Best resources to learn about Morgans & Numismatics

Now that I’ve purchased my first Morgan I’m already looking forward to my next acquisition. However, before I do that I want to be even more knowledgeable and informed. All I’ve done so far is watch some videos on Morgans, read some information out there on numismatics, visited a few shops, talked to some dealers, and reviewed various pricing guides. I also bought the 2026 Redbook and I’m reading through that for general background info and reference.

What’s the next step into learning about Morgans? Is there a specific online resource, book, or videos put out by someone that is particularly useful? My goal is to not only learn about Morgans but also about coin grading and evaluation. I am hoping I can be educated enough on the Morgans to be able to go to a show and have a more trained eye to spot good deals and opportunities and to be able to know right from wrong when being given information and looking at coins. At this point it’s very much a hobby so when it comes down to it, the investment I’m considering per coin is measured more into the hundreds and perhaps low thousands. Let me know if this is a practical ideal but I’m thinking even at this price range I might learn to be skilled enough to find coins that are good value and steadily trade and buy to higher grades and learn along the way. I already know my goal isn’t being a completionist and amassing a lot of coins but ultimately, I want a quality modest collection that I can easily enjoy in 1 small place and pass down one day.

Also, can someone recommend a good loupe that is suitable for my level that will be useful?

 

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The Red Book puts out a book on Morgan Dollars. It was written by David Bowers. As for a loupe, anything over a 10x is considered a waste.

 

If you're planning on buying raw coins, try to acclimate yourself on determining if it's been cleaned or not, and spotting potential counterfeits. That alone could save you lots of heartache and headaches. If you are buying graded then that should be fairly straightforward and easy to avoid.

For hundreds and into the low thousands for individual coins you really have the world at your fingertips. With the exception of a few key dates and harder-to-find (in good condition) coins, you should be able to get an absolutely beautiful set of Morgans. Heck, I think the most I've spent on a Morgan so far has been my '85-CC GSA and that was around $800 IIRC. I'm [very] slowly trying to assemble a BU Morgan business strike set and many of them were well under that $800 mark.

Looking forward to more of your posts here, and I'm a sucker for a pretty Morgan, blast white or toned!

Edit: my loupe is a cheapo from Amazon that my wife bought me for $10-15. It's got little LED'S on it and 2 different magnification lenses. I see there's a Nikon loupe out but at $50 I don't think I want to try it yet lol

 

PCGS Photograde: https://www.pcgs.com/photograde/#/Morgan/Grades

VAM World: https://www.vamworld.com/wiki/Home

Here's a video on toned Morgan Dollars.