Guess the grade of this 1915 $ 5 Gold Indian

[Mark T]

This has been graded by PCGS . Hint – notice the lack of bag marks on this coin.

[Mark T]

Wow no one is going to take a slab at grading this coin??

Ok another hint, the coin does have a strong strike, you can tell from the top feathers on the eagle.

 

[JKK]

MS67-68. Exceptional coin.

[winthorpe-migration]

Strong ms66

[Mark T]

If this coin was an MS 66- or MS 67 I might be able to retire off it !!

 

The highest grade PCGS has assigned to a 1915 Half Eagle is MS 65.

 

I will tell you this coin is not a MS 65 .

 

 

[Coindude]

I'm going to say AU-58 because of the reverse... looks a bit ... scratchy?

[Mark T]

The surface of the coin is pristine those are not scratches on the reverse.

Those types are surface marks are common for this type of coin.

This is an MS coin that is the last hint I will give :-}

 

[bsshog40]

I'm not good with Gold but I'm gonna go with an AU55 due to some wear on the headress.

[Mark T]

Ok I will put this one to rest. PCGS graded the coin MS 63.

There is no ware on the headdress or any place else on the coin. It can be hard to grade these coin unless you know where to look. The highest point on the observe is the cheek, so that is the first place to look for any ware. As you can see the cheek on this coin is very clean. On the reverse and this is often tricky because of weak strikes, the eagle’s left wing is the place to look for any ware. You can see here that the top feathers are well defined. I have these type of coins in AU53 – MS 63. The difference between ms 62 and 63 is subtle. I have a MS 61 – the strike is not as strong , the luster is less and there are many more bag marks.

The PCGS guideline for an MS 63 is as follows:

Moderate number/size marks/hairlines, strike may not be full .

What is interesting here is there are very few marks and the strike on this coin is strong. I have a MS 62 quarter eagle that actually looks as good or better then this coin. Just goes to show how subjective grading can be.

 

 

[Oldtrader3]

Sorry, I could not grade this half eagle from the pictures. I am not trying to be critical but I have never seen an Indian half eagle with surfaces that resemble this coin, unless the flat surfaces have been chemically stripped. There is no skin on this coin anywhere. Plus the three lower feathers do not have mint state detail or the crescent of light reflection in the feathers. Every date, MM and grade that I have ever seen of Indian half eagles, also has some form of textured skin on the flat, planchet surfaces, particularly under the neck. It has to be the lighting in the photo. That is why I did not attempt to grade it. IMHO, this coin looks AU55. Does it look like this in hand? Was it PCGS that graded it MS63?

 

Here is a photo of a 1910 half eagle, MS63 for comparison. See the feather detail and surface texture under the neck.

[Mark T]

Some better pictures. Not to sound naïve but if PCGS grades it a MS 63 I feel confident it is an MS 63. The coin has very few marks on it and the strike really is strong.

The 2 marks on the observe are the only ones that really stand out.

 

Looks like you took a picture from Heritage or Bowers for that 1910 so felt it was right for me to now post the photo I used to judge the coin when I bought it. In hand the coin looks fantastic . Trust me it is an MS 63.

 

[Oldtrader3]

That's a better picture, I can see the coin surfaces better. Thanks, the other one did not look right. I was not questioning your integrity or knowledge, just the picture. I have owned Indian gold coins for forty+ years and the picture's surfaces were not what I would expect.

 

Actually, the 1910 was a half eagle that I owned up until a year ago. The photo was from the ANR auction of my coin when I sold it.

[Mark T]

I buy most of my gold from Heritage. Some pictures look great others don’t look all that good. When Heritage sent me the West Palm auction catalog I looked at all the MS 63 Half Eagles. I thought that 1915 was the best looking one. That new picture I posted actually makes the coin look a little better then it really is, but the first picture I posted does not give justice to the coin at all !! A lot of the pictures Heritage has of the coin in the holder seem washed out.What I look for is a good strike on the Eagles Feathers. I understand that for some Year’s the strike on the feathers is very soft. What drew me to this coin was the lack of bag marks and the strike. When you spend the money for a MS 63 you hope that it is graded properly. I do trust PCGS and NGC but I also realize that sometimes even the best can grade a coin incorrectly.

Please post some pictures of your Eagles .Not to be nosey but how much did you get for your 1910 ??

 

[Oldtrader3]

I got about $800 more than they sell for presently. The 1910-P coin was undergraded. I never use Heritage pictures for anything. They are usually terrible. That is why I could not grade the coin until you posted your scan.