GTG - 1880 Morgan Dollar

Very true!
Although I was searching for a 62 briefly as I want to make an MS grading set (60-67). I’m almost there too (I do have the 62 now).

 

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Feel free to knock it , it's better than my current 1880 in my Morgan dollar set, which is cleaned with low eye appeal.

 

As long as you're happy with it, that is all that matters!

 

That's different as yes you were in the hunt for lower grade coins ....but you're [ 1 ] person there's not a line around the block to get into a coin store or shop looking for a ms 62 1880.
Most Morgan collectors are happy with a 64 but want 65 and above....
I collect half dimes...I wanted all vf to xf coins well guess what Can't find them in the better dates unless you pay moon money.
And I refuse to buy a damage specimen to fill a hole.... as you'll or I would never be happy with the end results...

 

It actually has great eye appeal, I don't think that anyone is knocking the coin.

 

I guessed 62, at 8:02 AM Gotta get up with the chickens around here or miss the feed. Low luster makes it look worn...Why grade an AU 1880?

 

Idk, it doesn't have the eye appeal to me, and in fact I'm surprised that it was slabbed. I might pay $40 for it, but that's for the slab, not the coin, which is not how I collect.

 

Try looking at it an AU coin. Not a market graded 62.

 

I think it is 55, but that NGC gave it the grade at which it should sell. I have a 1931-S Lincoln cent that I bought as an AU many years ago. PCGS decided it was MS62.

 

Will let you know my opinion on grade when it's in hand. But from the pics I'm thinking AU-55 like many members do here.

 

In hand, it definitely is an AU coin as other members and I suspected.

This (bad) picture I took shows the wear on the obverse hair.

 

I'm not seeing any wear on this coin. I see the result of a poor strike. When the strike is not full, the hair details and the breast feather details don't always strike up fully. What that leaves is a 'shiny' spot where the metal didn't fill the die. On these coins, the flat/dull areas in the hair, especially over the ear, are evidence of the strike weakness. I don't usually see Morgans with strike weakness (also called "high point pitting") on the cheek, but that appears to be what's happened here. This coin has an unusually bad strike, which limits the grade.

If there were actual wear, I would expect to see some evidence in the fields. I don't see wear in the fields. I see a bunch of contact marks, and I see weak luster.... but I don't see any real wear.

When you deal with grades like MS-62, it gets tricky. There's a reason it is graded so low. I've no idea why such a common date was submitted with such a low grade, but I think the grade is fair.

 

In hand I can see some light rub in the fields. So I'd put this one at AU-58. But not any lower. It does have a weak strike as you mentioned.