest acquisition (a 1926 $2.50 Indian), I can share my attempts -so far - to find the right one.
To keep it interesting I figured I'd also make it a game of guess the grades, with bonus points awarded for views on which coin you would rather have. I will try to post the correct grades before the night is out.
At the risk of appearing like some kind of uncouth beast
in comparison to the $5 Indians, I find the quarter eagles often seem kind of bland . Despite the fact that there are many more high grade quarter eagles available (approx 15,000 more certified between MS63 & 66 - although there are only 4 coins above that, vs 13 for the half eagles), I hardly ever see any that really blow my mind. 
These two 1926 coins are a good example of what I mean.
Coin 1:
This was my first attempt at getting a $2.50 Indian type coin. I don't think I'm giving too much away by acknowledging that it is a higher grade coin. Yet, beast that I am, it only provokes a reaction of "OK" - not "WOW."
Now, I hate to say it, but this is a fairly typical example of what so many of these coins are like for me - there is nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn't quite get there (wherever "there" is).
Coin 2:
Not feeling entirely satisfied with the coin above, I continued to search ... until, finally, I thought I might have found one I really like. Funnily enough, it is also a 1926 coin. Maybe I'm crazy, or maybe we beasts don't know where to hunt, but I don't see many examples with this sort of look, although it would be quite typical for many of the $5 series.
Since it only arrived this afternoon, I haven't had a chance to photograph it properly. As the photos were done in less than 5 minutes (& don't exactly flatter the coin), I will also include the Heritage images - minus the grade!
First, Heritage:
Next, my rough & ready shots. The wear you see on the cheek has been unduly emphasized by my haphazard lighting & is not so pronounced in the hand.
I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. I prefer the 2nd coin, but I'm not sure it would make it into my 20 box with that much rub. What I really want is coin 2, but with surfaces as clean as coin 1. Am I going to find such a coin? Could I afford it if I did?
So, after you give opinions on grades for the two coins, feel free to say what you would do: Keep #1, #2, or hold out for #3 - a hybrid of #1 & #2?
To keep it interesting I figured I'd also make it a game of guess the grades, with bonus points awarded for views on which coin you would rather have. I will try to post the correct grades before the night is out.
At the risk of appearing like some kind of uncouth beast
in comparison to the $5 Indians, I find the quarter eagles often seem kind of bland . Despite the fact that there are many more high grade quarter eagles available (approx 15,000 more certified between MS63 & 66 - although there are only 4 coins above that, vs 13 for the half eagles), I hardly ever see any that really blow my mind. These two 1926 coins are a good example of what I mean.Coin 1:
This was my first attempt at getting a $2.50 Indian type coin. I don't think I'm giving too much away by acknowledging that it is a higher grade coin. Yet, beast that I am, it only provokes a reaction of "OK" - not "WOW."
Now, I hate to say it, but this is a fairly typical example of what so many of these coins are like for me - there is nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn't quite get there (wherever "there" is).
Coin 2:
Not feeling entirely satisfied with the coin above, I continued to search ... until, finally, I thought I might have found one I really like. Funnily enough, it is also a 1926 coin. Maybe I'm crazy, or maybe we beasts don't know where to hunt, but I don't see many examples with this sort of look, although it would be quite typical for many of the $5 series.
Since it only arrived this afternoon, I haven't had a chance to photograph it properly. As the photos were done in less than 5 minutes (& don't exactly flatter the coin), I will also include the Heritage images - minus the grade!
First, Heritage:
Next, my rough & ready shots. The wear you see on the cheek has been unduly emphasized by my haphazard lighting & is not so pronounced in the hand.
I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. I prefer the 2nd coin, but I'm not sure it would make it into my 20 box with that much rub. What I really want is coin 2, but with surfaces as clean as coin 1. Am I going to find such a coin? Could I afford it if I did?
So, after you give opinions on grades for the two coins, feel free to say what you would do: Keep #1, #2, or hold out for #3 - a hybrid of #1 & #2?
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Comments
65 for the top coin
64 for the bottom