Anyone with $2 1/2 or $5 gold Indians...

coolest

Show me some luster please.
The coins I have seen have been circulated and I cant see any luster.
Do incuse coins ever show luster?

roadrunner

look at Heritage auction archive shots of MS64 to 66 coins and you'll see the luster plain as day, esp on the flat field surfaces. Yes, there is luster on the incuse features, most noticeable on the Indian's headress feathers, neck, and eagle's feathers. But even on many MS63 coins you might not see really bold luster.

roadrunner

messydesk

Luster is funny on these. The fields are prone to showing the pre-struck surfaces of the planchet and picking up marks, leaving smaller, smoothish areas such as the face and neck of the Indian to show uninterrupted lustrous patches. I think this one's a 63.

FilamCoins

64

SUMORADA

This one is in an old Slab from ATS......1909 O $5 Indian



Edited to add a couple of raw $2 1/2 Indians.......

scottgardener

The problem you're having is that it's hard to find higher grade coins that have luster. (That's why they're priced out the whazoo. Have you seen how much an Indian $5 common date goes for these days at MS63 or 64?)

Another problem may be that it's harder to photograph these coins in a way that shows off luster. Photos really do not do justice to these coins. When I saw high grade examples at the ANA show in Fort Worth back in March, I was blown away. (I was particularly impressed with the silky matte proofs on display there. In person, they were stunning, every bit as beautiful as their older deep cameo proof counterparts, and perhaps more so in some ways.) But, photographs often miss the visual impact of a metallic sheen or a subtle sparkle that changes with position or even the parallax effect of seeing the coin with both eyes. (James Cameron, I See you!)

A few AU58 coins might have some retained luster, but it does seem to be one of the first things to go. And, lower grade uncirculated coins often lack the luster that is present in coins of the same grade in other series--My coins in these series include some MS62s and a 61, and they're pretty subdued.

Luster differences may also be part of what drives demand and thus price for the rarer, really high grade examples out there.