1862 Indian Cent (1862 Indian 1C) NGC MS63. Q. David Bowers says the presence or absence of diamonds on the ribbon of the obverse Indian headdress is not an indication of grade. “Popular convention notwithstanding,” he says in Grading Coins by Photographs (2008), “the diamonds cannot be used as grading marker. . . .” [Original emphasis.] On the Indian Head Cent the strike varied widely.

Turns out, then, an MS-63 is an MS-63, with or without diamonds. Well, if not grade indicator, certainly diamonds signal a full complete strike. So if you had a choice, wouldn’t you want diamonds present on the ribbon? There are diamonds on this 1862 Indian Cent, making it a superior example of an NGC-graded MS-63 1862 Indian Head Cent.