1885 Morgan Silver Dollar

Hello, I bought a morgan silver dollar on ebay a while ago, was just wondering how much it's worth based on the quality of it. I have another morgan dollar I bought from 1921 and ill post that sometime soon. I'm newer to coin collecting and I always worried I'm getting ripped off or getting fake coins.

 

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If you crop your image and post it full-size, it makes it easier

 

Sorry about that my phone camera isnt very good at close up shots and I was trying to make sure I got every detail on the coin.

 

If those are cleaning scratches I am at $20.

 

Those are only on the top left corner of the obverse I think they are just circulation scratches because the back seems fine.

 

If you're afraid of getting ripped off, then you shouldn't be buying coins you know nothing about. It's better that you ask such questions before you buy a coin.

Chris

 

<$20

 

Ok sir, I have tried to do as much extensive research on the coins I buy before I bought them, I checked the font of the printing of the date, checked for hairline scratching for cleaning and did my best making sure it wasnt chemically treated or have die cracks from possible forgery, I simply asked a question of it's worth and to verify my trip into serious coin collecting is on a right path, not condescension from another person on how incompetent of a coin collector I am.

 

Thank you for your opinion, what flaws make it worth less than it could have been? Has this been cleaned?

 

Based on your comments, above, you do seem to have your head about you. So, you will learn quickly and do well. That said, you really should stay off eBay if you are new to collecting. Go to the ANA website, www.money.org, and in the center under Community, the dropdown will take you to a search for ANA member dealers in your area.

You will not find Santa Claus there, but any ANA member dealer can lose their membership over a single complaint. If a coin is counterfeit or fake, the dealer has no excuse: they are expected to know; and are held to a lifetime commitment. You still need to know your stuff. But at least it is a first line defense for you.

If you really like Morgan Dollars - and 1921s are the most common - then you deserve to invest in a book about them. Look at the Whitman Publishing website, for example. They have several books covering the series.

This is their standard handbook
https://www.whitman.com/store/Inven...Morgan-Silver-Dollars-6th-Edition-+0794846424

This is a specialty book about the Carson City issues
https://www.whitman.com/store/Inventory/Detail/Carson-City-Morgan-Dollars-4th-Edition+079484524X

This one is more general, but also focused on high grade, high value examples
https://www.whitman.com/store/Inventory/Detail/Morgan-Dollar-Miles-Standish-Presents+0794845576

Best Regards,
Mike M.

 

Thank you very much for the information that you have provided. This 1885 was my first coin and I probably overpaid for it, as for my 1921 coin, i got it on auction for 16 dollars and is in better condition than my 1885 so I'm hoping i will make sure I'm doing better at checking prices and quality of the coin and double checking the nuanced changes in the morgan design, as said before I will upload a thread for the 1921 Morgan soon, thank you very much for the information. And I'll take all of that into account before buying

 

I'm glad we got that out of the way. Now, how do we know if you got ripped off if we don't know how much you paid for it? Also, why would you be asking such a question if you know how to identify a problem coin or a fake coin.

Do you get my drift?

Chris

 

Because I am not god nor do I pretend I know everything about forgery or the possibilities at what is considered to be cleaned, I have not seen every example of damage, but you seem to know every detail about every coin, which puts my faith and trust into you very low because it comes from a place of condescension, I didnt ask if I was ripped off, i asked how much it was worth. Once I know the value i will determine weather or not I overpaid for my coin I own, as stated before in my other post, I overpaid for this coin, and I'm fine with that, no point in getting bent out of shape about something that already happened, especially since its already a long term investment anyway and theres always a buyer of a coin that someone wants, yes value is dependent on its quality, but it also depends on how it looks, its eye appeal, and to me it was eye appealing despite the price. So, you can understand, when I'm asking what its worth is, I'm not asking for a sugar coated answer, or condescension of why I shouldn't buy coins if I dont know literally every detail about every coin ever made, first and foremost, this hobbyy is about fun, and regardless of the price I paid i paid about 27 dollars for this piece, which as stated before was overpriced and was my first morgan dollar I ever bought. So more guidance then criticizing would be helpful in this situation.

 

Welcome to C.T.
I want to stress that choosing only trustworthy, experienced sellers to purchase from. This will give you a much better chance of coins being authentic, and fairly priced. We have some dealers on this site that are known for their expertise. Also buying slabbed (graded by a TPGS) coins helps, but even some of these are faked. Be careful who you buy from.
I also recommend a thick skin as some may rub you the wrong way, intentionally, or unintentionally.
You can learn a lot here by reading, and participating in threads. A lot of Morgan dollars discussed about here. Lots of GTGs (guess the grade) that can help you learn about grading also.
Good luck...Be Patient.

 

Looks like she grades about EF40. I see no authenticity concerns, though I dont claim to be an expert. The coin may have been lightly cleaned in the past, and really the scuffs and spots make it less desirable. $20 dollars sounds fair. But coins with better eye appeal are more satisfying to own, something to keep in mind. When I started in this hobby, I enthusiastically bought coins I would pass on today...look at lots of coins, certified coins , and your eye will get better, and you will have a better feel for what you are buying.

 

Thank you very much for the input and I'll try to stay away from unreputable dealers, I always have vetted the sellers on ebay and make sure no complaints of fakery or nonsense comes from them and only dealers who have been selling for extended years along with antique shops, which is where I bought my 1921 morgan, I'll post that one soon as it's in better grade and i finally got the case off to photograph it.

 

Thank you very much for the input. I agree that It might have been cleaned on the front before as I can see some small hairline scratches possibly from a wire brush or something less abrasive because it doesnt have craters or canyons across the entire face. As I said I paid about 7 dollars more than i should but I'm happy with my purchase as i find it eye appealing in my own personal liking.

 

Yes, buy what you like and enjoy the hobby!
Circulated Morgans have a lot of bang for the buck, IMHO.

 

Agreed, to one person it 20 but to another who want it it could be worth 30, and the prices for precious metals will always go up, so personally it's a win win.

 

Hey, c'mon, loosen up a bit. I don't think he meant any harm and the person you are responding to is a seasoned, respected coin collector trying to tell you some truth. BTW, for someone who claims not to be god, you seem to know what Chris is thinking or knowing...could this be a touch of condescension on your part? Now, don't get bent out of shape at me, but the "What's It Worth" forum isn one of the most abused on the site. Do you have a local coin shop? My shop sells Morgans (usually 1921 Morgans) for $17, but yours (the 1885) looks nicer than that. I would agree with a price of $20-$25 dollars as being fair. Welcome to CT, and please, do try and relax and enjoy the people here.

BTW, about photos, many of us use cell phone cameras, and the biggest trick is to have it very stable and motionless during the picture, get a photo program such as PhotoScape (free) where you can edit the photo. Finally, posting as full size saves respondees time before they comment.