The Official Morgan Silver Dollar Thread

i dont know really know where to ask this but i will make it fast and simple. i bought a 1921 peace dollar a week or so ago. so i weighed it and the weight was 27 grams. is that too heavy and may consider it a fake?

 

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We're you using a kitchen / postal type scale or a jewelers type scale that goes to .01g accuracy?

 

I know....that's why I probably have only purchased 3 coins in 2 years.

When I bought my Saints or other gold coins, I probably only paid up to 50-75% over the metal content. With MSDs, you can be paying 20-100x the metal content. Alot more downside if you don't know what you are buying.

 

I am thinking of buying the Bowers book on Morgan Dollars...I liked his book on Double Eagles, Amazon reviews pretty good, anybody here have it ?

 

If you buy an "average" Morgan dollar, you probably will never get your money back. Now focus on coins graded MS65 and higher, CC issues, PL/DMPL coins, rainbow toners, top100 VAMs and the coin's numismatic value is much higher than its metal value. Buy a rainbow toned MS65 1891-CC VAM-3 "spitting eagle" and collectors will be all over it. You get the idea?

 

I think you hit the nail squarely on the head with your post.

Half the fun is wading through a morass of coins to find that "one" that meets your eyes. As @Morgandude11 stated earlier, all morgan's have contact marks, abrasions and imperfections based on the way they were minted and stored. But we also know that these imperfections are not consistently in the same areas and/or of the same severity. Looking at hundreds/thousands of coins to find the ones that meet "your" criteria is time consuming, but in the end, very rewarding when you find that "one" that you want to add. Here's one I'm very, very happy with. I looked a long time to find this date/mm in a GSA that met my requirements. When this happens, I'm happy to pay a premium for the coin.




My OCD didn't like the marks on the reverse of the holder, but I used some scratch remover to minimize them. Bottom line for me was the quality of the coin in the holder.

 

This is a very good book. I highly recommend it. Also, Miles Standish has a nice book on Morgan's as well. IMO, if you're serious about any series, you need to buy as many books as you can. Your education investment is as important as your investment in the coins.

 

Right you are j. I love when I find one that gives me that tingling butterfly feeling in my gut mixed with a bit of trepidation as I know I will be the winner but I don't know what it'll cost me until it's over. Fun stuff! Actually that happened in a big way for me around Christmas when I found a Morgan mulislab unlike any other. A true 1 of 1 presentation that was a gift to myself. I've been holding back on posting it as I like it sooo much I'm enjoying being selfish but I think I'll be posting it soon

And nice 81gsa... I want it

 

Thanks for the tagging on that one, guys. It is visceral when you find the magic Morgan--one that makes you tingle and get that feeling in the pit of your stomach that you MUST have that coin. Sometimes, the budget and practicality goes out of the window, and you absolutely must have a coin that ya really can't or should not afford--been there/done that. Saw the move, own the mug, bought the T-shirt. However, it is often best not to fall in Morgan LOVE, whereby one falls for a "sucker price" on eBay, or gets into a bidding war on Heritage, or elsewhere. As @
jpcienkus says, you have to get the coin that moves you, and still works in your coin OCD, without breaking the bank. There are thousands of Morgans--the fun is finding ones that ring your bell. To answer @goldfinger in public, as his question was very legitimate, and made lots of sense, and applies to all of us, I would go for that beautiful MS 64 DMPL coin he was looking at, over the MS 65 DMPL. There is not enough difference sometimes in 1 grade unless the coin is absolutely unique and spectacular to spend TWICE to THREE times the price. Can MS 64 DMPL coins look as nice as MS 65 DMPL coins? Absolutely---I own and have owned many of them just like that.

 

Here is one of the coins in question---I WOULD grab this one, as it is beautiful, and not insanely overpriced. IF I did not have 4 1882cc dates, I would consider it myself:

 

I'm beginning to seriously loathe sparkly 82-84 cc's, gsa or not. However a good dmpl is still eye candy

Is that one slabbed PL? The front head neck could be a disqualifier

 

IT is a DMPL

 

Yup.....just need to get up to speed as the varieties of Morgans -- aside from the VAM designations -- are much more numerous than Saints, the other series I am familiar with. Thanks !

 

OCD = Original Coin Display (the case) ?

That is a nice coin....where'd you find it and how much of a premium over the market value did you pay to get the one you waited a while for ? Are we talking 10% above FMV or 50% over FMV ?

 

MD, that is one helluva coin. Congrats and enjoy !

Just a request for anybody showing pics going forward: while close-up photos of the coin solo that show details in high-def are nice, if you can...please try and show the entire coin in the NGC or PCGS slab and/or the GSA package. This is part of the coin from my perspective, and in the case of the slab, also tells you when it was graded.

 

I deliberately did not use the seller's picture of the holder for two reasons: 1. I didn't know if you were still thinking of buying it, and did't want to give away the cert. number. 2. The close up shows what the coin looks like far better than the pix in the holder. Were it not for the nick near the neck, that is a sure gem with great eye appeal. I think the neck area is just die striations from the DMPL creation.

 

Thanks MD....FWIW, if any of you post a coin from HA or ebay that you are considering bidding on, I would NEVER bid unless I was already involved and/or notified you here asking if it was OK to bid.

Code of Honor, and all that.

 

Exactly---that is why I made sure not to show the cert number, so that you had a shot if you wanted it, before anybody else. Personally, if I were you, I would go for that one--the 64. The 65 is nice, but not worth the price differential, and the photos are taken in a manner to enhance the coin's reflectivity--they are slightly "juiced" on the 65 coin. As a collectible and for resale, the 64 is just as nice, and a much better investment.

 

You know, I saw some pictures of modern gold that looked much more "orangy" than similar coins....clearly noticeable from the eBay pics.

But with the Refund Policy...if the actual coin doesn't match up with the PCGS/NGC code....stock photos or something....or the coin doesn't look like I saw on my PC....I can always return it, right? Plus you have the Ebay Buyer Protection thing. Do they do it just to attract more interest and then hope someone doesn't return it even if it doesn't quite match up with what they saw on eBay ?

Some of the gold coins I see I wonder if the cameras had an orange filter or something to enhance the pic. OTOH, they could actually look like that -- I haven't bought one (mostly MS70PLs for the Liberty, 2009 UHR, and American Eagle Proofs).

 

That is really up to the seller. Most have a return policy. Don't expect seller protection do do a damn thing--they could care less. If the seller is honest, there is no issue. I think you'd like the 64, from the way it looks to me. It is also very attractively priced for a CC DMPL.