Thanks, John! For the life of me, I can't see any underlying tail feathers either, but I was confused about the apparent weakness of the strike. I once bought an entire PCGS box of 1888-O Morgans ranging from MS63-MS65 and most of them had an extremely weak reverse strike of the talons, tailfeathers and arrows. They didn't look anything like this. Maybe that is why I'm confused about the condition. I don't know who gave him the idea that die cracks on Morgans are indicative of a counterfeit coin, but this couldn't be any farther from the truth. It takes 130-150 tons of pressure to strike these cartwheels, and die cracks are very common. ~ Chris
You are correct. There are two varieties: weak 7/8 and strong 7/8. This coin is neither but it is a nice example.
FINAL VERDICT: This is an 1878 7 tail feathers 2nd reverse in about XF45-AU53 with a value of around $60.
I did not see the underlying tailfeathers either. Why I called it 7 tf rev of 78. Due to the flatter breast and the ends of the arrows. I’m no vam expert though just a dealer/collector with a good general knowledge of coins
I researched the reverses as a refresher and agree...AU50, Rev.of ‘78...worth $60-70...imo...I defer to the VAM experts...Spark
Yeah, now that I can look at a large picture, it's definitely VAM 80. 7TF, B1 (long nock) reverse. This one also can come with weakness on the reverse, but VAM 42 always does, which is why I thought of it first.
Hey sis. Thanks for showing your coin. You made this thread interesting. What are you going to do with it. If i may ask
I was going to sell it. I’m sure someone that out there would appreciate it more if they are a collector. I have so many more that came in this estate that i don’t know what to do with.
First of all, condition is the biggest thing. Your coin looks to be AU, but with toning that is borderline market acceptable. An 1878 7TF in this grade is about a $60 coin, where a 7/8 TF will be about $90. The toning is a big variable, though. Someone may really like it and pay a lot more for it, while it might actually turn off other buyers.
We all dove into this hobby lacking knowledge. Jump on in. The water is warm and you will spend the rest of your life learning about coins. They are quite addictive.
By asking questions here you're doing a lot more due diligence than most people who are just starting out. We all started out in the same boat, and, yes, it is a lot of fun.
A word of caution. Several have commented about the toning, either attractive or a turn-off for different buyers. They are correct. However, don't try to "fix" it by any method of cleaning or polishing. This will destroy most of the value of the coin.