Does this look right? 1909-S Indian on eBay

deefree49

From one of our "favorite" eBay sellers, the following auction ends tonight; 351670763944

You can also find it through the search; 1909-S XF avidly

Something about the planchet looks wrong. Also odd is how the "S" appears. It looks possibly added? I could be totally out to lunch but I thought it wouldn't hurt to run it by the good people here. Opinions anyone? Thanks!

LanceNewmanOCC

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link

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deefree49

Thanks for the link Lance! I'm a little lame doing those things being an old non-techie type of guy. Appreciated!

So what do you think? Real, not real or maybe real?

SamByrd

looks recolored and the S is weird maybe partially filled but still suspect.

jesbroken

It looks quite similar to a spark-erosion transfer counterfeit. Below are some photos

from Rick Snow's Attribution Guide that look an awful lot alike to the Ebay coin.

Good eye.

Jim

grip

Originally posted by: jesbroken
It looks quite similar to a spark-erosion transfer counterfeit. Below are some photos
from Rick Snow's Attribution Guide that look an awful lot alike to the Ebay coin.
Good eye.
Jim

Good catch.

Shamika

The eBay coin appears to have a bag mark directly across the MM causing it to look similar to the counterfeit MM from Rick Snow. I'm not defending Great Southern, but be careful before declaring it a fake.

jesbroken

You are right, Shamika, and that is why I plainly stated it looked quite similar to Rick Snow's example. I offered the photo's for comparison and in no way would accuse anyone. I knew as soon as I saw the mintmark, with no consideration for the ding, that it appeared thicker than most mintmarks I had viewed. I feel some far better qualified than myself, may offer their opinions later today.

Jim

Outhaul

Regardless of whether or not the coin is legit, the look is horrible. I'd pass this one at least by the length of a barge pole.

Cheers

Bob

deefree49

I hear you on that score Bob. There is another thing about the coin that disturbs my eye, the planchet seems a little "unstable". What I mean by that is that it seems to be peeling in some spots and the surface has the look of some of the counterfeit S-VDBs I've seen around. I wouldn't rush to judgment either though and that is why I took the leap to put it out for you all to look over. I thought those here with a lot of experience might recognize something they've seen before.



I know we all get pretty steamed over the unscrupulous element in the coin market and shared vigilance certainly is one of the best defenses we have.

BillJones

I would advice collectors only to purchase key dates like this in a certification holder from a TPG who employs people who know what they are doing.

When I was dealer, I was willing to buy these coins raw, but I always got them certified before I would sell them.

deefree49

Jim, Thank you very much for the Rick Snow images. That is quite awesome! I'm really very surprised at the similarity. As stated, it could just be a bad ding that spread out the metal on the "S" but what's on the coin really looks spot on to the research you shared here. Thank you very much for the contribution; clearly very appropriate to the "mystery".

DollarAfterDollar

Agreed. Cleaned, recolored and otherwise NOT desirable.

EagleEye

The position of the mintmark in relation to the other design elements and the denticles is correct. There are only two dies for the reverse 1909-S and this looks like the one with an outline to the denticles to the left of the mintmark. The coin is terrible looking, but probably OK.

oih82w8

Not without being certified by a TOP III service.



Ok, so I am cautious.

ricko

Looks authentic (and Rick Snow states as much)... but not a great example... I would opt

for a better coin. Cheers, RickO