I thought it might be nice to shoot a couple of pictures of one of the raw and uncertified Morgan dollars in my collection. What grade would you give this coin?
It enlarged for me, but I'm the worse grade-guesser on the internet. Can't tell if there's much luster. I'll say NET MS62 because of the scratch near the E on the obverse.
This is officially the first time I'm going to try to grade something here. Hmmmm. Beautiful detail, don't know much about the luster business and then there's those pesky bag marks or whatever you want to call them. I dunno, if someone said MS-63, I wouldn't be surprised.
You should be able to just click on the image to enlarge it. The image is linked from the photoshop website. I'm sorry I couldn't get better pics but I'm not the most talented with a digital camera. Do you folks really think the coin is uncirculated? I've never been entirely sure. I bought the coin about 25 years ago from a coinshop in Massachusetts. The dealer had it mixed in with a pile of other "circulated" Morgan and peace dollars all priced at $12 each. I bought it because it looked like the nicest of the bunch.
Ok. This is new on me. I don't own any slabs, so don't know anything about it. But they wouldn't grade this one? Those scratches are "excessive"? That seems goofy to me. In the world of sports cards, a creased or slightly damaged card would get graded - it would just get a low grade. I guess I'll just have to provide a home for it then - nothing else to do
I have never attempted to submit this coin for grading. The body bagging of this coin comes from the opinion of some of the CoinTalk members.
The 1879-O is a relatively tough coin to get in MS. Although New Orleans Morgans are generally not well struck, I feel that this coin is a AU-58 that has been dipped. The luster looks pretty dead to me, and I think I see a rub in the lower hair where the color darkens a bit. Still, its a nice piece for $12. :thumb:
It's not that it is excessive, it is damage. Damaged coins are not graded even by ANA grading standards.
i'm inclined to agree with it being au and dipped. it could be ms but with the photo as it is, i can't tell if its dull from dipping or if there are breaks in the luster from wear.. i also agree the scratches would body bag it....its still worth $12.
i'd pay AU money for it if i were into Morgans. might be able to get between MS60 and AU 50 money. -Steve