I think that since you got this coin from your father, it definitely qualifies as a "cool coin". Even though it's been through some hard times with the cleaning and contact damage, family heirloom coins are always special. As others have posted, there is nothing else "special" about it.
The coin is still in the plastic package from the littleton coin company, it's never been opened. I think what you are seeing is where something was engraved on the coin. just as this post says http://m.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/7298 I can definitely make out a few letters on it. Im sure someone with more experience would be able to tell. But the coin has not been cleaned. My father was an a**hole about anyone even looking at his coins. Thats why he never opened them. He was smart and didnt want finger prints on them, much less someone cleaning them. Thanks for the information everyone and Im not going to post anything else, that way no one has a stroke or anything. Have a good day
What are you referring to on that page. I am genuinely interested, and not having a stroke, but there is a lot of information at the link and I don't know which part you believe relates to your coin.
The Littleton coin company does not mint coins. They buy coins in the aftermarket just like anyone else can do. then they put them in plastic and resell them at a profit at all various quality grades https://www.littletoncoin.com/shop/...urlRequestType=Base&langId=-1&catalogId=29555 1975 was the Littleton Coin Company's 30th anniversary Do you have the original receipt ?
I don't know if I have a receipt, and I wasn't really referring to you having a stroke, more to the people with the mean comments. As for the number 30,that post says there were 100 coins that were marked with a number 1 through 100. They were the first 100 Morgan Dollars ever minted at the Denver Mint and they were obviously given out as gifts to families and government officials. The number on my coin seems like it came from this story. I can tell it's been there a long time and it also lines up with what the story said. Who knows, I could be wrong, but I do know that it is a 3 and not a die break. When you look at the coin in your hand, and not in a picture(in the wrapper of course) you can see the 3 has great detail to it and it's not a random die break or die chip ( not sure of the correct terminology, as I am new to collecting) Part of the post even says that the engraver used the E on the coin as the L in RELEASED.. possibly because they were tired. But it could be that they were trying to blend the engraving in on the coin. Because it's very hard to notice the 30 on the lips. They blend in well.
well that makes more sense in for what to look for. You Morgan, a 1921 mint, was the LAST year for Morgans. 1878 was the first year. But 1921 the first and only year at Denver. So if there were 1-30 on the first ones minted at Denver ... I don't know much at all at Morgan history, so maybe someone else knows. ? But overall, be careful about making something existing from nothing. The surfaces on that specific coin are very damaged, and that can make things seem to appear from nothing. I'm searching for that 30 numbering thing as I know nothing about it. so far .. (a) found out there were at least 30 Obverse and 30 Reverse dies used at the Denver Mint. (b) there's a "hot lips" variety - die clash but from 1888 New Orleans https://www.pcgs.com/news/pcgs-displays-unique-hot-lips-morgan-set-at-long-beach
Here is a pic of an engraved 1921-D Morgan. The "30" that you think you see isn't in the same location. In addition, do you realize that someone would have to remove a lot of metal to make the engraving nearly impossible to see? Look how close the engraving is to the stars and chin. Are you proposing that the surface was naturally worn to that extent while still leaving the stars and other devices intact? Take a look at the rest of the coin and you'll see lots of contact marks. Could you be mistaking these contact marks for something you want to see? Or do you really think that normal wear removed the engraving?
"Mean" comments? Sure, I can see how you may have interpreted a few this way, but I'm guessing you failed to apply the same standard to your own comments. Let me tell you how threads like this usually play out: a very-new-to-the-hobby OP makes some grand claim based purely on uninitiated assumption and when someone dares to share experienced fact, the OP refuses to believe it and insists there's a conspiracy or claims others are rude/mean for not telling him/her what they want to hear. This sparks additional and often more heated comments from both sides and things generally slide downhill from there. Sounds somewhat familiar, doesn't it? Are you familiar with confirmation bias? If not it's the tendency to interpret new information in a way that confirms what one already believes or wants to believe instead of approaching it in an objective fashion. This, and I mean no disrespect, is exactly what you're doing and is evidenced by the fact that as soon as you read something about an "engraved 30" you turn around and see random anomalies on your coin as being just that; you're confirming your bias. As Mr. Weinberg already addressed, said interpretation is called pareidolia and is something that impacts each and every one of us. Have you ever seen Jesus, Muhammad, or Jerry Garcia hanging out on your morning toast or smiling back at you from a mud puddle? If not, perhaps you've seen the Connecticut state quarter displaying the (RIP) Old Man of the Mountain? This is pareidolia and stems from the fact our brains tend to interpret random shapes as being faces and/or other familiar things. As disappointing or unpleasant as this may sound, the two addressed issues are wholly responsible for what you think you're seeing. A coin is what it is and this goes for every coin. Every coin will tell you all you need to know about it as long as you know how to listen, but is something that a rather unnerving percentage of people seemingly fail to understand. It's only natural to want things we own to be somehow special or unique and is why it's best to view every coin you come into contact with as of it belongs to someone else, especially someone you don't like. This can help ensure objectivity over our inherent subjectivity. The fact your coin belonged to your father should be sufficient to render it priceless to you, and in my most humble opinion is all that should matter. Consider this all food for thought.
I've been in the same shoes a few times. The family hates you after you tell what grampa's found in change, kept (loose) in shoe box collection is really worth. Now I cringe when asked for an evaluation.
True, most of us have or will have the task of telling the relatives of true value. Same is true of those who have faulted, included, gemstones the family believe were once in the Smithsonian, etc. I once had to do both coins and gems defrockings the same night.