I have a bug to get one of the GSA Morgan Dollars, and a recent experience with these and Ebay prompted me to start this thread. There are a lot of Ebayers getting taken by copies of them, and maybe this thread can help prevent that from happening again. I didn't pay, but if not for this board, I may have gotten taken. Thanks CohibaCris, for saving me $120. How do you spot a real GSA Morgan Dollar when it is on Ebay? Sift through that seller feedback. TIA
First, it is helpful to know what they look like; Link to GSA CC Morgan pic Secondly, knowing all the facts in the world won't help if someone is unscrupulous enough. The cases are welded together, but it is feasible to have someone cut open the case and install something else in the holder. That said, price and condition are the two hallmarks for real deal GSA Carson City Morgans. The lowest prices ($160-185 at the low end) are for the 1883 and 1884 GSA CCs, basically because they are the most plentiful. Condition will also make the money question tougher, given a 1884 MS 65 will be considerably more expensive than a MS 62. If you find significantly lower pricing on GSA CC Morgans, ask yourself why. They are the some of the most demanded items from the Morgan portfolio. Prices usually go the other way on these puppes. The holders should (operative word) come with the black/blue GSA boxes and a certificate of authenticity. It isn't earth shattering if they don't, but they are issued that way. If you are uber-paranoid, and there is nothing wrong with that, you can buy GSA CC coins that have been ceritifed by NGC. They have a blue band around the holder, and these coins are graded and authenticated for you. For the jingle you will drop for one of these little jewels, it might not be a bad idea, especially on eBay. Glad I could help, and hope this helps some more.
Here is the wording of the auction that I almost got suckered on. 1879 "GSA" CARSON CITY MORGAN SILVER DOLLAR The seller walks a fine line, and fortunately, people like CohibaCris can see through this. I couldn't\didn't. Neither did several others that posted negative feedback. The body of the auction description was : 1879 "GSA" CARSON CITY MORGAN SILVER DOLLAR ** HERALDING THE MOST PRECIOUS "GSA" CARSON CITY MORGAN** ****** NO RESERVE ****** Minted from 1878 to 1885 and then from 1889 to 1893, fewer than 2% of all Morgans bear the precious "CC'" mint mark. Their heavy, 3/4oz silver content came from the most famous silver strike ever in U.S. history, the Comstock Lode near Carson City, Nevada. "CC" dollars were minted and circulated at a time when much of America was a wild frontier. But in the next century hundreds of millions of Morgans were melted by the U.S. government, as well as by speculators and silver profiteers. The "CC" Morgan became more and more scarce. Then, during a 1964 inventory audit, U.S. Treasury agents uncovered an astonishing hoard hidden away and overlooked for over 60 years - a stash of uncirculated Carson City Morgan Silver Dollars! To Protect these magnificent coins, the government's General Services Administration (GSA) sealed them in special plastic holders and offered them for sale, first-come, first-served, to the public. Demand for these dollars with the famous "CC" mintmark was so great, that the GSA oversold their stock and had to return payment to over 200,000 collectors because their orders could not be filled! Of all the "CC" Morgans sealed by the GSA in 1964, none was scarcer or more desirable than the precious 1879 "CC" Morgan. Now, you can reserve your own 1879 'GSA' Carson City Morgan Silver Proof. It's the rare 1879 GSA Morgan silver dollar as a 100 Mil Pure Silver Proof, complete in deluxe custom holder. Miss Liberty's magnificently engraved head is profiled in frosted relief above the 1879 date on a mirror-like background on the obverse. The majestic American Eagle displays its full wing span in frosted relief on a mirror-like background on the reverse, and the magic "CC" mint mark is clearly visible under the wreath. minted by the National Collector's Mint Specifications: Composition: 100 Mil .999 Pure Silver Clad Base Weight: 1 ounce. avdp Diameter: 39mm Silver Dollar Size Condition: Individually Struck Proof Edition Limit: 2,250 includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY I dug deeper through the sellers feedback, and noticed that anywhere terms like "copy" and "replica" were used, the item number was private; so I could not see what the buyers were discussing, or their points. One even said "sold a 1879 GSA CC Replica as real and would not refund money". CohibaCris saved me the loss, but in hindsight, the info was there in the feedback, if I had just taken more time to dig through it. It is one thing to pay $25 dollars for a coin that is called "BU" to find out it is really "EF" or cleaned. It is another thing to pay $120 for a $30 replica. Thanks again CohibaCris.
Mitchell - You didn't need to look at the Feedback at all. Everything you needed to know was right there in the auction descriptinon. Now, you can reserve your own 1879 'GSA' Carson City Morgan Silver Proof. It's the rare 1879 GSA Morgan silver dollar as a 100 Mil Pure Silver Proof, complete in deluxe custom holder. This alone tells you that the coin is a replica. But even more information that it is a replica is this - Specifications: Composition: 100 Mil .999 Pure Silver Clad Base Weight: 1 ounce. avdp Diameter: 39mm Silver Dollar Size Condition: Individually Struck Proof Edition Limit: 2,250 includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY Anytime you see something like this - the coin is a replica.
Yes it is genuine. The majority of the GSA dollars come a case just like that one. But the GSA dollars were also issued in other cases. You see in the pic you provided it says UNCIRCULATED SILVER DOLLAR on the case ? Well they were also issued in cases that just said SILVER DOLLAR. They were also issued in blue,soft plastic cases. And not all of the GSA dollars have the CC mint mark either. The cases with just SILVER DOLLAR on them, and those in the soft blue cases were considered by the US Mint to be circulated coins. That is why UNCIRCULATED was omitted. However - the employees at the Mint who separated these coins for packaging actually knew very little about them. And quite often an uncirculated example was placed into a case intended for the circulated coins - and vice versa. So the only way to know for sure what you are getting in the case is to look at the coins yourself, assuming you can tell the difference, or have them authenticated by NGC. Let this be a reminder - that no matter which area of coin collecting you are talking about - there is a whole lot to learn. This is why it is so easy for unscrupulous sellers to sell their wares to those who are not aware of information like that I have provided above.
GSA coins are very highly collected. The vast majority have been lost to time. Now that NGC certifies the coins in the original holder that is helping. When looking for this material, you must do a little research on the seller or dealer. It really isn't that hard to swap the coin inside the holder. You must carefully examine the holder as well as the coin.
I just sold a GSA 1882 morgan Dollar to a ebay coin dealer who promptly asked to return it for marks he said he didnt notice how can i tell if he switched the coin out ? i saw marks that i as well dont recall being on the coin and a little suspicous of this return and the fact that all the seller sells is gsa morgans what do i look for on the plastic coin holder to see if its been tampered with ? thanks !
In regards to Richard Nixon, here's a nice little synopsis I came across that may clarify his importance in regards to the GSA - http://www.coinresource.com/articles/gsa.htm
I don't think I would offer a return. The item was not grossly misrepresented and there is no way you could be responsible for the damage on the coin since it's in a plastic case. Since he sells them, it is very possible he would try to swap it with a worse condition coin from his collection. If I were to offer a return I would browse the sellers feedback and view both the items he purchased (especially the coin he bought from you) and the items he sells. Also, I'd inspect the coin very carefully before giving a refund and report to ebay right away any suspicions. Good luck.
