1915 $2 1/2 Indian

[Nutmeg Coin]

I got a call yesterday from a local man who said he had this 1915 $2 1/2 Indian gold that he sent me images of:

 

http://i.imgur.com/cHYNVpS.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Gkls0Pj.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/bJV4hJQ.jpg

 

It has been in the family for generations. I told him he will never get anywhere near top dollar for it unless he gets it certified with NGC or PCGS. Anyone want to guess potential grade on this coin?

[Stephon-migration]

Low level mint state or high level AU easily.

[RWB]

Its' worth a little more in the contemporary card. It would be inappropriate to break up the association.

[Stephon-migration]

Its' worth a little more in the contemporary card. It would be inappropriate to break up the association.

 

Why is that? I always thought that the coin, the slab, or the OGP is much more important than so called non official packaging.

[Mark T]

No way to guess a grade from those photos. It could be Au 55 – Ms 63.

[thebeav]

You probably should have just bought it at 240.00 and taken care of it from there.....

I love the card it's in....

 

Paul

[MarkFeld]

No way to guess a grade from those photos. It could be Au 55 – Ms 63.

 

I disagree - I'm between 58 and 64.

[rrantique]

No way to guess a grade from those photos. It could be Au 55 – Ms 63.

 

I disagree - I'm between 58 and 64.

 

(thumbs u

[RWB]

The context is an interesting historical element. It tells part of a story, unlike sterile slabs and such that convey nothing except greed.

[Mozin]

It looks like it will probably grade MS62. Better pictures would help a lot.

[Nutmeg Coin]

They want to get it graded, so I'll share the result when it comes back. In hand, they said it is nearly flawless, but a nice mintstate or AU58 coin can look flawless to those who do not see lots of these coins on a yearly basis.

[MarkFeld]

The context is an interesting historical element. It tells part of a story, unlike sterile slabs and such that convey nothing except greed.

 

You're ignoring the potential preservation benefits offered by the slabs, as well liquidity and the pedigree information that is sometimes included on the grading label. Slabs are about more than "and such that convey nothing except greed".

[johnny9434]

No way to guess a grade from those photos. It could be Au 55 – Ms 63.

 

I disagree - I'm between 58 and 64.

scratch one up for me in that column as well

[RWB]

You're ignoring the potential preservation benefits offered by the slabs, as well liquidity and the pedigree information that is sometimes included on the grading label. Slabs are about more than "and such that convey nothing except greed".

 

I completely disagree, Mark. There's little "preservation benefit" in a slab for gold. Liquidity is just a synonym for money, and it's very unlikely that there will be anything on the label except the usual verbiage. Your comment actually reinforces the "greed - money" aspect and ignores the loss of connection. Once separated, the coin and inscribed cardboard holder have little meaning.

 

Of course, the most historical value is to the present owner and family. If they imagine wealth from a common date, common condition coin, then it's likely there is no familial interest. The recipient is long dead and barely more than a fuzzy photo in a nearly forgotten album of strangers.

 

(Background: most QE and HE were shipped to banks in November and early December. They were withdrawn by customers who wanted shiny new gold coins for holiday gifts. In late January and February the next year, most of the same coins went right back to the subtrasuries/FRBs and then to mints to await the next holiday season. The slightly used coins were often rejected by bank customers who wanted new coins for the holidays.)

[MarkFeld]

You're ignoring the potential preservation benefits offered by the slabs, as well liquidity and the pedigree information that is sometimes included on the grading label. Slabs are about more than "and such that convey nothing except greed".

 

I completely disagree, Mark. There's little "preservation benefit" in a slab for gold. Liquidity is just a synonym for money, and it's very unlikely that there will be anything on the label except the usual verbiage. Your comment actually reinforces the "greed - money" aspect and ignores the loss of connection. Once separated, the coin and inscribed cardboard holder have little meaning.

 

Of course, the most historical value is to the present owner and family. If they imagine wealth from a common date, common condition coin, then it's likely there is no familial interest. The recipient is long dead and barely more than a fuzzy photo in a nearly forgotten album of strangers.

 

(Background: most QE and HE were shipped to banks in November and early December. They were withdrawn by customers who wanted shiny new gold coins for holiday gifts. In late January and February the next year, most of the same coins went right back to the subtrasuries/FRBs and then to mints to await the next holiday season. The slightly used coins were often rejected by bank customers who wanted new coins for the holidays.)

 

Your comment was "..unlike sterile slabs and such that convey nothing except greed", so I didn't think it pertained only to that one piece, in particular. In its case, I would leave it as is.

