I feel kind of the opposite - I'd have preferred it pristine, struck from fresh blanks. Not that there's any sense of historic loss of a melt-value Morgan, and I can see the aesthetic appeal of the ghost details, just that I myself would want it as near-flawless as could be achieved. Preferably "MS69 DMPL."
Probably comes from my love of overdate capped bust halves. Edit to add: If I remember correctly, DC doesn't just chose any Morgan. I think they have to be damage free, not bent, holed, etc. Then he cleans them to remove impurities. I'm guessing they have to have plenty of meat on the bone to keep the weight up. So no slick PO01 to G06 would be my guess. Probably XF-AU range. That right @dcarr ?
Don't sell yourself short Dave. I'm hoping for a 70 DMPL if/when he does them As for the ghosting. I don't mind it. Sure, I'd like one as perfectly aligned as possible over minor ghosting but one like @Dave Waterstraat's is on par with a perfect one to me.
But think of it this way, before the coin was a cheaper less desirable Morgan...maybe even destined for the melting pot. Now it survives as a highly cherished token that will be enjoyed appreciated for many years to come. Think how green it is and earth friendly saving the planet lol.
I'm waiting to hear back from DC to confirm my suspicion that he doesn't use "melt value" Morgans to make his Overstrikes with...
It doesn't take much to be a melt value coin for the common dates. An XF coin would be there more or less. Silver is almost $19/oz.
I mean, "worth more than melt." Does anyone know where they can buy a Morgan Dollar for $14.33? I sure don't.
I can use any Morgan dollar that is from about G to UNC grade, so long as it doesn't have edge cuts, puncture wounds, major edge dings, or deep scratches. Common pre-1921 dates in AU or UNC generally cost more, so I don't use those. If I end up with any like that, I save them and I do not over-strike them. Polished, plated, wire brushed, lightly damaged, worn, and otherwise impaired coins are perfect candidates. Surprisingly, a Morgan in G grade has only lost about 4% of its weight. I just weighed an UNC 1921 (26.80 grams) and a AG grade 1880-S (25.65 grams). The difference (total weight loss) is only 4.3% from UNC to nearly slick. Note that I also check carefully for VAMs, scarcer dates, and vintage counterfeits before processing the coins. A lot of the coins that I use are 1921. So far, in the batches of Morgan Dollars I bought for over-striking, I have found (and set aside) an 1878-CC (F-15 grade), an 1890-CC (cleaned but otherwise undamaged), and an 1883-O with a 45-degree rotated reverse.
Thanks for the clarification. I was wondering this for the longest time. I had always figured you only used UNC coins. Great to see sold worn and impaired coins get a new life!
Lol after reading his remarks about checking for vintage counterfeit coins, I started to imagine the thread if he overstruck a counterfeit......TRIGGER WARNING lol!
If you overstrike a counterfeit, would the Chinese counterfeit the overstriken counterfeit overstrike ?
The "ghosting" appears to be 1964/1964. I'll post some better close ups to show the 6/6. There's also a mini hot lip working and double chin. This is a VAMmers' dream. Dan, it's like you were reading my mind...
Given what I have seen what the Chinese sell on eBay I think that they would do just about anything. If they ever produced a counterfeit that anyone wanted then I am sure they would counterfeit the counterfeit. Which makes me think, it would be a double negative which is a positive....so would a counterfeit counterfeit be a genuine? Lol.
Knowing you're also a collector and VAMmer, I never even considered there a chance that one with any collector value would be included in your work.