1884-S Morgan ...Grade?

Here's a 1884-S Morgan Silver Dollar in fabulous condition. The only hint of wear is a light series of lines that look as though someone stored it in a piece of cloth.

Any thoughts on the grade?





Thanks!!! :smile

 

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Is it just me or does this look cleaned?

 

AU55 (maybe AU58) Details. Looks to have been cleaned and retoned over time. It also looks to have a patina similar to the kind I see on chinese counterfeit Morgan Dollars. Suspicious...

-Brian

 

No deep marks. All breast feathers are there.

From my research, prior cleaning is not a problem unless it was done chemically or the cloth cleaning damaged the coin.

Still, with the price I paid for it, I'd be happy with AU55. I just want to be able to give the seller a bit more money if it grades well. This is just my litmus test to see if I should have it graded.

 

PCGS MS-60 vs. Mine


Side by side comparison using a photograde pic from the PCGS website.

 

Unfortunately its been harshly cleaned; you can tell by the lack of luster, and the hairlines (most obvious on the obverse). Shame, it looks like it was a pretty high grade (before the cleaning, and '84-S is a tough date.

 

That PCGS coin has visible bag marks indicating that it has not been circulated all that much. The coin the thread you have listed has no visible bag marks indicating that it has been moderately circulated (unless it is an MS68+ with ridiculously muted lustur...). If you are saying that your coin is a mint state piece, am going to have to strongly disagree. You can see many surface hairlines in the obverse fields and on the bust of the coin.

-Brian

 

It looks to me like it has been whizzed.

Chris

 

I just took another glance; I think you may be right. ld-guy-smile:

-Brian

EDIT: Now that I took yet another glance, I see that the reverse does not have the same distinct hairlines as the obverse does. It may just be honest hairlines from some being somones "pocket piece". It also looks like the hairlines are only in the left fields and on the left side of the bust. The right side looks almost mark free (aside from the cleaning).

 

I understand what you mean, Chris. But the light marks don't appear to be the same as whizzing. It looks as though someone may have cleaned it with a cloth or it was stored in a cloth, though. (Also, my coin photography skills aren't the greatest. It was taken in natural light by a window.)

 

You don't need a wire brush on a drill to whiz a coin. You can using a buffing attachment which would produce that effect. I still say it has been whizzed.

Chris

 

Well, I don't have hard evidence that he didn't, but you would think he would do more that just the high spots if he did brush it.

Either way - with it being a keydate - I'm going to have it graded and I plan on sending the guy at least 10-15% if I sell it. I paid him less than half of AU50 value of the coin. 'Tis fair enough.

 

The 84-S is very common in grades to AU. It isn't until it gets into MS grades that it is harder to find with fewer than 3000 certified. You're going to waste your money just to have one of the services tell you it has been improperly cleaned and won't grade. Do what you want!

Chris

 

Luster looks dipped out of it then retoned or some other chemical cleaning. Id say au 53 imho

 

PCGS Genuine.

NCG XF-45 Details. AU coins have some luster. The luster was sucked out of this coin.

 

Plenty of AU coins don't have lustur (especially nickels and Peace dollars) and plenty of XF coins can be found with lustur! That is a completely false statement.

-Brian

 

I am afraid if you paid close to half of AU50 value you paid way too much, and the cost of slabbing would put you farther in the hole. This coin is definitely harshly cleaned, unfortunate because it did have nice AU detail before the cleaning.

 

It used to be that both by Redbook and ANA grading standards, AU coins had to have mint luster. My 4th edition (1991) ANA grading standards book, for example, says that AU-50 Morgan and Peace dollars have 3/4 mint luster remaining.

 

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