1904 Indian Head cent
YQQ
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Please have a close look at the images. This is the color closest to what it is in reality!
It is a shiny golden brass color. ( had a hard time to photograph it)
I thought about if it is real, like out of the mint?? But the color and luster do not match. perhaps someone at the mint had an extended experimental lunch break?
Could it be some type of toning??
Fact is, that the coin itself is a very high MS grade. I guess is it would flirt with being a 65+. No daubt about it there.
Could also be SP.
So, I guess it leaves me thinking that someone experimented with electro plating or similar?
( But why would someone waste a high grade coin worth several hundreds of dollars originally and in a PCGS slab? 
Any suggestions and or actual facts are much appreciated.
thanks everyone.
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Your images are simply impossible for me to interpret, but could the coin be an impaired proof?
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Looks like a way overexposed photo to me - I thought it was a Great Southern Coin photo at first
coin is not over exposed. However, the gold-light influx might mess up the lens????
was taken with a Canon, a Tamron 90 mm macro lens, F 25 / - 1/6 sec.... axial, daylight incandescent 60 watt lamp.
this setup is doing really well with other shine coins. sometimes it needs some tweaks.
TOM B
what are the ideal settings for a shiny golden reflective coin?
I will try real day light today and m,aybe white Background to see what happens
if the coin would be a impaired proof, there is nothing impaired that I can see. it appears that it is a very high grade cent covered with or made of some shine golden colored material.
In the meantime I found this YouTube info. very interesting and a possible solution.
Leaves just the logical question: why waste a perfect and expensive coin?
here is the same coin with the images taken in real daylight. Looks like a gold coin , but it is not
weight is 3.1 gr
I'm a little confused. You mentioned PCGS. Was this a PCGS coin?
If it was not, I am not sure it is worthy of all the handwringing over its origin. If it looks gold plated then maybe it is. If it is high grade then it may well have been plated when new or nearly new
As to why it was done, who knows? The person who did it obviously had a reason.
Something looks off about it. Maybe lacquered?
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"( But why would someone waste a high grade coin worth several hundreds of dollars originally and in a PCGS slab?
"
???
Those photos make it look gold plated, but I'm most confused over the above question.
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The second set of pics make it look plated for sure, also confused as to why you mentioned PCGS slab as it is not in one correct.
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not in a slab, but if it were..it would be several 100s.
Not laquered. I tried aceton and NO reaction whatsoever.
I guess that leaves us with "plated".
Just makes no sense to plate a super coin like that and by doing so waste it.
The rim is still fresh and sharp. You can scrape your finger nails with it.
There is a good chance that when it was plated it was worth one cent, it not much more than that.
Or, maybe it was a cleaned coin, etc. etc.
The black marks on the reverse may give a hint as to what was done to it. Unfortunately, I have no idea what that may have been.