After accumulating a nice little stack of raw mostly AU common date Morgans, I would like to add several AU/BU Carson City Morgans to my collection. However, I guess you could say I'm one of those who like to occasionally fondle my treasures (that sounded awful), as opposed to keeping them sealed in their plastic prisons. My questions are, is it a risky proposition to collect ungraded CC specimens? What advice can you share? Thanks in advance! -Joe
There is always more risk dealing with uncertified coins rather than certified. The two biggest things to worry about are counterfeits and cleaned coins, I would think. My advice would be to educate yourself on how to spot a cleaned coin--there should be plenty of threads here on CT covering the topic. As far as counterfeits go, again, educate yourself. I would think if you stay with the more common CCs you won't have to worry much about counterfeits. Also buying from a trusted dealer will lessen the risk of buying a counterfeit.
This depends on your knowledge of such coins, and is a question only you can answer. I understand your preference for raw, but may I ask if there is any other reason for not wishing to buy certified? If you're concerned with problems, fakes, etc, buying certified and cracking out is an option worth considering. If cost is an issue - and this goes back to what I first said - you must ask yourself if saving a few bucks is worth the risk of possibly buying something worthless or worth less than the price paid; don't become a victim to the "deal mentality". CC Morgans, generally speaking, are very common coins, so there is little reason other than cost to settle for raw and/or subpar material. If you're both very good with and very knowledgeable of the series, there is not much risk in buying raw IMO. However, and I mean this will all due respect, the fact that you ask if there is risk says you probably do not yet possess the abilities to safely do so. Again, this is common and very easy to find material, so finding a trustworthy dealer willing to stand behind what he sells should be very easy. The likely small cost difference will, in the long run, almost certainly be money well spent.
Thank you for the quick reply! Yes, you are correct in my skills not being advanced yet. I would say intermediate for now. What are your opinion of the GSA coins? I would most likely go for the more common 82-84 years first.
Like was said before , buy certified coins and crack them out . Once a coin is certified the small extra cost if any is worth the protection from cleaned . altered or fake coins . Another option is buy from well known dealers that have a return policy . We have some good dealers on this forum like Matt . GSA coins are nice , there were a couple types of packaging , one Said Unc , the other didn't . The '82 , 83' and '84s are the cheapest and you'd be able to get a nice MS. coin for less than $200 .
Yes, it is risky to collect uncertified CC Morgans, unless you are quite experienced with the series. Since they are some of the most counterfeited coins in the world, it is risky. Fakes are so good that they can fool an ordinary collector. Those frauds are struck, often with Silver content, and look convincing to the uninitiated.
For the most part, the same goes here: there are raw (original holders), certified, and fake/counterfeit, so don't assume that a coin is genuine just because a coin appears to be in a GSA holder. Even if you (hopefully) do decide to go with a solid dealer, take the time to educate yourself before jumping in. Here are a few links that may interest you… http://www.icgcoin.com/uncategorized/counterfeit-gsa-found-at-summer-fun-in-orlando-fl/ http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=3526&counterfeit-morgan-dollar-fake http://www.coinworld.com/articles/counterfeit-1881-cc-dollar-appears-in-fabrica http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=893956
Agree strongly with "books" as per above. This is especially true with the glamour dates--1889 CC and 1879CC are found in slabs that have been rather expertly counterfeited. For the really good dates, make sure to go with a large, reliable dealer who has a money back guarantee in the event of fraud. The "common" date (there are no real common date CC dollars, but the more plentiful 82-83-84) CC dollars in GSA holders are best procured in NGC grading, if one wants the GSA slab, with the secure NGC tape around it, with grade.
Thanks for the links! Very helpful information there. Lots of research to do! As far as online dealers of CC Morgans, who does everyone recommend? If anyone at all..
David Lawrence Rare Coins. They are not only "rare" coins, and have specimens of all grades and kinds. Extremely reliable IMHO: http://www.davidlawrence.com
