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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Tom B, post: 1820193, member: 11854&quot;]You are confusing the accepted market definitions of cleaning and dipping.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan dollars are the one exception to the rule that 19th century coinage should not be bright white.&nbsp; Hundreds of thousands of these coins were stored in US Mint bags for decade upon decade and were released in large batches from the early 1960s through the late 1970s.&nbsp; The majority of these released coins were either blast white or were only lightly toned since they sat in bags against one another and had little opportunity to tone in more traditional ways.&nbsp; Therefore, a huge number of naturally white Morgan dollars are still in the marketplace and will show up raw or in NGC and PCGS holders.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, many Morgan dollars have been dipped and dipping a lightly or moderately toned mint state coin generally produces a bright white coin that the market embraces and that PCGS and NGC will happily certify as problem-free.&nbsp; There is no need to tell the grading services that these coins have been dipped and I would expect that they realize they have been dipped upon seeing them in submissions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problems folks have are typically two-fold.&nbsp; First, coins that are low AU or below are usually very poor candidates for dipping and these coins will often appear lifeless and lackluster after a dip.&nbsp; They will also look a pale color and this is not consistent with a 19th century coin, for example, that has seen extensive circulation.&nbsp; These coins are usually sold for less than other examples because people realize they should shy away from this look due to poor future liquidity and value.&nbsp; Secondly, many people will alternatively clean coins with an abrasive cleaner or wipe (cloth, thumb, whatever) and, while this removes the toning or tarnish that a dip will remove, it also leaves hairlines all over the coin.&nbsp; Folks experienced in looking at coins will identify hairlines and know the coin was cleaned.&nbsp; These pieces are usually rejected by NGC and PCGS for problem-free certification.</p><p><br /></p><p>Your local dealer likely buys these Morgan dollars already certified from a regional distributor who only deals with the wholesale trade.&nbsp; Regardless, these bright coins will nearly universally have been bright white because of a light dip, not a cleaning, or because they came bright white directly from US Mint bags decades ago.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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