Morgan questions???? Much better pictures 9/24 plz look

[BRIAN339]

I have a new found interest in Morgan dollars. They are so nice in high grade.

 

I would like to know what the better Morgans are and what to look for.

 

I just recently purchased a set of 3 1882 1883 and 1884 all CC.

 

Any advice is welcomed. How would these grade and why?

 

Dont forget newbie here.......

[TomB]

You would do well to buy a Red Book.

[nwcs]

The best way to find the better Morgans is to look at the price. There's a lot of angles to take in the series, though. Some collect varieties, some collect all varieties of a certain date, some collect by looks, by date, etc.

 

You're right, too, they are beautiful in high grade.

[prudden]

Well, there are a few key dates and some very rare in higher grades

(MS65+).

The big one of course is the 1893 S. A couple thousand dollars plus in Good condition.

Here's a pricelist from PCGS. Prices are inflated,but you'll get an idea which are key(very low mintage) and which are rare in high grades.

 

http://pcgs.com/prices/PriceGuideDetail.aspx?c=744&title=Morgan+Dollar

[bsshog40]

Make sure that you also gain alot of knowledge in detection of counterfiet coins. High dollar Morgans are always being counterfieted.

[Jakeblue]

Hi Brian,

 

I have only been collecting for a few months on the morgans. My advice is to be wary of eBay. You can find some good deals there, but be very careful. Most I have seen there are overgraded, harshly cleaned and worse. I would stick to PCGS, NGC, ICG and the older ANACS. You can find some good deals on TeleTrade and Heritage auctions.

 

I am going against the grain on this, but I have found that the nicer circulated morgans hold greater appeal. The higher grades are nice, but you will find many with bag marks in most fields. My exception to that is the PL and DMPL coins. Especially the older PCGS and NGC. Grab those when you can.

 

Whatever you choose, follow these chat boards and ask questions. There are smart collectors here with much info to share.

 

Good luck.

[MarkFeld]

Those images don't allow for a good look at the coins. That said, my guess would be in the low grade unc. range (roughly MS61-MS62) due to chatter on Liberty's cheek in each case. But they could certainly grade lower or higher than my guesses.

 

If you are buying coins without knowing how to grade and/or how to value them, you are assured of paying too much and/or not getting the quality you think you are. You will likely join the huge crowd of buyers who think they are getting good deals but end up with very bad ones, instead.

[kryptonitecomics]

Buy the book and enjoy....I agree with Mark that the images are two small....but from what I can see they due all look to be uncirculated pieces and I could see them grading between MS62 to MS63 but we would need much larger images to give a better guestimate. You can also check out coinfacts.com for really good mintages info on Morgans.......in most cases the lower the mintage the higher the price but.....there are exceptions to this rule so it's best to become familiar with all dates and then pin point the key dates and semi key dates that you can afford.

 

I also agree with others who suggest you stick with certified coins when looking at the Key dates as you want to make sure you aren't purchasing counterfeit coins if raw.

[cpm9ball]

You would do well to buy a Red Book.

 

I'm not sure which Red Book Tom is referring to, but The Red Book of Morgan Silver Dollars by Q. David Bowers is also helpful. Of course, the best book for varieties is The Comprehensive Catalog of Morgan and Peace Dollars , known as the VAM book, co-authored by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis. Besides listing about 3,000 varieties, the book also gives you the entire history, from concept to production, of the Morgan Dollar.

 

I agree that it is not a good idea to use eBay in the search for raw Morgans unless you know the seller. It is too easy for some unscrupulous sellers to hide problems with their photographic (or lack of) techniques, and some will even switch coins on you. In short, it is just a "cr@p shoot". If you want to search for raw Morgans, it is best to do so only at shows or coin shops where you can physically inspect each and every coin. If you do intend to use eBay, consider only coins graded by NGC, PCGS, (old) ANACS or (possibly) ICG.

 

If you are trying to acquire coins in MS, say 63+, there are 20 date/mm which exceed $2,000 (CDN Bid), and a few are in 5- or 6-digit price ranges. If you consider certain varieties and/or DMPL's, the number goes even higher.

 

Chris

[BRIAN339]

I paid $75 for the 3 coins at a local estate auction. I really couldnt see how I would lose. I have read several books already to determine which entry level coins I could afford and enjoy.

 

I ended up starting with the more readily available and certainly attractive Morgan.

 

I also did some interesting reading on the comstock lode after learning these were CC.

 

Thanks for the advice and I will most definetly seek advice when I make my next major purchase.

 

Brian

[cpm9ball]

I paid $75 for the 3 coins at a local estate auction. I really couldnt see how I would lose. I have read several books already to determine which entry level coins I could afford and enjoy.

 

I ended up starting with the more readily available and certainly attractive Morgan.

 

I also did some interesting reading on the comstock lode after learning these were CC.

 

Thanks for the advice and I will most definetly seek advice when I make my next major purchase.

 

Brian

 

That certainly is a good price even if they only grade 61/62. It's hard for me to tell from your photos if there is any luster. Even if they have been cleaned, you can hardly go wrong at that price.

 

As for the rest of the CC series, the 1878, 1880, 1881, 1885, 1890 and 1891 are all reasonably affordable in grades ranging from MS60-63. The 1892 starts the venture into the range of 4-digit values followed by the 1893 and 1879. Of course, you need to take out a mortgage if you want to buy the "King of Carson City", namely, the 1889.

 

Chris

[michael]

in really choice au58 and above the key dates are

 

1884-s

 

1893-s

 

1894-p

 

1889-cc

 

1892-s

 

1879-cc

 

1892-cc

 

1895-s

 

1901-p

 

1903-s

 

1904-s

 

get the whitman red book on silver dollars by dave bowers

 

www.whitmanbooks.com it is cheap and will help you greatly; with information; the way the coins look for their year; and also pricing

 

gook luck

 

 

[James_OldeTowne]

You practically stole the coins at that price! Very nice job.

[MarkFeld]

I paid $75 for the 3 coins at a local estate auction. I really couldnt see how I would lose. I have read several books already to determine which entry level coins I could afford and enjoy.

 

I ended up starting with the more readily available and certainly attractive Morgan.

 

I also did some interesting reading on the comstock lode after learning these were CC.

 

Thanks for the advice and I will most definetly seek advice when I make my next major purchase.

 

Brian

Brian, here's another thing to keep in mind. The coins look to be genuine. But sadly, there are counterfeits out there, a large number of them having been sold on Ebay.

[kryptonitecomics]

$75 bucks for all 3? that's probably a steal for just one of the coins.....for all 3, I would expect the minimum to be at last a $100 + per coin if they are legit uncirculated coins

[PCcoins]

$75? You robbed someone @ that price. One of the great joys of coin collecting is finding that great deal or a real stunner you've been looking for. Congrats

[Jakeblue]

Amazing. Not only the price, but the fact that you bought these at a local auction for only $75. I have attended many auctions over the state of missouri and beyond and typically many of the folks there overbid for many of the coins and currency. Sometimes crazy overbidding.You hit a very unusual local estate auction, my friend.

 

[BRIAN339]

Some better? pictures.

[BRIAN339]

last coin