I just got this 1880-S Morgan back from NGC and was surprised the coin was graded with a star. I wonder why because the field is proof like and you can clearly see lettering off the obverse and reverse so I thought it was worthy of PL. On my submission form I noted PL next to it so I assume they didn't think it was proof like but good enough for Star. Now, is it better to get the Star grade or is PL better? What's everyone's opinion ? Am I missing something? Please click on the jpg, I had an issue with moving the files over thanks.
1st off... 1880-1883 Morgans tend to very high populations of high grade coins, including PL, stars and plus. Being that there is such a high population of high grade coins they tend to grade this group of morgans harder then all the other years. It is quite possible your coin deserved PL (with no pics we can't really say) and had it been outside of that year group would have been more likely to get the designation... As an 80s it has to be truely outstanding and really pop to get the PL... Here is mine as an example... (Note: scratches on the obverse are on the plastic)
Yeah, I'd call yours PL as well but while not quite as high a premium as PL or DMPL a Star grade still increases the value and collectablity... Very nice morgan sir and yeah any other year then those mentioned that would pull a PL grade easily
I suspect the reason is the interruption to the Fields, Obverse and Reverse. A 63 PL is not so easy to accomplish.
The reason it was graded with the star, and not PL, often has to do with the situation of not having both sides being Prooflike. The OP’s coin has to my eye, a PL obverse, but the reverse is almost certainly NOT PL. Star grades by NGC are given for two reasons. The first is for very high eye appeal. The second is for one-sided Prooflike or Cameo on the coin. I would say the second applies in this case. It was actually a generous grade, given the date and mint, which is often graded extremely harshly. In this case, the OP should be happy with the star grade. I would have graded it as a 62, with no star.
Then I'll take the 63 Star but I also sent a 1905 IHC with solid four diamonds and beautiful field and it got a 63 RB, I was hoping higher garde on it too, they seem to be pretty tight.
It's bit tricky telling from the photos; obviously, easier with coin in hand, but I'll echo what Morgandude11 said. To my eye, it looks like the reverse has some PL surfaces; however, the area under the motto - and more specifically, under the eagle's head - appears to lack the PL quality. I have a 1904-O which is similar in that the obverse and most of the reverse is PL, but that tiny area without means they can't put "PL" on the label. Still a very neat Morgan you've got. And while it didn't get the PL, the star is pretttyyy, pretttyy, prettyy good.
Very happy the Star works for me. Great information from all of you and helps me understand just how clean the fields need to be to get PL or DMPL.
So I will ask this, I can't get proper lighting when taking pics. Please show me what you use to get the great pictures I always see here mine turn out like crap.
Absolutely. You should be happy with the star, as NGC only gives out the stars infrequently. I think it is a more celebrated distinction than the PL one, especially for 1880s, which is an extremely common date, and harshly graded.
I'm totally out of my depth on the discussion of the right grade for the coin, I'm one of the weirdos that isn't a giant fan of Morgans.... lol I can respond to the photography question though. For my pics I use a mason jar, a ring light, a piece of velvet, and my phone. I place my phone on the mason jar and position the goose-neck on the light so I'm shooting though the opening in the middle. The velvet goes down to provide a soft place for the coin to sit and gives a nice black background. When taking the pic I turn off my flash, zoom in so the coin fills most of the screen, and adjust the intensity of my light. Finally I turn on the timed shot and set it for 3 seconds so everything is still when the photo is taken. I look at the result, make any adjustments I think it needs the flip the coin over and do the reverse. Finally I'll use a photo editing software like Photoscape X to make any final adjustments. EDited to add: I almost forgot, if you don't have a ring light, just get two consistent light sources and place them at about 2 and 10 o'clock on the coin. Try to avoid fluorescents, they can have a flicker that we can't see, but the camera can pick up sometimes... I think that's everything for a basic beginning. I'll edit if I think of more... While not perfect, these are my results....
