I won this Morgan of the bay and was interested in what you all thought this might grade at. Pic has some glare, if you cannot judge I'll try to post better pics. But this pic is from the ebay listing. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360377281836&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
I would say AU and definitely cleaned. That coin is worth melt which currently is $30.45. I would return that coin if it were me. The 1880-S is a very common coin in MS grade. It is the best struck Morgan date and if you're looking for a type album piece...it's the coin to get. I would return that coin and find a problem free example.
+2-5/8! No offense, but if you can't grade or spot a problem coin or if the photos aren't good, you should not be buying raw coins on SleazeBay. Chris
XF-AU. Dipped. It's still worth melt, so about $30 right now. I wouldn't return it. Just take it as a nine dollar and four cent lesson. That's a pretty inexpensive lesson in the grand scheme of things.
Not to jack his thread, but how is it so easily identifiable that a coin has been cleaned (given it doesnt look like ajax and a S.O.S pad was used). Does it all come down to luster with a well-cleaned coin (if there is such a term!). I have a 2012 coin digest that breaks grading down in school boy terms, but i would really like something that i can hone my skills from, like a book that is solely dedicated to grading, any suggestions? Ill Take a stab at saying the shadow around the eagles head and wing spread suggests that this coin is cleaned?
Curious as well, In hand the coin doesn't appear to be cleaned but I respect the opinions of the more exsperienced ones here. Maybe if I took my own pic maybe it'll look better, But if anyone can Answer his question I would like to know as well.
I'm in the harshly cleaned/polished boat to grade ef45~au 50 One way is if it looks like a silver tea pot/flatware type of shine as this looks likes (in these pics) the coin is polished.
Coins with that much wear have a natural patina that particular coin is lacking. Many cleaned coins suffer from the same issue, it's easy to miss if you're not familiar with the natural look of a coin in a certain grade. Also the luster appears very flat, another dead giveaway.
Dont mind the hack job in ms paint, but the shadowing im talking about is clearly visible.....Is this a sufficient way of detecting cleaning or do all coins do this?
I don't see what you're talking about. Look where the light hits it. See how shiny it is? How reflective? See all the wear? That should send red flags up instantly. No coin is going to maintain the metal flow lines that create luster with that much wear.
The 80-S & 81-S are known for very nice strikes and are very abundant at reasonable prices in MS64. Here is an 80-S that I won at auction a few years back for not too much more than what you paid for yours. The mark across the obverse is on the plastic. Chris
You can plainly see remnants of the cleaning paste on the wing and the S on the reverse. But even if you couldn't, the coin most definitely has that "polished" look. This look is something that all collectors need to learn to recognize at a glance.
