EagleRJO

For other than gold coins I have also noticed quite a number of reserves set above current values, and I just move on to the next one. They typically don't sell, and the seller is then just left with the fees for listing the coin for auction.

Actually, for Morgans quite a lot of them were circulated.

I'm thinking the 1889-O would grade out as BU.

I am just curious which prospective purchase you are looking to make where that historical data becomes relevant?

On NGC? Maybe you meant GC? And I haven't been following anything other than half eagles periodically, and I am really more interested in raw half eagles anyway. Are people setting too high a minimum?

Why would anyone want to know what a Saint went for in 1986 or 2006/

I do see some bag marks like by the nose and cheek as well as above the eagle, and a few other smaller darker areas which could also be bag marks. I am really talking about like the eagle's left wing for example which is a larger dark or discolored area that wouldn't just be from a bag mark. That could could be either a rub mark or a frosty area that does not photograph well, which has happened to me with several coins. If a rub mark the question is then does the case open.

@RonnieR131Your friends sound like my type of collectors.

The BU Stage Coach Morgans are likely the result of a combination of bulk grading submittals by a very large dealer and a marketing collaboration. A bulk submittal of say a bank bag full of a certain coin by a large dealer can include a request that they be pre-screened to pull out any coins that would not grade above an MS-XX (fill in the "XX" depending of the dealer's desired cut-off point). Those pulled coins are then just graded BU and put into special holders like the Stage Coach Morgan I posted. This is done to save money on the grading fees and provide the TPG with some marketing. I have seen this done with both NGC and PCG$ for BU Stage Coach Morgans, and for other coins too like a $20 Saint-Gaudens graded BU and marketed as a "Prospector Label" like the attached.

It may or may not have been a "peg leg" unless it was slabbed. There are all kinds of eBay listings that are incorrect or misleading, including peg legs, varieties, errors, and doubling claimed to be hub doubling that is common machine doubling that is worthless.

The problem is historical data does change as time goes by, and is not fixed. That's why I would use current GC , HA, Sacks and eBay sold data.

eBay is one of the worst places to go for information, except for the sold listings info.

Other than for general trends possibly for higher value coins I wouldn't rely on data 7 years old, and would use current GC , HA and Sacks sold data. Possibly combined with eBay sold data for more common coins.

I have a good variety of grades in my complete Morgan collection from VF30 to MS64, and they are almost all raw coins with quite a number that are graded BU which is my favorite grade.

JP, I know you do a lot of nickel roll hunting, so the more valuable ones must be pretty uncommon. That would make sense with the value for many of those FS Jeffersons. Well, time to start digging through the 1,000 count bag winter stash to find those FS Jeffersons.

In the $300 to $500 range and down about 15% to 20% for the half dozen or so CC Morgans mostly purchased at GC recently, and maybe one slabbed one from eBay at about the same discount. That still leaves about another half dozen more expensive CC Morgans to complete the circulation set, which I have also seen down about 15 % to 20%. But I am looking for an even better deal than that for the half dozen or so more expensive CC Morgans, so I am just watching prices and being patient as they continue to come down..

Can any of the valuable FS Jefferson's be found roll hunting? And idk about selling the 74 pinto for a coin Jo. Now, a 64-1/2 Mustang, that's another story.

I am seeing some dark or discolored areas at the cotton leaves and cap fold on the obverse and at the eagles left leg and left wing on the reverse. These could be rub marks which would result in an AU grade, or they could be frosty areas that typically do not photograph well. You can tell the difference by holding the coin in your hand and tilting the coin. If they are rub marks, the question is then how did they get there. Is the case completely sealed such that it can not be opened, or is it like a proof mint set case that can be opened by twisting the case somewhat to get a small screwdriver in the seam between the front and back halves of the case to open it.

I had been missing about a dozen of the more expensive CC Morgans for a complete circulated set I have been assembling. So, I have been watching them like a hawk and bidding on quite a lot of them. Prices have come down a good amount (as well as other coins I collect), and I have knocked off about half a dozen of the CC Morgans for a good amount less than the NGC guide prices. That is a nice pick-up for a coin valued at $390 by NGC and $400 by Coin World, and it's in great condition with very few marks. I really like it. And your coin is a VAM-2, but unfortunately no premium for that. I paid about the same amount for an 1883-CC Morgan graded MS-62 recently, so you got a little better deal.

I found that many listings or minimum bid prices on eBay are close to the maximum prices from the price spike around March of 2022. These sellers either bought at a high earlier this year, or think they can still get those higher prices, which have become easy to spot and typically end up being an auction that doesn't make the reserve or become a stale listing. So, I ended up bailing on eBay and have been sticking with bidding at Great Collections, which has been working out pretty well.

I think the PCG$ guide prices in particular are unreasonably high retail prices, as they jacked up their guide prices earlier this year at what turned out to be an unusual price spike. They never adjusted the guide prices down, even though prices across the board came down, so now I don't even bother looking up those PCG$ prices. It seems like some still use PCG$ as a guide, including buyers who blindly use them without realizing they are unreasonably high, or dealers who still think they can get those prices from the peak. So, I just move on to another coin if I see prices headed towards or listed at the PCG$ guide price. I have been sticking with the NGC prices as a guide, supplemented by actual sold listings at Great Collections or Heritage Auctions (adjusted for the higher BP). I also look at sold eBay listings if they are slabbed coins. In the end, the NGC guide prices seem to be pretty accurate with what coins have been going for in general, I can typically find coins at or lower than those NGC prices, although sometimes it requires me to be patient and wait for the right coin at the right price to come along.

Are you considering maybe an XF or AU for some of the more expensive ones, or are you shooting for all MS for the collection? [I have a feeling it's a target all MS from other coins you have posted ... ]

@RWBare you aware of more recent guides? I have found a more recent three part series of articles as well as an ANA eLearning vid on Chinese counterfeits https://news.coinupdate.com/modern-chinese-counterfeit-coins-part-1-quality-factors/

@Just BobThanks for the referral. Steve Hayden has a lot of nice tokens, but most look a little rich for my blood. It seems like eBay is really the place to go for those tokens.

@Possoif you check the PCGS attributed 71 Peg Leg Ike I posted above it has an "R" that has a slightly shorter and rounded end of the leg. The 74 Ikes you posted have an "R" with a slightly longer and pointed end of the leg.