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124Spider

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Posts posted by 124Spider

  1. On 11/3/2021 at 5:18 AM, Quintus Arrius said:

    Well, exc-u-u-se me, but there are still a few collectors who were around when coins were real. And paper money was positively exquisite.

    I started collecting coins when "silver" was silver.  I have a few silver dollars got by my parents in a trip in 1960 (when I remember) when silver dollars still circulated.  So you needn't talk down to me.

    My issue, obviously, is when someone, in an effort to show how discriminating he is, trashes people for liking something.  That accomplishes nothing positive.

  2. On 10/30/2021 at 7:47 PM, Mohawk said:

    It's very nice to see a Morgan with an actual, genuine O mintmark and not a stupid privy mark.  I'm really down on those privy marks.  Thanks for sharing it!!

    I don't much care either way about the privy marks.  I just wish they had managed to make them as physically attractive as a real mint-state Morgan, instead of being coldly perfect.  I collect coins principally because of the romance of thinking about where that coin may have been during its life, and because they're pretty.  So, for a modern coin, "pretty" is the only draw.  I was thrilled with the ASE I got a month or so ago (I'm also a big fan of the walking Liberty half dollars), and had expected that these would have the same charm.  Alas, no; they're not ugly, by any means, but they don't have any punch (and I now have all five).  I'm holding out a tiny hope that somehow the Peace dollar is better (I also like the Peace dollars, which are very pretty to my eye in mint state or AU).

  3. On 10/29/2021 at 3:05 PM, Coinbuf said:

    Its hard to beat the feel of a Morgan dollar in your hand, the weight and as you say the history behind them.   While its true that many just sat in bank vaults and were only ever caressed by a canvas bag, some did circulate and it is fun to think about these being slid across the saloon bar or slipped into the corset of a working girl.

    The only way I have yet found to beat the feel of a Morgan dollar in my hand is the feel of a bunch of them in my hand.  When I started collecting them, common dates in AU or low MS condition could be had at a local coin shop for just a few dollars over silver melt value.  I bought 16 of them one day.  It was pretty glorious!

    Now I'm down to the last ten in the set, and they come much more expensive (and hence rarely).  But it's still exciting.  They certainly are my favorite coin--beautiful coins, old enough to be interesting, historically, and most still accessible without breaking the bank.

  4. Educated guesses: 

    EF40 for the Morgan; AU58 or MS60 for the Peace.  It's impossible to say whether something has happened to the Morgan, or if that's normal toning.  The Peace is pretty crudded up, which does not help its appeal (but don't clean it).

    The Kennedy half looks like a proof, but I can't tell whether it's the clad proof or the silver proof.  Nice coin either way, but not valuable.  You probably should put it back in its case.

    Mark

  5. After all the long-shot "error coins" that get posted here, I was a little excited to see "1983 Lincoln" error in the title, since there really is a 1983 Lincoln cent error (doubled die reverse).

    But, alas, this isn't it.  I am not knowledgeable about these off-center strikes, but the experts seem to say that it has to be much more off-center than that to be worth real money.

    Mark

  6. On 10/26/2021 at 4:53 PM, RJOSTER said:

    I’ve read all the comments posted on this topic and no one addressed the fact that the mint ceased production of the Morgan dollar in 1904, then brought it back for one year, 1921.  Only the “purists” would argue that a 100 year gap makes this coin a commemorative.  But then there is the 1921 Morgan. There is no question that the 1921 coin should be included in the series. So I guess a 17 year gap is okay, but not a 100 year gap. Sure you could argue the change in metal composition, then what about the Kennedys, Washington Quarters or Roosevelt dimes? There is no attempt to delineate those series. If the coin is a one year series, okay it’s a commemorative.  The other arguments are the privy mint marks. You could argue that these are “commemorative” Morgans for those mints, but what about the P, D & S Morgans? Again, no one questions the 1921 D Morgan’s (a one year issue!), inclusion in the set.  So my vote is to make it part of the original series!

