1895 O Morgan for comments

I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful @Inspector43 - it's a lot to learn & I'm just getting started. Good luck with your Morgan

 

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I have been at this for 71 years now and I still can't figure out the Morgan dollars even though I have all but three of them. I have researched all of them as time went on. I am confident in their authenticity and that works for me. But, I really want to get this one clear. Thanks for all the help.

 

with all the identified VAMs and such for the Morgans it is such an undertaking to learn about them all. You need to do a ton of research such as knowing this book in detail "Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan & Peace $1"
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan & Peace $1&ref=nb_sb_noss

That one website too with all the VAMs is an undertaking just to peruse ....
http://vamworld.com/wiki/Morgan_VAMs_by_Date

once you know all the identifiers of each year/mm it helps in identifying fakes.

But for fakes there are a few tell tale signs but I don't see it on your coin. I thought it was just really worn when I first saw it, but I'm no Morgan expert either. You've seen those bags of culls you can buy, so they're out there like this in troves.

 

Thanks. I don't think I have time left to do all that in detail. I just want my possessions to be clean when I leave them to my wife and children. I have seen the horror stories about inherited collection and accumulations and how they get abused. I'm doing my best to leave my 70+ years hobby in an organized and useable mess.

 

Amazon sells a "Applied Magnets Strong N52 Neodymium Magnet 1 inch Cube" for $10.

When testing with it, keep it away from anything that it should stick to. It can be a reall pain to get loose again.

While a Morgan will not stick to it, it will be affected by it if you pass the cube over it. Place the Morgan on a smooth surface and pass the cube over it without hitting the Morgan. (i.e. close but not touching) You will actually be able to move the Morgan across a smooth surface. The reason for this is because silver is such a good conductor, it opposes a change in a magnetic field. As you pass the cube over the Morgan you can actually feel a pulse thru the cube.

If you cannot move the Morgan this way, it is not silver.

 

I feel the same. My biggest problem is trying to teach my wife a few basics so she won't get the shaft. She's not interested in looking at a coin, date and mintmark or the Red Book. Oh well...

 

Here is a suggestion to save a little money. Any counterfeit that sticks to a magnet I've see is the wrong color, the fields are granular, and the relief (especially the date) is not even close to what a genuine coin looks like. Now I realize there are different skill levels of collectors but if you start to look at the sharpness of your GENUINE coins with a 10X hand lens, in a very short time you'll be able to recognize fake attracted by a magnet from a foot away!