To the experts in CoinTalk land. I am helping a friend go through some silver that was passed through the family. In the lot, I found these two MS Morgan's and I am not a Morgan collector. Please help me with a grade opinion on both, and a variety opinion on the 1878. Looking for good input...if you need additional photos, let me know. Thanks in advance to the community for its help on this one.
The 82O looks like a good strike, and I would say no higher than 63. The 78; however, has contact marks all over Liberty's cheek, and the reverse shows some signs of contact marks and some wear, I'd say AU.
The photos make the 82O look like an MS63 and the 78 looks AU. I think I see breaks in the luster on Liberty's cheek & in the field in front of her face. Speaking of the 78.... Look at the obverse denticles and look at the precise details in the letters like the M in UNUM. My computer desktop depicts an 1878 Morgan obverse. Your friend's 1878 coin seems a little different. Have you weighed it?
Thanks for the great input. In hand, I think the breaks in the 78 luster are actually my camera reflection...will evaluate further. And no, I have not weighed....are you thinking fake?
The 1878 is a 7TF variety with a 78 Reverse and short nock arrow shaft. There are too many possibilities for me to attempt to sort them out without being able to examine the coin under a microscope. The link to the VAMWorld list is below.......have at it! The 78 looks like it is probably MS63 and the 83-O looks like it could be MS64. http://www.vamworld.com/1878-P+VAMs Chris
The reverse looks like a 7TF genuine coin. It could very well be genuine but the last leg in the M looked funny on the obverse and the obverse denticles looked doubled to me in the photo. The question in the back of my mind would be how long has your friend had this coin? It is probably a good coin. However, you can weigh it & place it in a short stack with other Morgans & examine the coin’s diameter & quality of the reeding on the edge. What is going on with the M? are they just weakly struck letters?
