Your expertise has been recommended by Rono (who has his own expert reputation over at FundAlarm). I'm a newbie and a clueless heir. I'm neither a coin collector nor a wannabe, but I'd hate to see my stuff on Antiques Roadshow with a happy owner saying "Yeah, I bought it from this clueless heir for $10..." It appears to be an 1889 Morgan silver dollar with years of tarnish on it. The coin holder: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a191/Nords_Nords/IMGP0598.jpg The head: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a191/Nords_Nords/IMGP0599.jpg The eagle: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a191/Nords_Nords/IMGP0605.jpg It's in a cardboard coin card that's intended to be given as a Christmas present. The penny is a 1970 so the coins have probably spent nearly four decades in this cardboard holder inside a plastic envelope. (When my grandfather died five years ago we put his possessions in a box and essentially forgot about them in the crush of other events.) I don't know if the tarnish is from skin oils or the plastic but I'm not ready to clean it until it's been looked at by an expert. We don't know of any stories to the coin and we don't know its provenance, its history, or its treatment. It could have been treasured from the day it was minted or it could have been picked up out of some gutter. As far as I know my grandfather didn't collect coins (unless you count the Franklin Mint's "Jamaica" series), he didn't leave an estate, and neither my father nor I can ever remember seeing this before. I'd appreciate your opinions on its care & sale. If it's worth, well, a buck then I'll take care of it on eBay. But if it's worth more then I'll go the appraiser/auction route here on Oahu. My apologies if I've inadvertently violated board protocol and I'll happily edit this post if deemed necessary to comply. Thanks!
Welcome to the forum!!!! First things first...Do Not clean any of your coins! Cant really tell alot as far as detail from your photos so I'm not going to venture to choose a grade and/or value. Look for a mint mark on the reverse of the silver dollar under the wreath and above the DO in the word DOLLAR. There should be either an S, CC or an O, there will be no mint mark if it was minted in Philadelphia. That will make a world of difference with the value of the dollar coin, although it looks, from what I can tell, to be a Philadelphia minted coin. Thanks for joining us and let us know!
Yep, thanks, no mint mark. He lived his life in Cincinnati so that would probably be the closest mint?
Nords: Welcome to the forum. It is from Philadelphia. (No mintmark). Again, do not clean the coin. It has very nice toning, good luck.
The 1889 is worth under $50, although the really attractive toning might get you a premium over that.
The toning is a good thing, not bad. And if it was on the Antiques Roadshow the price wouldn't be much more than $10.
