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 Replies: 20 / Views: 3,218 |
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Valued Member
United States
265 Posts |
I am going to a coin show in Manchester, NH this weekend and would like to find a nice $2.5 gold piece for around the $300 or under range. It doesn't matter if it is Liberty or Indian style, but would like to add one to my collection. I checked out ebay prices and it certainly looks like finding a good one in that price range is do-able. Here are a couple of questions: 1. Are there any specific years/condition I should keep an eye out for in that price range? 2. Are there any common years in XF+ condition that I could get for less than $300? 3. Is it a bad idea do buy one uncertified from a coin show? 4. Any "buyer bewares" to watch out for at a coin show? Any help is appreciated, as I'd like for my purchase to be a good one. Thank you in advance. Edited by mail187man
05/04/2017 4:23 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1747 Posts |
I am not familiar with that series, but I would suggest you know the weight and diameter that these coins should be. bring your scale, and loupe with you. Also bring a magnet
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote:
3. Is it a bad idea do buy one uncertified from a coin show? Possibly. Being at a show especially a small show doesn't mean you are assured everything is real or that their grading is accurate. Indians I wouldn't bother with raw while you are still at the stage you have to wonder, the design is one of if not the hardest to grade there is. You would be safer buying a graded common date as you've seen on ebay. Small shows there is more risk but you will probably be okay either way. Quote:
bring your scale, and loupe with you. Also bring a magnet Don't bring all that to a dealer table at a show. Unless it is just a weekend get together type show you will be getting off on the wrong foot for sure |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2589 Posts |
Make sure to check for polish lines with a loupe to make sure the coin your thinking about buying hasn't been cleaned! A large amount of raw classic gold coins at shows I find has been cleaned, and thus would get a details grade. There are good fakes out there of the Indian head ones that can fool experience dealers (they are struck out of a higher purity gold than the real ones are lol). Buying a certified example would be the safest option, but it will cost you more. You should be able to get a raw XF Indian Head one of pretty much any date for under $300 except for the 1911 D and perhaps the 1914 D. As for liberty heads, those were faked less than the Indian Heads, but there are many rare dates in the series. I would recommend checking out the numismedia price guide for those, http://www.coinprices.org/cgi/usrar...proof=&plus= |
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Valued Member
 United States
265 Posts |
So the safest bet would be to buy a graded liberty head it seems. I don't mind it being a common date I'm XF condition. I'd actually kind of prefer the liberty head only because I inherited a $5 Indian head from my grandfather, but I'm not against getting another Indian head. The show I'm going to is actually one of the bigger ones in my area that they only hold twice a year. Is it really still possible to get fakes at a show? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2589 Posts |
Like I said, there are extremely good fakes of Indian head quarter eagles, its often hard for dealers to pick them out as fakes because the really good ones are actually made of gold. Your less likely in my opinion to see a fake Indian Head quarter eagle in XF than you are in AU or MS.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1184 Posts |
I'd suggest a slabbed one to help ensure you don't get a cleaned one. Indians are much more popular than Liberty. If you ever want to resell I'd suggest the Indian. Make sure to post what you end up finding!
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
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Is it really still possible to get fakes at a show? Yes. Being a dealer doesn't make you an expert in everything and gold is an entirely different animal. |
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Valued Member
United States
265 Posts |
If I pull the trigger on buying one this weekend, I will surely post a picture. I may chicken out all together, but I would really like to buy one. Thank you all for the help.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3342 Posts |
It helps to know your dealer. The last coin show I went to was to see a specific dealer who was a specialist in California gold. He knew every flaw and every bit of doctoring his coins had experienced and his prices were fair. It also helps to have a scale. You can buy a tenth gram accuracy pocket-sized scale on ebay for under $10. Quarter eagles MUST weigh 4.1-4.2 grams. "Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
Edited by thq
05/05/2017 1:17 pm
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CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
If you buy a common Indian in AU-55 -MS-63 it will be in your price range. I'd buy them raw if I knew the dealer, but you might just stick to TPGs for now. As there is so small a difference between the lower grades, I might aim for an MS-63.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4587 Posts |
Stick with certified coins... the $1 and $2.50 were inexpensive enough to be WIDELY counterfeited for the jewelry trade. If you don't know precisely what you are looking at you will probably not buy what you want (a genuine coin).
-----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
790 Posts |
I'm not an expert, but next week the Denver Coin Expo is happening, and it will be my 2nd time. One thing I intend to do diffently is I'm going to ask for business cards from any dealer I buy from, and write down what I bought and how much I paid on the back. It'll help when I go to add them to my inventory, plus I'll know if that dealer has a website and I'll have contact info in case I want to reach out to them later. I second the suggestion that you stick with graded coins if you're paying hundreds of dollars. Unless you're a wiz at authenticating and grading, it will go a long way to help you decide whether the coin is worth the asking price. For people who have more experience at shows, would it make sense to take a copy of Coin World or another coin mag that has coin values? You can always google the coin and get the value given by PCGS or NGC, but their values are based on auctions, so they tend to be high compared to gray sheet. |
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Valued Member
United States
265 Posts |
So I ended up buying a 1910 Indian head in a PCGS slab that is an AU58. I will post pics later. I paid under $300 for it.
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Valued Member
United States
265 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2130 Posts |
I was a little late reading your post. Congrats on your purchase. Its a nice looking piece of gold. I collect quarter eagles and the price you paid was right in line for what you would have paid online. I have bought quite a few in AU55-58 for $275-$300 range.
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Replies: 20 / Views: 3,218 |
Posted 05/04/2017 5:20 pm
