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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;LETSBUYCOINS, post: 45437, member: 2657&quot;]I buy Morgans.&nbsp; I look for New Orleans dates.&nbsp; I am aware that allegedly the Orleans mint was known for weak strikes.&nbsp; The unfortunate reality is dealers will mistake a weak strike for circulation wear.&nbsp; Whether intentional to try to get a coin cheap its a possibility.&nbsp;&nbsp; I do have one Morgan that is an MS-63 that I insist is a weak strike.&nbsp; If the coin has full detail, except for weak breast feathers, and if the coin has what the hobby calls a satiny/white surface across the entire coin, then the coin is Mint state.&nbsp; I was reading in one coin website where a coin does not have to have full strike to be considered mint.&nbsp; A weak strike can still be called mint.&nbsp; I dumped (sold) another Morgan which had weak breast feathers, but in that case, the breast feathers had some dark discoloration.&nbsp; Discoloration in the highest areas is a sure sign of circulation wear.&nbsp; ...Im slowly learning about mint states.&nbsp;&nbsp; MS-60: full of bag marks on both sides.&nbsp; MS-62: full of bag marks on one side.&nbsp; MS-63:&nbsp; Moderate bag marks on one or both sides, with large percentage of the flat surfaces having satiny luster.&nbsp; MS-64:&nbsp; bagmarks are faint and not trusive.&nbsp; Coin otherwise looks very clean, with very satiny surface.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; ...I had a Morgan with a black mark on the cheek.&nbsp; It was NOT toning.&nbsp; Could be a stain from an album or a coin-counter, one guy said.&nbsp; Such marks could still grade up to MS-63 but no higher.&nbsp;&nbsp; Dealer will pay MS-61 if its a nice coin, but with an album mark, a dealer wont pay higher.&nbsp; As one says, hes gabling it will come back form PCGS as MS-63.&nbsp; They often reject damaged coins.&nbsp; Even if it comes back MS-62. if he pays MS-62 money, he still has to pay the grading fee, and loses money on the coin.&nbsp; If you are BUYING:&nbsp;&nbsp; Bottomline, pay bottom dollar for coins with questionable condition.&nbsp; Dont let a dealer convince you his merchandise grades high, if its not slabbed, and you see stuff on the coin that drags it down.&nbsp;&nbsp; Bottom tier slabs of graders like NTC are a lot more trustworthy than some of the dealers with the unslabbed coins .&nbsp; I am happy with my slabs.&nbsp; Im buying more.&nbsp; Nice coins that meet the grade.&nbsp; They can always be broken out of their slabs.&nbsp; Though Ill keep mine in the slabs.&nbsp; &nbsp; Word from the local coin show in my area:&nbsp; Some of the errors are worth a lot more money than the red book price.&nbsp; Any of you agree?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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