I found this amazing 1896 Morgan Silver Dollar with an O mint mark in my register. My question is I am fairly new to coin collecting and need to know how to have my coin sent off to be minted and graded. Thanks in advance.
I am not an expert on the 1896-O but it looks like a mid grade coin. Check the PCGS web site for value and grading cost first. Nice find though
Hi Michele and welcome to CT! Great find by the way.....because of the condition of the coin, it isn't worth sending to a grading company to have graded and slabbed. At best it would grade in the good to possibly very good condition. I notice some rim ding/damage as well. It would cost you about what the coin is worth to have it graded. I'd just put it in a 2X2 flip and enjoy!
Yep agreed. To give you an idea, that coin would probably cost around $40-50 to get graded with shipping factored in and the coin would probably be worth between $30-40. Definitely still a great find, I would just leave it as is.
If you found that in a cash register, for face value, that is an amazing thing indeed! It's got a nice original, wholesome toning to it. Leave it as-is without cleaning it. It is likely not worth the expense of third-party grading/slabbing, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a terrific find. It's got a little rim damage, but not awful. Since it's already got that slight damage there, I think there would be no harm in mounting it in a bezel, where you could enjoy it as a "lucky piece" or "family heirloom" or gift to someone special. It's definitely got an element of luck already. And in a bezel, the rim damage wouldn't show. As you noticed, it has the "O" mintmark under the eagle, so it was struck in New Orleans. That mint closed in 1909, so the "O"-mint pieces are relics of a bygone era. An 1896-O Morgan dollar lists for $37 in VG8, which is how I personally would grade the details on your coin. Deducting a bit for the rim damage, even if you knocked it down to the next lower grade, G4, it lists for just a dollar less, at $36. I'd call this a $30-ish coin, so you won't be retiring off the proceeds and it ain't worth spending $35-50 to slab. But put it in an inexpensive jewelry bezel, and ... presto! Classy! And regardless of the monetary value, that's an off-the-charts cool find. Make it your new "lucky piece". Stick it in a bezel and wear that baby with pride. PS- I used to have some of those bezels like this around here, and looked to see if I had one to give you, but I'm out of the silver dollar size, I'm afraid.
Nice raw Morgan Michele...welcome to CT (aka "Crazy Talk") fyi... http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/7242
