Look at this NGC graded 1883 o

[CWA-migration]

This is a MS 66 coin....rub marks...hit on the chin....weak strike....I think a few of mine almost look that good. FYI

[physics-fan3.14]

The rub marks you mention, on the high points of the obverse, are actually a mint made defect known as "roller marks". They are from when the strip is rolled out, and show up on the finished coin because the weak strike of the New Orleans mint didn't bring the details up fully. I agree that this doesn't belong on a 66 coin - it should limit it to 65 at the very highest. On the other hand, since its a mint made artifact, it is sometimes ignored in the grading process.

[CWA-migration]

Man, have I got a lot to learn....the fields are pretty clean but the dimple on the chin and the total lack of breast feathers seemed odd even thought they are known for weak strikes.

[bsshog40]

What I recommend is a couple books, maybe Photograde or ANA grading standards. These books will help you with your grading. An MS66 coin has very very few contact marks, which maybe 1 or 2 hardly noticiable marks. The lower you go, the more nics are allowed to fall into MS grades. Your 1883 has quite a few contact marks which are noticiable. This is what you need to take into consideration when trying to grade your own coins. You can also use about a 5x magnifier to help. Anything stronger is just going to make things worse and there's no need for that much power to get an overall grade. First glance should be eye appeal and luster just by looking with your naked eye. This is where you can start to categorize your coin to a certain grade area such as MS60-MS63, MS64-MS66, and so on. It is real hard to get most Morgans in MS66 or higher unless they are virtually almost flawless. Then you should look at nic/contact marks and even try to count them if possible. This will help you to narrow down your grade a little closer to a professional graders standards. I hope this helps. I'm not a great grader myself, but after seeing alot of others coins here and grading my own, and posting my own, the practice gets me close.

[CWA-migration]

Thank you for that advice. Clearly my pictures are horrible...I actually have some 1883o morgans with real feathers on their chest....and not to many rubs or scratches...I just sent in 5 coins to ngc and they were all graded....lower than I expected of course...I am going to send a similar group to ANAC this week to see what they have to say. I guessed many of them were 63-65 with one or two that I thought might get 66 after looking at the coin I sent from NGC. this is a subtle skill for sure....thank you again for your advice....I will try to get my photo's up to speed!

[Schatzy]

CWA.....take a look at this!! http://www.pcgs.com/Photograde/

[bsshog40]

CWA.....take a look at this!! http://www.pcgs.com/Photograde/

Thank for the link Jaime. I didn't know PCGS had that. (thumbs u

[Schatzy]

CWA.....take a look at this!! http://www.pcgs.com/Photograde/

Thank for the link Jaime. I didn't know PCGS had that. (thumbs u

 

I have actually learned a lot from this website and I am getting better at graded based on online pictures.

[CWA-migration]

Thanks Schatzy...I've heard that we always think our coins look better then what the grade turns out to be....that link is a good bench mark for sure....when I look at my coins objectively(I may be delusional) the majority look like ms63-65 with a few that might grow up to be ms66...I'll be curious to see what ANAC's has to say....I have graded them myself so we'll see have far off i am at this point.

[James_OldeTowne]

I've cataloged more MS-66 Morgans than I'd care to count, and the subject coin looks every bit as nice as most all of them. I don't see a problem here with MS-66, unless the images are hiding something.

 

The worst MS-66 Morgan I've ever seen in person was in a PCGS slab, and the portrait had been tooled and wire-brushed with exceptional care to remove abrasions. It fooled a lot of people before I rejected cataloging it. To my knowledge, it's off the market now. However, overall, I find that NGC has put more MS-65 Morgans in MS-66 holders than PCGS has.

 

But again, for the particular coin in question, MS-66 doesn't bother me.

[prudden]

Hey ,

 

Here's one I bought raw and submitted recently to NGC. I was actually very surprised to get MS 66 on it.Don't get me wrong.I still have a hard time distinguishing a mark free 64 from a 65 etc.and In hand it is a very nice coin.One of my best.,but with the number of scuffs and the few carbon spots on both sides the grade was a surprise. Photos tend to exaggerate very small defects as well.

 

[TJ'S Coins]

Prudden, congrats on that 66.

[Hard Times]

Listen to Schatz - he knows how to grade to be sure, I guess that is where he has been training, thanks for the tip.

[$ilverHawk]

Agree, 80-S is known for a bold strike. This is an example that has clear fields and minimal marks in the focal areas. Strike below average but still a clear MS66.

 

Strike characteristics of specific dates/mint marks are important in determination of grade. But field and focal area marks are even more important.

 

Carl

[prudden]

Yeah Schatz knows his stuff.I thought it was a pretty good strike on the coin.What threw me I guess was the carbon spots.I've been told that they can kill a coin for grading.,especially both sides.Didn't hurt this one though.

 

By the way,the first picture of the coin in the flip is from the Ebay auction.PF65?HA! I actually took that to mean Prooflike.But it's not even close to PL.