Abundance Of 1877 Indian Head Cent / IHC 'S On Ebay?

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

Author	Replies: 13 / Views: 1,393
thecoinguy1964 Pillar of the Community United States 1308 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 3:07 pm I was trying to find an auction that had ended on IHC's, and I couldn't get over the number of 1877's sold. I'm wondering if these are all the real deal? Report this Post to the Staff

moxking Rest in Peace United States 17900 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 3:40 pm Either know every detail about die examination, strike, and normal wear patterns or buy them TPG. No, a lot of those sold are trash, but some are very close fakes. Report this Post to the Staff
westernsky Pillar of the Community United States 7618 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 3:53 pm The vast majority of the ones sold on ebay are legit and usually are in mid to low grade. The 1877 Indian was recognized early on as a low mintage key date coin by collectors. Many were pulled from circulation in the late 1800's and early 1900's. What remained was pulled in the 1930's and 1940's when B Max Mehl's Star Rare Coin Encyclopedia was issued offering to buy coins that could still be found in circulation. The 1934 catalog I have shows B Max offering 10 cents to 50 cents for 1877 Indians....(price actually being determined by condition back then, too!) I would imagine that there were several hoards of key date Indians that existed at one time and the majority of the coins being sold today are probably from those old time hoards. Edited by westernsky 01/02/2017 9:07 pm Report this Post to the Staff
SHAFTA9a Bedrock of the Community Canada 10743 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 3:57 pm Very interesting read westernsky. Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 4:45 pm Westernsky is spot on. The 1877 has a survival rate disproportionally high compared to its mintage. It will always be expensive as the key to the series, but it is hardly a rare coin, or even scarce, until you get into the top BU grades. Report this Post to the Staff
coin197 Pillar of the Community United States 1963 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 6:59 pm The 1877 Indian Head cent is sort of a money coin. If you have the money, you can always buy one in lower grade. Still, only buy slabbed ones. Report this Post to the Staff
TypeCoin971793 Pillar of the Community United States 6370 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 8:22 pm Just shows that this "rare" key date coin is not rare. Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 8:54 pm Indeed. There is not a single regular issue in the small size cent series from 1856 to the present day that can be considered rare except in obscure varieties or over-the-top BU slabs. Report this Post to the Staff
billjones Pillar of the Community United States 1499 Posts	Posted 01/02/2017 10:23 pm Yes, 1877 cent is not all that rare, but counterfeits abound in all grades, including "damaged and ugly." The processes used to make "impaired" ones look like problem coins also help to cover their sins. Low grade and damaged does NOT insure that it's genuine. REALLY Know what the real thing looks like, or buy only certified examples. Edited by billjones 01/02/2017 10:24 pm Report this Post to the Staff
jpsned Pillar of the Community United States 2200 Posts	Posted 01/03/2017 6:51 pm Most people would equate "rare" with "low mintage." But this is an example of that being untrue. "Rare" simply means hard to find, for whatever reasons. For example, because of the relatively low mintages in 2009, I have yet to find any of those coins in circulation. So I consider them rare, though many millions of the coins were made. Report this Post to the Staff
Omegaraptor Valued Member United States 321 Posts	Posted 01/03/2017 9:33 pm The reason is because the 1877 IHC is a common coin. It is just very highly priced because of collector demand (collectors need to fill that last hole to complete a very popular set). I have a Civil War Token with less than 11 known examples that is worth about $60 simply because there isn't much demand for it. Coinfrog is right. There is not a single regular issue in the small cent series that is rare, but there are some conditional rarities (1915-S in high MS grade is one of them). Report this Post to the Staff
Vermillion Flycatche Valued Member United States 97 Posts	Posted 01/04/2017 4:31 pm Thanks for sharing these insights. I've thought about the IHC series and I knew 1877 was one of the keys but had not taken the time to dig into it yet. The book has not been ordered and read yet- lesson #1 I've learned from this community! Report this Post to the Staff
thecoinguy1964 Pillar of the Community United States 1308 Posts	Posted 01/04/2017 7:27 pm Thanks for all the input. When ever in doubt, this is definitely the place with the answers! Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 01/04/2017 7:30 pm Yep, we're here! Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 13 / Views: 1,393

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

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

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!

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 0.34 seconds to rattle this change.

Abundance Of 1877 IHC's On Ebay?