I bought this 1885 Morgan for $30. Did I get ripped off? I need help determining if its been cleaned or what grade you would possibly give it? Thanks.
Let's see. You bought a coin, and you have no idea if it is a problem coin or not. Why didn't you ask beforehand? Chris
Seemed like a good idea at the time...and you can't get too hurt for $30. Now, I'm lousy at grading, but the coin looks really nice and clean. Unfortunately I can see rim dings and some hits and scars here and there. It looks like pretty nice perhaps AU coin that has been excessively cleaned.
In these pics, one can only make out the signs of the harsh cleaning the coin has endured in the right side of the cheek and right reverse field. However, it appears to have been brushed so hard the luster was even removed.
It appears to have been whizzed, which makes it look strange to those with a more seasoned eye, but which can certainly slip past the uninitiated who have not looked at many Morgan dollars. While still an attractive coin from a basic design/details standpoint, those surfaces are so flat and unnatural looking that it will not be a coin desired by a serious collector, though much of the general public would still admire it and it would make a nice jewelry piece. In fact, that may be why it was whizzed/polished- it could have been a jewelry piece in the past. As of this post there is $12.86 worth of silver bullion in a Morgan dollar, so buying a "problem" coin for $30 is not numismatically sound practice, but it's a fairly cheap mistake as these things go. And some non collector who wants that for jewelry or a belt buckle might pay $30 to get you out of it. Or keep it anyway. If silver goes up again, the rising bullion price would wash away the monetary error. Do not accuse the seller of ripping you off. They maybe didn't know it was a problem coin. Just use it as a cheap lesson learned. Hang out on forums like this and you'll learn more without spending money. You've at least done right in that regard.
IMO there's a HIGH probability it's been dipped. There no toning anywhere even in the protected recesses.
It has a "bleached" look to me. That usually is a good indicator of harsh cleaning. Hold the coin in hand and rotate at an angle to your eye to let light reflect off the surface and you might notice many fine surface scratches - I think I see some in the pics. Sent from my STH100-1 using Tapatalk
Good clear picture of the coin, and at the same time something about it just didn't look right to me. I initially suspected "Made in China", as in a new made fake. The more experienced members have already contributed their 2 shekels worth of advice, and I must agree that $30 is a fairly low price for a lesson in judging coins.
I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and say the photos do not accurately portray the coin. I see a little luster, but I think the lighting and image doctoring is making it look weird.
@Jaybird31 , is this a scan, or is it a picture from camera? If scanned, that would explain the dull, lifeless pics. Maybe some new pics would help.