I just picked up a new coin today at a local coin dealer, I usually try to stick to graded coins always but this coin caught my eye. It was a fair price so i bought it and now I am a bit curious about what it might grade. I am open to all of your opinions, the more the better! (the luster is very strong) Thank you -Kyle
A couple of things you might want to be aware of Kyle, if you are not already. First of all that scratch across the cheek is almost bad enough (not quite but almost) to keep the coin from grading at all. Secondly, the '81-S is the Morgan that is most commonly found will a good strike, great luster, and in the best condition. For that reason the '81-S is not graded in the same way that other Morgans are graded. In order to be worthy of the grade an '81-S has to be in better condition than other coins to be worthy of the same grade. In other words, if an '81-S and another Morgan are both in similar condition the other Morgan will be 1 grade higher than the '81-S. If the other Morgan grades a 64, the '81-S will grade a 63. If the other grades a 63, the '81-S will grade a 62. If the other grades a 65, the '81-S will grade a 64. And so on. That said, with the scratch, the hairlines, other contact marks, yeah other Morgans would grade a 63. But since yours is an '81-S, it should be graded a 62.
Thank you GDJMSP i did not know that about this date. I will now use that to my advantage for future purchases. :thumb:
thank you K2coins! just got proofs of silver eagles 86,87,88,89 and 2007,8 and 9 and man are they BEAUTIFUL!!
It looks like a 63, but Doug is right--that cheek scratch is big and deep enough to possibly keep the coin out of a slab altogether, or put it in a "damaged- MS details" slab. Moreover as he said, great looking 81s coins with sensational strikes, and deep devices with mirrored fields are common. It is a very attractive date for Morgans in terms of producing many coins with eye appeal, and strong features. So, it would be graded strictly, as there is a big basis for comparison in terms of nice coins for that date and mint.
I would've said MS62 from the start but what Doug is saying can be seen in the marketplace. There's an abundance of 81-S Morgans, that's for sure. Morgans in particular? http://www.cointalk.com/t115123/ I know PCGS.com was given, but here are two links a tad more specific: http://www.pcgs.com/photograde/ http://www.pcgs.com/grades.html
Does anyone know what a coin like mine might sell for without getting it graded? And the value of the coin if I send it in?
The coin would definitely not be worth sending in for grading. If it graded at MS63 it would be worth around $60 or so and would sell as such. I know this because that is what they have been selling for as of late on eBay. To get a true idea of what a coin's value is simply look at how they are selling on eBay, Teletrade, Heritage. I use those three sources along with the PCGS and Numismedia price guides.
Thank you tmoney, are those the prices for raw 1881 s around the same condition (ms62/ms63)? And I purchased the coin for $30 at a local gold & silver store, they were basically selling everything at 10% over melt in a condition like this. But I went back yesterday to see if they had any more and they said a man came in and bought the whole lot... I already looked through them all, and I thought that this was the best one. I thought that it was a pretty good deal for $30.
For $30 I think you did good. If you tried to sell the coin as a Raw 62/63 I don't see why you couldn't get in upwards of $40-$50. You would definitely get what you paid for it though!