 

And preservation can be a benefit of slabs, especially for copper and nickel coinage,.

 

In my book, liquidity and the sale of an item at a fair price don't necessarily equate with "greed".

[RWB]

There's little to argue about....You're in the money end of the coin business; I am not. The perspectives are different and sometimes in concert and sometimes disparate.

 

[MarkFeld]

There's little to argue about....You're in the money end of the coin business; I am not. The perspectives are different and sometimes in concert and sometimes disparate.

 

I'm also in the "collector at heart" camp and I think I can see and understand that perspective just as well, if not better.

[Coin Maniac2-migration]

AU55-MS62. Very Nice Coin!!!

[FishyOne]

Greed is a sin. Slabbing a coin is not.

[PerryHall]

Neat but common coin with a very neat cardboard holder showing it was given as a Christmas gift which was common back then. Hopefully this holder will be saved and will accompany this coin once it's been slabbed. I've seen small boxes with a recessed opening in the interior to hold a small gold coins for gift giving. I understand the banks would give them out or sell them for a nominal cost to their customers around the holidays. Mostly they were cardboard and had a gold colored foil finish. I saw one in a dealer's case with a gold half eagle which I would have bought but the insufficiently_thoughtful_person dealer wrote his price directly on the box which ruined it as far as I'm concerned. I already own numerous half eagles and was more interested in the tiny box because it seems that very few have survived.

[TetonWarrior]

I have to agree. It is an exceptional historical piece. Though somewhere along the line it will be separated from the card. As for a grade...61-63 is where is see it at.

[Nutmeg Coin]

The owners of the coin have been following the thread and will hopefully get it certified as that is the only way to get value out of a nice MS gold coin like this. I don't know many shops where you would be able to walk in with this coin and walk out with a check for more than $300 and that is most unfortunate to collectors who want some assurance that they will be able to get reasonable value out of their coins. I see a lot more greed on the part of dealers than collectors.

[Curry]

AU58 to MS 61 is my best bet because of the minor obverse scratches on the left if I see it correctly.

[James_OldeTowne]

If I owned it in that card, there would be zero chance whatsoever that I'd ever get it certified. The charming historical context has MUCH more value for me than ... yet ... another ... slab.

 

I wouldn't even want to know if the coin were genuine!

[MarkFeld]

If I owned it in that card, there would be zero chance whatsoever that I'd ever get it certified. The charming historical context has MUCH more value for me than ... yet ... another ... slab.

 

I wouldn't even want to know if the coin were genuine!

 

I would think if truly cared about the "historical context", you would want to know all you could about the coin and it's story. And that would include whether it were genuine.

[Curry]

If I owned it in that card, there would be zero chance whatsoever that I'd ever get it certified. The charming historical context has MUCH more value for me than ... yet ... another ... slab.

 

I wouldn't even want to know if the coin were genuine!

I would say to get it slabbed for you is comfort that it is genuine. People may say it is but it's only certain till it comes back genuine

[RWB]

I certainly agree with James. In a slab it is just another...thingy....like thousands of others. It will have no connection to anything.

 

I would much prefer to spend the $$ on preserving and protecting an interesting bit of family history, than paying for a piece of plastic and a paper label.

[Curry]

I certainly agree with James. In a slab it is just another...thingy....like thousands of others. It will have no connection to anything.

 

I would much prefer to spend the $$ on preserving and protecting an interesting bit of family history, than paying for a piece of plastic and a paper label.

So you wouldn't want to know if it's genuine versus slabbing it and be sure it is genuine?

[MarkFeld]

If I owned it in that card, there would be zero chance whatsoever that I'd ever get it certified. The charming historical context has MUCH more value for me than ... yet ... another ... slab.

 

I wouldn't even want to know if the coin were genuine!

I would say to get it slabbed for you is comfort that it is genuine. People may say it is but it's only certain till it comes back genuine

 

There are a great many knowledgeable collectors and dealers who can determine authenticity and many of them are willing to put their money where their mouths are.

[Curry]

If I owned it in that card, there would be zero chance whatsoever that I'd ever get it certified. The charming historical context has MUCH more value for me than ... yet ... another ... slab.

 

I wouldn't even want to know if the coin were genuine!

I would say to get it slabbed for you is comfort that it is genuine. People may say it is but it's only certain till it comes back genuine

 

There are a great many knowledgeable collectors and dealers who can determine authenticity and many of them are willing to put their money where their mouths are.

I know there are many who can. But I feel slabbing gives more benefeits than what I listed. Besides I like preserving items and slabbing is the way to preserve coins. But that's my opinion