morgan dollars and sliders

Hello I was wondering if any of the professionals can offer me some advice on grading morgan dollars. I have to admit this can be a tough coin to grade so I would like any pointers. I see a lot of morgans that I simply can't tell if they are uncirculated or just the slightest weakness in the feathers.

So my question is how do you tell the difference? Here is an example of a morgan that I have sitting here below. By all appearances this coin appears to be nice and white. It has 100% full cartwheel luster and everything points to it being a nice uncirulated gem. Except with the 10x the breast feathers appear to have the slighest touch of weakness (though all details seem to be present). How can you tell if coins like this are AU vs BU? What do you guys use to determine the difference? Or is this just the type of thing you just submit for grading and hope for the best?

To best see the details enlarge the pic by clicking the bar on top.

 

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Here is a reverse pic out of the holder and obverse. Ofcourse grade is important to any coin, but I am more concerned with wear and telling the difference. The discoloration on the wing though appears to me to be just the pic. Perhaps maybe the additional pics might give a better example. Thank you so much for all your efforts and detailed info above!! It is extremely useful!!

 

This reminds me of an earlier thread I once posed. What if the Obv. & Rev. come in at different grades? What is the resulting grade? This is a good example. It's a shame about that hit on the rim. Are those bag marks on the Obv.?

p.s., that is still a great looking coin.

 

It's MS but it's been cleaned, it won't grade at TPG

 

I don't see the cleaning on this one. Can you point it out for me please.


As for obv and rev grading different. I usually use the obv more but on Morgans I thought this was doubly so then say a Lincoln, am I correct?

 

I actually do see from the pic where you came to that conclusion. Though there is no way this coin has been cleaned with any sort of chemical or anything to whiten it. What you saw was 100% lighting giving it that almost polished appearance. There is very stong cartwheels and luster no signs of cleaning at all (also no hairlines or anything).


And yes there is some bagmarks on this coin. The worst one is a light one in the fields to the left of her face. No matter what though I got my moneys worth on this one it was a $22 ebay coin. It just looked like a good example for my questions in this thread. You guys have been extremely helpful thats for sure!!

 

Agree about the little dip in the water. As it's spring and we all want a little dip
All these years and most would have some toning if not.
Not that it's a bad dip job. I like the coin alot.

 

Thats in interesting one. And also leaves me with more questions as I am the curious type Would a coin thats "been wet" be body bagged as cleaned? Would dipping a coin in water even do anything to remove toning? I would think that no matter what you were attempting to clean it with in order to make the coin "100% white" it would require some sort of scrubbing. Its no less white then many I have seen in pcgs holders, but not the same level of perfection as a brand new eagle either.


Though I would be the first to admit you guys know a heck of a lot more then I do

 

The "water" was a joke it's coin dip and no if not done to much then it's not bodybaged as most have had it done to them.
When dipping it takes no scrubbing and don't ever do that!!

 

Like that nic a lene or MS70 cleaner? Doesn't that stuff give like a milky looking steel grey look to the coin? In that case it makes the coins look horribly ugly and I would never touch that stuff whether it would get body bagged or not. But there is no way I would clean any coin anyway. Unless I like sneezed on it and had to wipe it off lol.

 

looks to of been lightly cleaned, you can tell right above the date where the neck starts there what appears to be faint hairlines.

 

Have a better look Aside from a nasty bag mark on the neckline there are no hairlines at all.

 

good enough for me

 

Well does your coin look to have a milky looking steel grey look to it?
Cause what I'm saying is yours has probably been dipped.
And for you to state that "I would never touch that stuff" well you have one there I'd say.

If you do it wrong or too much is when it looks ugly and ruins the coin. But many would say they don't want a white coin and they are all ruined though

 

I don't doubt it anything is possible. I just don't see it. Maybe cause I have never done it. I can say though that I have definitely seen ones that have "been left in there too long" and your right they are nasty lookin. This one if done lightly is fine with me because it looks natural.