First year of dollar issue for New Orleans...year is generally well-struck for that mint, known for soft strikes. Research says there are tons of sliders... Big Jump between 62 and 63... Any thoughts on this prospective purchase? Thanks, johnrhcfl
I am always suspicious of blast white coins. It looks like from the picture there are some parallel hair lines in the obverse fields. It doesn't appear to be overly marked up through and the eagle looks to be struck up good. That is just my opinion. You might want to wait for a more expert opinion.
Always tough to judge surfaces from photos. My opinion (worth what you paid for it!) Is that 63 would be a stretch based on the images provided.
I truly believe it to be a misnomer that New Orleans typically had soft strikes. Having said that, there are far too many hits on the obverse for a 63 IMO.
No........ There is good reason for grade jumps on these, John, and because of it such coins are often dangled as bait by sellers hoping to catch a buyer who knows just enough to be a danger to himself. I am not saying (intend) this to be negative towards you, and it certainly was smart of you to ask for opinions before purchasing, but from this and another thread (threads?) I get the impression that the on-the-surface lower price of raw coins has your attention. Unfortunately, for every raw coin (such as a, for lack of a better term, "condition scarcity" Morgan as this) that would grade out, there are going to be many, many, many others that have no chance of it. Now, there's certainly nothing wrong with buying raw or wishing to save a few bucks, but it is very important to understand that many, and in particular many "better", raw coins are raw for good reason, and that buying raw to submit can easily be a fool's game unless one truly knows what they're doing, and even then a little luck can go a long way. P.S. Welcome to the forum.
Not a chance. AU58 or cleaned. The hairlines look fairly random, but I can't tell for sure. O mint Morgans were well struck from 79-81, then they started going downhill. 79-O and 80-O typically have this look of a good strike and few bagmarks, but lots of little hairlines and weak luster. Be very careful with toned coins of these dates, as the toning will hide these lines. At the ANA show, I looked at a raw 80-O someone showed me. Toned obverse, looked gorgeous, no marks. Then I pulled out my loupe and told them MS62 because of the little hairlines. They showed it to me again at the Long Beach show. It was in an ANACS 62 holder. Gem coins from these dates are few and far between and priced accordingly.
The coin looks like a dipped 58 to me. Not a chance you'll get a 63 on that (and I'd be very surprised at anything higher than 60).
The grading these day really cuts it thin. The experts can't even agree. There didn't use to even be an MS61, MS62, or AU58. I don't think coin grading could ever be an exact science. I don't know, did these TPGer think they could turn coin collecting into an investment vehicle? Where one sees beauty another sees ugly.
Here is an interesting Youtube video put on by PCGS "Coin Grading 101" you might like. There is quit a lot of stuff on Morgan Dollars and such.
Yes, actually. That is precisely the point of the TPGs (or, that has been a significant result of them).
No I don't think it would grade 63. It is a nice looking coin, but I agree with previous posters. I think there are some minor hairlines either indicating a light cleaning or slight wear. I would say AU 58, possibly a details coin because of a light cleaning. Those hairlines on the obverse concern me.
