Help Grading This Indian Head Cent

Yep it has seen a cleaning in it's day ...
Not sure what the reverse looks like but judging from the obverse I'd say EF 40 details ( cleaned )
Unfortunally it's not a eariler date as a problem free coin of this date and grade is only valued around 10 bucks , so for 5 that seems about right.
Sometimes but not aways , depending on several different things a problem coin will value around 40-50 percent of a problem free example ...
That's not an exact science but usually the lower mintage coins with problems will realize around 50 maybe even 60 percent while common dates will be more in the 30-40 percent range ....
Like I said this isn't exact and it's diffetent from coin to coin ,it's more less just the way I figure out what's a fair price to pay on certain problem coins :)
Overall yeah you might have overpaid by a buck or so but if you like the coin , then I wouldn't worry !!

EF-40 details, cleaned

XF details cleaned. If you want the honest truth, and I hate saying it, for $5 you paid too much.

Must agree.

I see Silver Town ads in coin magazines. be careful ,they seem to be overpriced . brush up on what a cleaned coin looks like ,then brows through e-bay for what you want.
If a seller doesn't supply full sharp photos of obverse and reverse or does not accept returns just pass them by.

Justinwd - It's a beautiful example of a common IHC. It's exactly the kind of coin I collect, and in my opinion, you paid only $5 for a very nice example of 1905 IHC mintage. For a 1905 IHC to be truly valuable, you'd probably need to look at coins in MS grades, or perhaps proofs.

If you are collecting with the idea of creating a really valuable, high-end, IHC collection, the coin falls short, but NOT the price. If you, like me, are trying to put together the nicest looking IHC collection that you can, and have budgetary limits, this purchase is a slam dunk WINNER!

Remember value is often measured in personal perception. In this case, your perception. It sounds like your tickled to have it, and that is the ultimate litmus test. IMO you could NOT have purchased a nicer example for any less money, and it could have cost much more. I'd be proud to have it in my folder. Congratulations! Jack

. It is surely a beautiful coin. And, if at some later date you decide to put together a collection, you'll have a great head start. One of the most attractive aspects of IHCs is that, except for 2 years, 1908 & 1909, they were only minted in Philadelphia. That means you have much fewer coins to complete the set. Many of the coins from 1880, 90, and 1900s, are readily available at very low prices in grades that are G - VG. The 1877, 1909-S, and 1908-S (in that order), are the rarest and usually the most costly. I'm glad you shared your special coin. Jack