    I guess the difference, to me, between the 1921 (after a 17-year hiatus) and the 2021 (after a 100-year hiatus) is that the 1921 was struck for circulation, and it was circulated (by the tens of millions, even).  It was the same coin as the earlier ones. 

    The 2021 is not.  It's a bullion coin masquerading as a commemorative (or something).   And I say that as one who beat his way through the Mint's useless website three times to buy all six coins.

    As for the Kennedy half dollars I think it's silly to pretend that the versions struck after they no longer were being circulated are the same coin.  But at least the Kennedy half has been struck continuously since 1964, and the composition changed only because of the price of silver (ditto for the Roosevelt dime and Washington quarter) exceeded the face value of the coin. And anyone who wants one can have for for a nominal sum, without hassle.

    It is nothing short of silly, IMO, to pretend that these coins (regardless of how much I expect to like them) are anything but a new series.  Either it will be a one-off, or it will continue.  If it's a one-off (as I dearly hope), then it's really easy; if it becomes a series, then treat it like the other bullion coins, and give them their own series.

    Mark

  7. Not an expert, but always happy to guess on the 1884-CC.

    I only have a few certified mint state Morgan dollars, all 63-64+ (and one of which is an 1884-CC); ignoring the total lack of luster, I find the reverse of this coin to be better than any of my graded MS Morgans, but I find the obverse to be not particularly well struck (worse than all of my graded MS Morgans), and the "toning" isn't particularly attractive (to me, but I'm not a fan of toning generally).

    I suspect that the mint-state grades are assigned at least as much from the guess of the grader as to the commercial attractiveness of the coin as anything else. 

    I'd guess MS63 (understanding that the 1884-CC is not a very, very expensive coin, and someone though it was worth running it through CAC, which might dictate in favor of a higher grade).

    Mark

  8. On 10/25/2021 at 12:50 PM, Belita Lom said:

    Thanks, JP, I appreciate your insight on this topic and the help in options of purchasing a coin like this one, and thank you,VKurtB for your insight. 

    It seems that the consensus is I shouldn’t waste my time in getting this graded, due to the fact it will not be graded at a 70. It’s not that I expected it to be graded at a 70, it’s just the fact that it is a good looking coin and I think It will look great encapsulated.  I’m new to all this so getting a decent coin graded is exciting TO ME.  Maybe some of you don’t get excited over something you think is so trivial, but I do. Maybe you never did? Willingness to take good advice and good criticism is something I can definitely do. So some of the comments are worthy of that, and some are not. Please try and remember, someone new coming into coin collecting is looking to you (old hats), dealers, or professional coin collectors for just that. In the end all criticism is good food for thought. 
     

    Happy Collecting everyone. 😊

    Hi Belita,

    This can be a non-gentle crowd, but they generally mean well.

    I've never paid to get a coin certified, but I can understand the allure.  But what people are saying is that getting THIS coin graded would be a financial loss--It won't be worth nearly as much as you would pay to get it certified.  

    If this particular coin has some sentimental value, people are saying, go for it.  But if all you want is a bicentennial quarter in a slab, buy one already slabbed; it'll cost less and be much less trouble.

    Mark

  9. On 10/25/2021 at 12:31 PM, Deiter said:

    but back to my original point, intuitively I feel they are doing SOMETHING to their coins, I just cant figure out what. 

    I'm no expert, but that doesn't prevent me from having an opinion based on collecting Morgan dollars.

    1. It is unlikely that an obscure "dealer" would suddenly come upon a 139-year old unopened bag of Morgan dollars.
    2. That coin looks artificially shiny; either the photo was processed, or the coin has been polished.  I don't believe that it is a proof.
    3.  There are a lot of bag marks on that coin, so I doubt it has been polished.
    4.  There were more than 600,000 1882-CC Morgan dollars in the GSA hoard.  They are not rare. 
    5.  That coin appears to me to be no better than MS63, and probably MS62.  
    6.  Paying over $500 for such a coin, based only on eBay hype and dubious photos, is not intelligent.

    Mark