A Gallery Of Problem Indian Head Cents

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Author	Replies: 8 / Views: 2,889
DVCollector Bedrock of the Community United States 10045 Posts	Posted 06/11/2011 4:50 pm As I've searched a few IHCs over the years, I thought it would be useful here to get a discussion going on how to detect (and avoid) the glut of problem coins in the marketplace. My OP is just a start; add your own comments, pics of damaged, cleaned, or corroded IHC, and tell us what makes them so. Let's learn together. I'll start with 1859, a year that's particularly hard to find problem-free. First is a slabbed PCGS XF40 with the normal amount of dirt I'd expect to see: Now for a slew of '59s from eBay--a veritable wealth of numismatic problems. The first I dub the "Brillo '59": cleaned so harshly as to remove all original surfaces, leaving bare, bright metal. Is there an actual coin left? Now for one I'll call "XF details": an IHC with so much corrosion that no amount of scrubbing will ever "fix". While few sellers will admit this is "problem free", this was called "very nice" by this particular ebay seller. "Honest cleaning" is one that many sellers (even some dealers) would call "problem free", yet it shows sign of dirt removal in the devices, and perhaps some residual cleaning agent in OF and the feather tips. IHCs this grade normally have dirt in the date and legends. "Blight" had corroded lumps removed, leaving discolored patches and visible signs of tooling around the feathers. Sometimes, when original grime is removed from IHCs, there are patches of corrosion like this. "Struck down", a coin knocked around so much, the details are flattened to the cull category. How much would you discount this coin? "Kicked in the Denticles" has a brick-colored discoloration that may be due to environmental exposure. That gash, corrosion, and harsh scrubbing add up to a "$25" coin worth no more than a cull's price. "(G)Rim" Here, the background is conveniently obscuring the rim at 8 O'clock and possibly severe damage. The edges are always an unseen hazard on coins bought online. "Nightmare on Elm Street" --just for laughs. That's just a start--keep them coming! Edited by DVCollector 06/11/2011 5:47 pm Report this Post to the Staff

Scooby Due Pillar of the Community United States 4000 Posts	Posted 06/11/2011 6:03 pm Interesting DVC. This will be educational for a lot of us. I always thought when they said "problem free", they meant there was no extra charge for the problem. There was no additional charge for the rim ding at 9 o'clock on this one. Does anything else jump out at you about this coin? Report this Post to the Staff
Tim Stroud Pillar of the Community United States 2661 Posts	Posted 06/11/2011 6:49 pm I like how in the net to last one the coin seems to have been pressed down into the towel it was on in order to try and hide the damage. Scoob, yours looks to have been nicely polished at some time. I have several that are very nice and shiny I picked up for $1 a piece two weeks ago. wanted to cry when I saw them. Several were once $40 or better coins. Report this Post to the Staff
DVCollector Bedrock of the Community United States 10045 Posts	Posted 06/11/2011 9:31 pm Scoob,I'm unsure about any IHC's history, so I tend to judge them by how much they deviate from the norm. The first pic is the norm for a decent grade, circulated '59. On the coin you post, there's little color change between the high points and the protected areas, and an absence of dirt in the devices. If a coin is that bright, you might expect to see some cartwheel luster. So it might be cleaned/polished/re-toned? Whatever the cause, it doesn't look original to my eyes. Report this Post to the Staff
vermontensium Moderator United States 16679 Posts	Posted 06/11/2011 9:48 pm Great thread DV. I think I see more problem 1859's than original ones. DV, could Scoob's coin be possibly recolored? swcoin.ecrater.com Report this Post to the Staff
DVCollector Bedrock of the Community United States 10045 Posts	Posted 06/11/2011 9:56 pm Vermontensium--yeah, I wondered the same thing; the color is a little too even. Finding problem-free '59s is tough. Unless you can get one slabbed, most I see at shows have issues. Edited by DVCollector 06/11/2011 9:58 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Scooby Due Pillar of the Community United States 4000 Posts	Posted 06/11/2011 11:15 pm Thanks for your input everyone. I was a little unsure about it. At least it fit into your problem examples thread DVC. Report this Post to the Staff
DVCollector Bedrock of the Community United States 10045 Posts	Posted 06/11/2011 11:27 pm It's a nice coin in many ways--and a good example too! Good luck on finding a '59. At a recent show, I probably looked at a couple dozen before finding a good one. Report this Post to the Staff
SilverFossil64 Valued Member United States 183 Posts	Posted 06/12/2011 12:13 am good thread Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 8 / Views: 2,889

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