1878 one Dollar coin

Thanks all! It’s not magnetic. I don’t have a great scale at the moment. What should it weigh if real?

 

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Not at all. There are plenty of VAMs with circumferential cracks. I don't know if this is one, or if it's legit, but you certainly can't rule it out on that basis.

 

26.73 grams, with a tolerance of around a tenth of a gram, so between 26.63 and 26.83g.

 

26.73g plus or minus .097g.

 

How about you tell us more about it? such as.. Where did you acquire it? Who did it belong to?

 

It would be easier to see the details if you posted clear photos of both sides of the coin taken directly over the coin, not at an angle.

 

This is the 7TF "B" Reverse with Parallel Arrow Feather (PAF). There is too much wear on the reverse for me to call this an AU coin. ~ Chris

 

2 wings. 7 tail feathers. It's not a mythical creature.

About a $20 coin.

 

I don't see anything that says fake, as far as value low AU.

 

This looks like a totally original au 50 1878 7 tailfeathers reverse of 78 (flat breast) Morgan dollar. I find the crusty original skin and subtle toning attractive the die crack looks legit. The Vam guys could probably tell you more. Value $60-70. I like the coin @heavycam.monstervam @messydesk

 

I think the reverse is weakly struck from a worn die. The overall appearance of the coin to me is au 50. 45 on the worst possible day 53 on the best

 

I’ll buy every 1878p you or anyone else has in xf or better for $20. It’s a lot more valuable than basic bullion

 

That's very interesting about the weight tolerance.
Why does a MUCH heavier coin have such a low tolerance, 0.097 grams,
and the tolerance on a quarter is +/- .227?
Even a nickel is 0.194 which is twice the tolerance of the Morgan.

 

You might be right about the weak strike, but I don't know that it is from a worn die. Perhaps John @messydesk can provide us with more information. ~ Chris

 

I too see the dye cracks. Great to learn something new to watch out for, thank you Danomite. For her sake I hope you are wrong, but in any event I am certainly learning from all of you. Thanks!

 

Jumping in late. Thanks for the tag @Mainebill and @cpm9ball . The reverse weakness by the eagle's left foot is typical of the VAM 42 reverse, which is a 7/8 TF variety. I can see the long arrow nock, which is one of the features of the 7/8 TF coins. The obvious feature is extra tail feather tips below the tail feathers. I can't see this from the picture, but that doesn't mean they're not there. The coin looks like an AU to me. Too hard to say if it's been messed with from the picture, so I'll just say "don't mess with it" and leave it at that. As for what it's worth, if it is a 7/8 TF and is a problem-free (hasn't been cleaned) AU, I'd say $70 or so.

 

The tail feathers on VAM 42 look exactly like this. You can see the extra tail feather tips at the bottom of the middle 3 tail feathers, especially the third from the left:

 

He is wrong about die cracks indicating a counterfeit coin.

 

The coin shows no signs of being a counterfeit. The die cracks along the reverse lettering are frequently seen on Morgan dollars. Obverse and reverse show fairly even wear, except for the area around the claws and arrows. It could have had a weaker strike to start around that region. Hard to know but this is a nice looking original Morgan. I would grade it XF45/AU50.

 

I don't think this is the 7/8 tail feather variety. It would be pretty clear if it were.