Indian Head Cent / IHC Weak Strike Vs AU Grade

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,333
johnny676767 Pillar of the Community United States 521 Posts	Posted 10/19/2015 11:26 pm Hello, I have been looking at a lot of IHCs both slabbed and raw trying to tell the difference between one that is not fully struck and one that shows minor wear. I have the ANA grading book and regularly use Photograde. I even have slabbed and raw UNCs, but I still can't seem to figure it out. The thing that really throws me is slabbed IHCs at 63-64 will show what really looks like wear on the diamonds and ribbon, even showing a different color. I have been working at this for some time and cant seem to get it. Can anyone give me some tips or point me in the direction of some information? Thanks Report this Post to the Staff

OLCoins Valued Member United States 397 Posts	Posted 10/20/2015 04:41 am I find it easier to treat differentiating AU from UNC as an art rather than a science. I don't recommend first scanning the coin's high points for wear. Doing that I think it is easy to trick yourself into seeing wear where there is just slight discoloration on the high points just from natural toning or bag mark hits. I think luster is probably the most important factor in au vs unc. So I recommend first looking for noticeable breaks in luster because I find that generally equates to a drop from unc. Edited by OLCoins 10/20/2015 04:50 am Report this Post to the Staff
kanga Pillar of the Community United States 5825 Posts	Posted 10/20/2015 08:27 am And some years are known for their generally weak strikes. 1877 is one of those years. I'd suggest getting Snow's attribution guide, but for the price you REALLY need to be into IHC's. Report this Post to the Staff
johnny676767 Pillar of the Community United States 521 Posts	Posted 10/20/2015 09:45 am OLCoins- in regards to unbroken luster, do you mean a continuous cartwheel that goes over all of the devices, say even the hair ribbon? I have seen cartwheels on UNC coins but, honestly, never noticed if they indeed are truely unbroken. I think I have mainly seen them show in the fields. I will check this out, though. Thanks for the tip. Any other comments on this luster diagnostic? Report this Post to the Staff
paddy murphy Valued Member United States 401 Posts	Posted 10/20/2015 10:58 am I'm no expert but going by the ribbons edge and sharpness of the diamonds in particular isn't always the best way to tell a high AU from a MS IHC. I've seen EF 45's with sharp diamonds, some of those 1880's & 1890's were absolutely hammered when struck. Look at the hair above the ear, is it still split? does it have the same luster as the rest of the coin? if so it's an easy MS to ID. There are lots of RB AU-58 IHC's that look better than the usual RB MS-63... Report this Post to the Staff
OLCoins Valued Member United States 397 Posts	Posted 10/20/2015 4:26 pm Just to clarify, I was talking about AU vs UNC for coins in general, not specifically IHCs. I actually don't have much experience grading IHCs so take my comments for whatever they are worth. The luster doesn't have to be full cartwheel to be a UNC coin but it should stand out and when rotated in front of a light there really shouldn't be any places on the coin where the luster isn't noticeable. Keep in mind, that there are probably lot of slabbed coins out there AU58 and MS62 that if cracked out/resubmitted could switch grades, so this is a tough issue for advanced collectors and graders too. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,333

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: US Coins and Currency Forums Forum: US Classic and Colonial Coins

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.27 seconds to rattle this change.