Featured The Truth about New Orleans mint Morgan Dollars

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by CamaroDMD, Jun 13, 2009.

  1. Eaglefawn

    Eaglefawn Active Member

    I've read about this link but couldn't find it...thankx for making it available!
     
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Eaglefawn

    Eaglefawn Active Member

    oops
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2016
  4. Eaglefawn

    Eaglefawn Active Member

    @CamaroDMD

    Thankyou for your feedback on O mint morgans...considering all that they went thru with the Civil War and 3 different Oversite/Administrators (1) The Federal Govt. (2) State of Lousiana & (3) Confederate Govt. we're lucky to get anything even remotely resembling Morgans as seen from the other mints.

    I've seen that some of the rarer Morgans come from New Orleans based on mintage and related grade so there is much to be said for this series.:jawdrop:[/QUOTE]
     
  5. Morgandude11

    Morgandude11 As long as it's Silver, I'm listening

    This is one of the best articles that has been featured here on Cointalk about Morgan Dollars. I agree wholeheartedly with the conclusions, and evaluations. My one point of debate would be the 1904o. Most of the examples I have owned and have handled to me would fall into the "weak" strike category, as opposed to the "medium" or moderate strike. Once again, as has been previously said, some of the weaker strikes that have strong luster and surface preservation can be some of the most attractive Morgans, particularly the toned examples. For someone to dismiss New Orleans mint Morgans as less attractive based on strike would be making a huge mistake, IMHO.
     
  6. CamaroDMD

    CamaroDMD [Insert Clever Title] Supporter

    Thank you for your kind words. It's nice to see that this article is still being enjoyed by the members here.

    You are right, the 1904-O is a little debatable. Since I only categorized the coins in 3 groups...there are some sliders. The argument could be made the 1904 belongs in the weak strike group. I put it in the intermediate group because I was able to find several nicely struck examples and the resources I referenced indicated that there are well struck examples to be found...with some looking. So, it does have a little wider range of quality verses the coins in the weak group. But yes, 1904 is certainly a slider.
     
    royster, capthank and GoldFinger1969 like this.
  7. heavycam.monstervam

    heavycam.monstervam Outlaw Trucker & Coin Hillbilly

    I agree w MD about the quality of 1904 o , same experience here, I don't think I've ever owned or handled a fully struck 1904 O Morgan. It's a small sample size but most of them I've seen have very little to no breast feathers at all.
     
    capthank and Eaglefawn like this.
  8. CamaroDMD

    CamaroDMD [Insert Clever Title] Supporter

    I went back and looked at some of my resources and the information I used when I first wrote that article. The only reference that I have that goes into great detail about the 1904-O strike is Comprehensive Guide and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars by Leroy Van Allen and George Mallis. This book described the strike of the 1904-O as "usually slightly weak" but it does make mention of fully struck examples and flat struck examples being available because of the higher mintage figure.

    This and my own searching of online examples through HA and my own personal experience with the series led me to put them into the "intermediate" group. Again, the argument is fair to put them in the weakly struck group as well...but my definition for the intermediate group was a wide range of strike quality available. This coin does have that.

    That was my reasoning...but again, arguments can be made for either category and both are fair.
     
  9. CamaroDMD

    CamaroDMD [Insert Clever Title] Supporter

    So, I did a few minutes of searching on Heritage and I was able to find several nicely struck examples. Here is one graded MS65PL by PCGS which sold last month for $282. Nicely struck PL example. They do exist and they are obtainable.

    [​IMG]
     
  10. Morgandude11

    Morgandude11 As long as it's Silver, I'm listening

    I would agree with you that that is a nicely struck 1904o. You are quite correct-- they do exist. I own an example that is MS65+ PL, and despite the PL surfaces, the strike is average on the reverse, and good on the obverse. Sometimes, one sees that with the 1904o and 1902o--examples where the strike does not appear equal on both sides of the coin. This happens particularly with the LAST die pair used for those dates-- a lot of variability ensues. So, I have no problems with the 1904o as average strike category, with the caveat that it can be quite variable.
     
    capthank and GoldFinger1969 like this.
  11. CamaroDMD

    CamaroDMD [Insert Clever Title] Supporter

    Actually, that caveat is exactly why the "Intermediate" category exists in my article. When I first sat down to do the research that led to this article, I wanted to create a list of dates that were normally well struck and dates that were normally poorly struck. What I found was there was also a group of dates that had a very wide range of strike quality and as a result didn't really fit into either group. Dates where fully struck examples might not be the average...but were common enough that with a little searching they can be found and be affordable.

    Here is the quote from the article explaining the Intermediate group.
    As I look back at it now...the way I named the categories might be a little confusing.
     
    capthank and GoldFinger1969 like this.
  12. tmoneyeagles

    tmoneyeagles Indian Buffalo Gatherer

    I had made reference to N.O. strike issues in another thread so I figured I'd check back here, and to my surprise I was mistaken about the particular date in question.

    This is a topic that comes up quite a bit, and with the threads I've seen in the past couple days over grading Morgans, this thread could use a bump to the top.
     
    GoldFinger1969 likes this.
  13. Doc J

    Doc J Mr. Brightside

    Well done thread.
     
    capthank and GoldFinger1969 like this.
  14. capthank

    capthank Well-Known Member

    Well done.
     
    royster and CamaroDMD like this.
  15. COOPER12

    COOPER12 Well-Known Member

    great thread , thanks for the info
     
    GoldFinger1969 likes this.
  16. GoldFinger1969

    GoldFinger1969 Well-Known Member

    Roger Burdette in his SAINT-GAUDENS book goes into the reasons for poor and well-struck coins (obviously, those coins are gold not silver). You would think that with minting presses applying 50-150 tons of pressure that there wouldn't be much variation in strikes. It's not like a hand-struck item where one day your arm applies a bit more pressure or force or soemthing like that.:D

    In fact, I have to check, but as I recall it wasn't any variation in the gold or the mint press tolerances or variations that caused "good" and "bad" strikes...it was the quality of the dies that was key to well-struck and poorly-struck coins.

    I'll have to go back and check, but I remember it clearly answered the question of why some years were good and some bad -- at least for gold Saints. :D
     
  17. Doc J

    Doc J Mr. Brightside

    I like the gold St. Gaudens coins.
    SGgoldcoins.jpg
     
    royster, capthank and GoldFinger1969 like this.
  18. montynj3417

    montynj3417 Active Member

    Perhaps there was pressure to produce mintage, but with less up-to-date equipment and less of it?
     
    GoldFinger1969 likes this.
  19. GoldFinger1969

    GoldFinger1969 Well-Known Member

    Roger Burdette says that the New Orleans Mint got lesser equipment.

    With most of the MSD's either staying in bags at the NO Mint or being shipped to the Philly Mint or Treasury Bldg....it probably didn't concern the NO Mint officials as to striking quality. Very few MSDs were circulating right off the presses.
     
    capthank likes this.
  20. royster

    royster southroy

     
  21. royster

    royster southroy

    Some how i found a way to make a mistake again the above without a reply? It was nice to see that i had read the same books and was tired of the same complaints of friends saying O Mint marks were weakly struck and graded differently by the Grading Services. I am looking forward to sharing your information with them. Although i do think in some ways New Orleans seemed to have to make due with what they received as far as dies and equipment they were still able in most cases to do a good job not always but other prominent mints didn't fair so well either with better equipment and Dies including Philadelphia as noted by others. Well done and very interesting article!:D
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page