Here's One For The IHC Lovers - Altered Date

Do you think it's an altered IHC from another year?
I'm seeing a lot of tooling marks around the date.

I see what you mean, but somebody would probably just modify the last digit, and on a nicer host coin?
I've seen some really badly tooled dates, so I just assumed a total hack get hold of this one.

I don't think altered, just scratched and pitted. Pre-ebaY, I'd have priced it at $30.

Something odd about that date. There appears to be a boxed in area around the date as if it was placed there. Or might be photo shop added on or made clearer than in real life. In this case I'd have to see the real coin before buying for sure.

I guess I just don't understand what the intent behind altering it would be. Usually, folks alter coins to make them sell for more, and the date itself looks legit to me. Removing the entire date from another coin doesn't make any sense to me. There are no seams on the reverse, and doing that would be illogical since youd have to destroy another 1869 just to make your altered one.

If they photoshopped it, the buyer will no right away that it's a different date and return it(like sending the wrong coin)

The only thing that makes sense is that they were tooling an authentic date to make it appear sharper, or possibly give the illusion of the overdate

Altering a 1904 to resemble an 1869 would be very tough since the obverse design is different from 1886 onwards. However you look at it, the process of replacing digits would be difficult on any coin: slicing date off one coin, grinding off date carefully on host coin, soldering on new date (believably), replating to hide solder/heat effects, then toning and weathering to make date area look continuous. I guess that's why fakes are usually made by altering one existing digit on Morgans, FE cents, etc. Added mintmarks are easier to hide than alteration to whole dates. This 1869 is just bungled--for reasons unknown.

Hard to say but if I had to guess, looks okay. The date matches other 1869 I have seen as far as height of numbers, etc. The coin is pitted and at this level of wear, Yeah, $30 is about right.

I would say don't. Maybe in real life and in your hand that coin may look better but I'd be afraid something is just wrong. As to no one doing the changing of a date. People do all kinds of stupid things to coins every day. Look how many spend money replating those 43 Steel Cents and end up selling them for less than $0.25. And in some places less.
Changing a date might be for practice, fun, something to do. Just not worth the chance.
If it was for a lot less money, might be fun to see it up close.