A recent purchase of mind and fascinated at obverse and reverse. Is this a proof Morgan or Not ? Educate me and others, what to look for on these coins, if polished what are the signs to look for ? If you ask me, I say polished because of the surface around the letters.The details are crisp on both side.
That's one way, yes. But really it's the lack of original luster. That mirror finish over the whole coin is very obvious. Also, if you can see any wear on the coin that still is exactly the same (mirror finish) as the rest of the coin it tells you something is up. Sorry.
Here's a good article to start you down the path: https://coinweek.com/us-coins/morgan-dollars-for-beginners-proof-vs-prooflike/ Read anything you can. But more importantly... you need to see as many real ones as possible. There is an unmistakable natural luster to them.
+ the divot texture which is apparent in the last picture. This happens when metal is heavily worked on a buffing wheel.
Bag marks are a pain in the butt but I got a bunch of these in all different dates, except, of course Keys.
That seems high for a damaged coin, even with silver's recent run-up. If I were selling this to my guy at the local show, he'd put it in with the culls, and offer not much over melt. But with melt value above $21, you're not out much.
Your original coin was lightly polished. I say that because if they polished it too much, more details would have been lost. The residue (lack of shine) around the devices tend to identify it.
