Two Morgan's that my dad pulled out of circulation when he was on a vacation out west as a kid in the 60's... Working on my grading skills, let me know what you think the grades would be... Also working on my photo setup, let me know what you think of the photo's too Thanks, --Paul
No professional, and I too am working on grading. So I am going to guess a VF-35 for the 1878, and a VF-30 for the 1881. BTW, Is that dirt or toning?
The 78 looks to be an AU-55 while the 81s looks to be xf40. From the pictures I am unable to see the 7 over 8 TF on the 78
I don't think it's a 7 over 8... Here's the full size versions: (warning ~750kB each) http://www.paulbryanphoto.com/temp/1878_Morgan_obv.jpg http://www.paulbryanphoto.com/temp/1878_Morgan_rev.jpg --Paul
After looking at larger pics on the 78 I think the grade is AU-50 and is not 7 over 8 tf. Just a 7 tf type
My guess: AU 55 and XF 40. Neat coins, regardless of grade, and to think they were still circulating in the 60s!!!
1878 - I see an AU-53/AU-55. Just a touch of wear on the high points of the hair. 1881 S - I'm thinking XF-40 with a shot at XF-45. The uneven toning will knock down the value a bit.
I tend to agree that the 78 is AU and the 81-s is XF. Don't try to clean them. It'll lower the value. Good finds!
I don't think either one has enough luster left to go AU - would have to say the first is a 45 and second a 40.
i agree. i am inclined to give them a 40 or no more than 45 tops on either. all coins have character and they are nice morgans with stories to tell. thanks for sharing....steve
Paul, What kind of light sources are you using on your photo stand? The double shadows are a bit disconcerting.
These were taken with 3 halogens, 1 off to each side at about a 45 deg. angle, and the 3rd from the front at about 60 deg. I don't have a proper copy stand or photo lighting so I'm currently using track mounted MR16 halogens above my photo surface. I'm using a Canon EOS 20D & a 50mm F/2.5 macro... I'm reasonably happy with the photos so far, but shadows have been my biggest concern. If I diffuse the light more I can greatly reduce the shadows on the background, and on the coin, but then I get a very flat looking coin. The less diffuse light causes more shadows, but the luster shows up better. For comparison, I've attached some examples of a relatively lustrous '21 Morgan (also picked from circ. in the 60's) and a very lustrous 40% Kennedy Half both w/ diffused light and with the same setup as I used on the other Morgans... --Paul
Try diffusing 2 of the 3 sources. Leave one as is. That will give you a single more defined shadow and accentuate the relief on the coin. The specular quality of the MR-16 lamp will show off the luster. You can try adjusting the angle and distance of the non-diffused lamp to alter the amount of shadow, relief and direct reflection you get. One thing to keep in mind is that a single setup won't work perfectly for every coin. Copper, silver and gold all take light differently...and the luster of each coin (or lack of it ) will show slightly differently. Cameo proof coins are the hardest since the fields are extremely reflective.
