Hey everyone! Just picked up this 1903 S last week. Thought I would share with the forum and ask two questions: Question 1: Do you think it would straight grade if sent in to PCGS? Question 2: What grade do you think it would come back with? Thank you if you decide to share your thoughts, I do sincerely appreciate it. In case anyone was wondering about cost, it was literally a melt bucket rescue - so I paid just under melt ($50) for it. Second visit in a row I've found a nice Morgan in that bucket - last time was an 1895 O (in much worse shape, but still...that's better than a melt coin.) Here's the coin: (My thoughts: I think it has enough remaining luster for an AU grade, but there are a few rim issues I'd be concerned about - primarily check the obverse around 9 o'clock. The color seems just a bit off to me in hand, my gut tells me it may have been PVC contaminated at one point and dipped to remove the sticky stuff. If I were to have to share my opinion, I'd probably go XF45.)
The cheek on the obverse and chest feathers on the reverse are what give me the "this was stored in a PVC album and then dipped to remove the gunk" vibes, so I see your point, definitely. Do you think you'd XF or AU Details then?
I would think it has enough luster for AU-50. I would be doubtful though about it getting a straight grade from the coin services. 1903-S is a pretty good date if I remember correctly. Sometimes we, the collectors, are the biggest impediment to making some sort of profit off our coins. Wishfull thinking rarely gets slabbed the way we want. Congrats on a great find. James
xf a lil too much rub for AU I think at the same time as xf more likely to catch a clean grade but I do think it's been cleaned .. still a very very nice pickup for a 50
It's already in an archival flip to get stored away with the others...so at this point no worries about profiting off it And the TPG was more of "I'd honestly like to start a discussion and see what people think" kind of thing - I have no intention of submitting it with how much submissions cost and how long they take... Oh, do I miss the days of cheaper silver though when a coin like this would be $20 or less Of course, I reserve the right to bemoan silver prices when it gets time for me to sell some bullion haha
I am glad to hear you have such a wholesome view of your coin. You might be surprised how veminent some people get if you don't agree with them or offer a less than rosy view. James
Well, my goal is to learn and TRY to still enjoy coin collecting for the fun and excitement it can bring, not the financial investment that carries with it all the emotionally driven reactions people have because they start seeing big numbers and what they would do with the money. At the end of the day, it's a coin I bought for less than melt that I knew was worth more than that if I decided to sell it. It's not a series I collect (as I mainly collect world coins) so I figured it would be a great opportunity to share and hopefully learn. And you learn by listening and evaluating, not by ranting and arguing.
