A while ago I posted a thread of what coin to get certified. Most people said my 81-s.Here are some, well, better than usual pics. I'm not concerned about Pl/ DMPL at the moment. Grades?
The 81-S is known for having one of the nicest strikes of the entire series. I see what looks to be a little rub on the leaves of the cotton bolls and on Liberty's hair above the ear. I'm going to say MS64 at best. Chris
I'm not sure the rubs you're seeing are due to friction Chris. I think it may be attributed to Erics' lighting technique and the photo being shot at a slight angle. What bothers me more is that mark coming off the star to the left side of Libertys' neck...which could be a mark on the mylar as opposed to the coin. Anywho, I'm thinkin' ms-63.
That hit on the star was on it's old holder, it's now it an airtite. The hit on the edge on the neck is a VAM I think, the MS 69 81-s has it and so does a VAM 12A 1887 I have. The hit looks the same on all three. The frost breaks are there, but not as prominent as the pic shows.
My grandfather gave me a nice 81-s when I was a little kid. Fortunately, I knew how to take good care of it. It was blast white then, and only a little toned now. I'm guessing mine would go 62 or 63 -- I thought about getting it in under ANACS's 10-for-$100 promotion, but could never come up with 9 other dollars or cents worth submitting.
First of all, all Morgan dollars are VAM's. VAM-1 is usually assigned to a normal coin. The mark on the neck has nothing to do with the assignment of a VAM, and the 1887 VAM-12A you mentioned is an "Alligator Eye" with letter transfer from a clash. I see nothing on this coin that jumps out as unusual and without a better examination, I will assume that it is a normal strike. Chris
It has nothing to do with the lighting, Greenie. I love the strike on the 81-S so much that I have more than a dozen certified specimens in grades from MS63 to MS67. I'm pretty familiar with it's strike. Chris
