My first Morgan

Hi folks.

I'm sharing the first Morgan Dollar I ever got. I've had it for a few months but I don't think I got around to posting it. This was given to me by a friend whom I helped with a bunch of coins he inherited. He gave me this coin as a little "thank-you" gift for helping him out.
I've gotten a few circulated Morgans (from my grandfather) since then, but this is the best one by a mile. It has a little wear on the cheeks, has a few very small contact marks, but is otherwise a very nice coin. I'd give it an MS60, but I am a big newbie regarding grades. What do you guys think?

Simon
The coin also has a die crack or some other anomaly that runs along the outside of the design on the reverse, but I don't think the pictures captured it.

 

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Any opinions on grade? Is the luster original?

 

The luster is original silver luster, yes. Nice coin.

 

I'm more in the high-AU range...

Looks like a nice piece, though! :thumb:

Edited to add - die cracks are common on Morgan Dollars. They are often used to attribute the coin's VAM variety. Check out VAMWorld.com to see if yours matches up with any of the scarcer ones.

Some of the big kahunas I know off-hand are the overdate (1887/6) and the E-clash.

 

According to QDB, the '87 is not known for a good strike and the luster not the best, so I think this would grade a little higher. Your photo wouldn't enlarge, so I'm guessing MS63.

Chris

 

Coingrads, nice coin.

 

Thanks for the info Chris. If it would help, I can upload larger pictures.

 

If it's MS, it's cleaner than MS63. While the lighting is soft, I think I see wear. Better pictures would help.

 

Thanks for the comments. In-hand, there is a little rub on the cheeks, but not much, and the rest of the coin is pretty good as well. I'm not that good at taking whole-coin shots but I'll see what I can do tomorrow.

 

Here are some larger pics.

 

If she's MS, she could go gem, but she's at least an MS64. I can't tell that, though, as the pictures are still a little washed out. I'd be looking for crispness in the hair and through the eagle, principally. If you just want to keep it, don't worry, you got a darn nice, well-kept, high-grade, attractive coin. If you want to sell it, go for it, get a market grade on it. I can tell this much. I like it, whatever the grade.

 

It isn''t even close to MS 64. THe strike is too weak, there is a significant mark on the cheek, and the eagle's breast and wing tips show what most would think of as wear, but I think is an extremely weak strike. I'd say MS 61-63 absolutely TOPS.

 

I do not plan on selling this coin. Once again, thank you everyone for the info. I would be happy if it is just MS60, but if some people say it looks better, that is great news as well. I think I'll try shooting it again later today and see if I can get some better-looking pictures.

 

Here's pretty typical MS63 abrasiveness, judge it for yourself...

http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1184&lotNo=8937.

 

That doesn't matter. What matters is the distracting scratch, that verges on being a gouge on the cheek. It is very prominent. Moreover, the strike is so weak that it looks as if it were wear--originally, I would have said AU 58, but I think it is decent enough to make MS 61. Any large gougelike mark is enough to significantly drop it in grade--it is almost large enough for a "no grade" details slab.

 

The mark you see on the cheek is very superficial...the lighting in the picture was just perfect I guess for making it look like a monster. In hand it is almost invisible...hardly noticeable.

 

... I'm pretty sure it wasn't an unprovoked rude comment that I gave, but since your the boss, I submit and will walk away with my head up. Goodnight

 

No, only if Shane from Kryptonite Comics were selling it... :devil:

 

Adjusted lighting and presto. Scratch is pretty much gone. The lighting really exaggerated it. These are the best pictures I can do right now. Hope this helps.

 

Looks like it could go 64 to me:yes:Nice pickup..........