For you toned Morgan lovers, here are some pics of some coins I am thinking of. Assume they are all UNC. Of course the pics are taken with the coins in the holders but I won't be able to personally inspect them until next week. Then I can sit down and look at them and see if there are any hidden marks, etc. So I am interested in what you think they might grade at, understanding you only got what you can see in the pic. No reverse pics either, unfortunately, but assume the reverse is fine. You input is helpful to my limited experience.
In this first batch, the 79-O and the 80-S appear to be at or near the terminal stage of toning.....turning black.....which adds no value to either coin. Additionally, these two plus the 81-S also appear to be in soft flips which might contain PVC. I'd be concerned that the dark toning may be hiding some PVC damage. The toning on the 80-O and the 81-O is not particularly interesting, and the 81-O does not look to be a DMPL. I wouldn't attempt to offer a grade without seeing good photos (out of the plastic) of both sides. Chris
None in this group stands out as particularly interesting. No offense, but the 83-O is fugly especially what looks to be a fingerprint on her face, the other 83-O is near terminal state and I detect a tinge of green on the 85-O at the "B" in PLURIBUS....possibly PVC damage as it, too, is in a soft flip. Chris
The 98 is nearing terminal state and the fact that both are in soft flips would concern me. Overall, if you paid (very) close to melt value, I'd say you did okay, but I would not pay a premium for any of the 12. Chris
No offense, but the 83-O is fugly especially what looks to be a fingerprint on her face, the other 83-O is near terminal state and I detect a tinge of green on the 85-O at the "B" in PLURIBUS....possibly PVC damage as it, too, is in a soft flip. Chris[/QUOTE] No offense taken to any comments. I don't especially like the real black toned ones either but thought I'd throw them in. And I noticed the fingerprint on the 1883-O also which would keep me away from it unless the price was pretty low. I know it's hard to tell for sure since the pics are taken through the holders and I can't lay eyes on them yet or take my own pics. I'll have to make better judgments when I see them in hand but thought it would be worth some other opinions since there are a lot of people that love the toned Morgans.
I am assuming whoever owned the coins before was the one putting grades on some of the holders, which happens a lot in auctions around here. Seems a lot of people think they are expert graders, and I certainly am not, although I have a pretty good idea what to look for. But God knows I have screwed up more than a few times on the condition of a coin. So I wouldn't go by any grade written on the holders, although you can't really see any written on these. But there are many others in the lot that have grades written on the holders.
None of these morgan's are very interesting as a toned coin. Use those funds you were going to use to pay from some to get graded & buy a truly awesome toned morgan!
To the OP: As regards toned Morgans, the ones that sell for a premium and are most desirable are ones with vivid, or pastel COLORS. The matte gray, and crusty brown ones are quite common, and do not add to the value of the coin in general. Target toning, rainbow toning, crescent toning, and pastels of various combinations tend to add value to collectors who like toned coins. My advice as a toned Morgan collector is stay away from the dark brown, and battleship gray Morgans, as that type of tone is not desired by most buyers or collectors--the more vivid and interesting the colors, the better the 'market acceptability.' You do have to learn to recognize AT (artificially toned) coins if you are going to go into that market.
Not only can it not add to the value of the coin, it can detract from the value of the coin, and often does.
