I reacently purchased an 1888-O morgan dollar in MS-60 raw. when i recieved the coin there was some doubling in United States. pretty noticable with a 10x glass. the question is other than the doubling it is as described. does the doubling detract from the grade or is it just aanother attribute. All in all i kike the coin and will keep it with no regrets but it still make me wonder about grading
I am no expert by any means but as long as the doubling of the writing was done during the minting process, it should have no effect on the grade.
So - MS60 is the grade the seller gave it, not a TPG? correct? If it was one of the top tier TPG's that graded it as MS60, then this is how I think it works: I believe that you have to specify that the coin should be graded for errors for them to add it to the attributes. Otherwise, you just get the grade of the coin regardless of mint errors. If this is correct then the grade should be accurate minus the error attributes. If it's just graded by the seller - and If you think the coin really is MS60, then I think you got a bonus by getting a coin graded accurately with an error. Post pictures and you may get even more information from the group about the error and the grade. Sounds like a good buy depending on price paid of course.
No, it does not - at least as far as the grading standards in lower MS grades. In high MS grades, say 67 and up, yes it can detract from the grade.
A while back, there was a really great thread on CT about the difference between doubling due to Dies and doubling due to strike. It is possible to discern between the two. Often, doubling due to Dies is a valuable variety. Check the Van Allen - Mallis (VAM) book to see if yours is a valuable VAM.
The doubling has to be well defined and well rounded to be considered true die doubling. Most any other form is just mechanical doubling and carries no added value.
