What is the "FIRST" thing you notice on this AU coin?

I'm going to suggest the lighter area is some material that was added to the coin to cover a problem.

 

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That was exactly what I was suggesting. Something like solder.

 

Alligator eye.

 

I suspect the same thing happened to this Morgan dollar as happened to this dekadrachm from Syracuse in between auction appearances:

A few years back:


A few months ago:

 

His ego is big enough, don't encourage him

 

Why not take a stab at my question rather than being a hater...? You may learn something or educate others. What is the first thing your eye is drawn to in Ldhairs exceptional image?

You may PM your answer to me if you like and no one will know. . If you do, I'll even give you the answer before Monday.

That goes for you also @green18

 

Hey now, "hater" has been reserved and trademarked for those that can't stop themselves from threadbombing every DC thread with never-ending repetitive nonsense

 

The first thing I noticed was the small caliber bullet wound.

 

First thing I noticed was the alligator eye as well.

 

If you stare at the cheek after a while, an impression of an eagle head appears!!!!!

 

It kind of looks like the old Iowa Hawkeyes logo

 

"Yo time is up"

The dollar has a repaired cheek. The reason it was in a grading seminar was to illustrate a very important point and train our eye to look at the total coin. Take a quick look at the excellent image in Post#41 again.

The color of a coin's surface, especially on areas where it is not uniform, often indicates something. So a change of color (on the cheek) should be one of (if not the first) the things your eye is drawn too. This image has four basic colors:

1. Dark gray at the upper right corner.
2. Shiny streaks between the hair curls.
3. An overall medium gray surface.
4. A lighter patch on the cheek. Bingo.

Now, we need to find the reason for the color change. Some members notice the cheek looked depressed. It is. The coin in hand reflects light making the depression easier to see. The micrograph (sorry for the color) in this post shows a very crude attempt to remove something from the cheek. Note the scratches.

When my wife saw the image in the original post she immediately asked "Why didn't they buff the entire obverse to hide that change of color?" I told her they usually do and she would make a good "crook." I mean "cook."

 

I just caught this thread this morning, What year is the Morgan, for someone to go through all the trouble?

 

Informative thread! Thanks!

 

Based on my very limited experience, the value of a coin hardly ever matters with repairs and alterations. Nevertheless, I think it was a 96-S.

 

Good thread, wish I had opportunity to see more coins in hand, but photos help the education process.

 

The image you attached to post #95 makes the damage a no-brainer. The image in post #1 would be more like an ebay auction image - not so apparent.