1888 is one of the most difficult dates in the Indian Head Cent series to find Red graded examples, let alone quality example. Many 1888s in Red holders come looking red-brownish, making full red examples hard to find. The PCGS population is a mere 36 in 65 RD with 25 finer graded. For the 65 RD grade, CAC has only stickered 3 examples & CACG has only 2 graded. For context, the most expensive red Indian Cent is the 1877, and PCGS only has 26 examples graded in 65 RD with 12 finer. This is not your typical later date Indian in red like the late 1890s and beyond!
From Stack Bower’s lot 1132 of the June, 2018 Baltimore Session 2 - U.S. Coins Part II Sale, “Many high quality Indian cents of the 1886 to 1888 era display light golden-orange luster, the planchet stock for such pieces probably traceable to Joseph Wharton. Beginning in 1886, the Mint melted earlier dated bronze cents and shipped the metal to Wharton, who supplied fresh planchets to the Mint for new coinage. With the vivid rose-red color that it possesses, however, the coin offered here was almost certainly struck on a planchet prepared from "fresh" copper.”
From my perspective, this coin has a fresh lustrous surface that could be from the “fresh” copper traded into the mint. Despite some natural spotting which many 1888s seem to have, this coin has orange, brick-red color with good bands of luster. It has very few hits. The reverse is pristine.
Two PCGS graded 1888 MS 65 RD CAC examples traded for $4587 on Great Collections in 2024 & $4320 on Stacks in 2018. Privately, I have sold two non-CACed examples for $3,000 & $2,500 over the years. This coin, quality-wise, sits in the middle between some of the non-CAC sales and the PCGS CAC sales.
1888 is one of the most difficult dates in the Indian Head Cent series to find Red graded examples, let alone quality example. Many 1888s in Red holders come looking red-brownish, making full red examples hard to find. The PCGS population is a mere 36 in 65 RD with 25 finer graded. For the 65 RD grade, CAC has only stickered 3 examples & CACG has only 2 graded. For context, the most expensive red Indian Cent is the 1877, and PCGS only has 26 examples graded in 65 RD with 12 finer. This is not your typical later date Indian in red like the late 1890s and beyond!
From Stack Bower’s lot 1132 of the June, 2018 Baltimore Session 2 - U.S. Coins Part II Sale, “Many high quality Indian cents of the 1886 to 1888 era display light golden-orange luster, the planchet stock for such pieces probably traceable to Joseph Wharton. Beginning in 1886, the Mint melted earlier dated bronze cents and shipped the metal to Wharton, who supplied fresh planchets to the Mint for new coinage. With the vivid rose-red color that it possesses, however, the coin offered here was almost certainly struck on a planchet prepared from "fresh" copper.”
From my perspective, this coin has a fresh lustrous surface that could be from the “fresh” copper traded into the mint. Despite some natural spotting which many 1888s seem to have, this coin has orange, brick-red color with good bands of luster. It has very few hits. The reverse is pristine.
Two PCGS graded 1888 MS 65 RD CAC examples traded for $4587 on Great Collections in 2024 & $4320 on Stacks in 2018. Privately, I have sold two non-CACed examples for $3,000 & $2,500 over the years. This coin, quality-wise, sits in the middle between some of the non-CAC sales and the PCGS CAC sales.
