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Two Very PQ Morgans (one toned, one white) from Baltimore--Tell me what you thin

Started by airplanenut,

14 posts in this topic

airplanenut

airplanenut

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After seeing a trick used by Andy Lustig to hold up the lamps at his table, I figured out how to keep my desk lamps up high with the heavy Par30 Sylvania bulbs (discussed a lot on the CU boards)... I like those bulbs! The trick is to take the springs on the lamp on the top arm and cross them--ie, front left and back right, and vice versa... they'll be too tight to fall under the weight of the bulb.

 

Now, on to the coins!

 

This PCGS MS65 1880-S was first shown to me Friday by Texas Bullion Traders... when I was ready to buy, I was told I was just looking, and it wasn't for sale frown.gif Miscommunication, but Bryan agreed to sell it Saturday smile.gif I can't decide which obverse picture is better... help me!

 

pcgs21756041_obv1_sm.jpg

pcgs21756041_obv2_sm.jpg

pcgs21756041_rev_sm.jpg

 

 

After not being able to buy the 1880-S on Friday, I needed a consolation coin. I found this colorful and extremely lustrous 1881-S and just couldn't refuse... it's in an old green-label NGC MS65 holder, and I love it! I'd like to play a bit more to get a bit more of the color showing in the picture, but for now, I like these shots a lot.

 

ngc213049-001_obv_sm.jpg

ngc213049-001_rev_sm.jpg

 

 

More pictures of more new coins to come in the near future smile.gif

 

Jeremy

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cpm9ball

cpm9ball

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Jer, I like the second shot of the 80-S better. You still have the same dark areas at 9 o'clock and between 1 & 3 o'clock, but the area around the date shows more detail. There is also more detail shown in the hair above and to the right of the date. Nice work! thumbsup2.gif

 

Chris

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etexmike

etexmike

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As far as which pic is the best on the 80-S?

These old eyes don't see much difference in the two.

 

Both shots look great and so do both of the Morgans.

 

Nice addition on the two $1.

 

-------------

 

etexmike

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GoYankees

GoYankees

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Not to be a wiseguy...

 

I'm nowhere near being a Morgan grading expert but that 1880-S does not look like a 65 based on the totality of Morgans I've seen on this board and the CU board. There's chatter on the lower cheek, around UNIUM, and, on the reverse, to the right of the eagle.

 

Does anyone agree with me? If not what am I missing?

 

I'm looking at this as a learning experience.

 

Thanks!

 

-mark

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airplanenut

airplanenut

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I'm nowhere near being a Morgan grading expert but that 1885-S does not look like a 65 based on the totality of Morgans I've seen on this board and the CU board. There's chatter on the lower cheek, around UNIUM, and, on the reverse, to the right of the eagle.
Mark, since neither is an 85-S, I'm not sure which coin you meant, but I will say that of all the people who saw this, the consensus was either "damn nice 65" or "could upgrade" on both coins. Remember that pictures tend to bring out the marks a lot... for example, the 80-S dollar has two "scratches" in the photo, but they're very light in-hand, and mostly visible because of the frost on the coin. Also, remember that a 65 is five points from perfect, and can have some marks... and for the cheeks, they're actually very, very clean.

 

As for a real test subject, here is the obverse (very old shot) of my sig coin (look at the sig to see the reverse color):

 

ngc_65_obv_sm.jpgThere is much more chatter here, and for a while, I really thought it just got an eye appeal bump for the color. Then I looked harder... the strike on this coin, for an 85-O, is incredible, with all the hair detail present... very, very uncommon. Most 65's still have some flatness on the ear. That, too, factored into the grade. Of course, I bought the color, so who cares about the grade wink.gif When I get to reshooting this coin (these pics are about a year old), the hair detail will be much clearer.

 

Jeremy

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GoYankees

GoYankees

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Jeremy, my apologies, I edited my post.

 

It's the first one, the 1880-S, I was talking about.

 

Nevertheless, you've answered my question. I didn't take into account the frost.

 

One more question. You said 5 points from perfect. What constitutes a "point"?

 

Thanks!

 

-mark

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airplanenut

airplanenut

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Mark,

 

When I refer to a "point," I simply mean that coins are graded on a 70 point scale. What many forget is that as you move away from 70, the coin is less perfect. So yes, a 67 is extremely clean, but it's not a 70. The same goes for a 66, and even a 65... if everything had to be clean, then the coin would be a 70; since it's not, it loses those points.

 

That said, with the 80-S in particular, the cheek is especially clean for a morgan... if the hits on the chin didn't exist, the coin would be a solid 66++. And while the hits are there, they're not as strong as any good photo would make them out to be--it's a fact of life with harsh lighting. That said, you might benefit from looking through lots of nice pictures of morgans--try ANR. You'll notice that, for example, on a 65 vs. a 65DMPL, the marks on the DMPL look much worse--it's just where the frost has been broken... the marks may be even fewer than the plain coin, they just show up better. ANR should have enough online to give you a good idea of what it takes to reach certain grades, although there is no substitution for looking at real coins--lots, and lots, and lots of them.

 

Jeremy

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TomB

TomB

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I like the second image better. By the way, they are both nice shots. thumbsup2.gif

 

Folks should keep in mind that when viewing coins that are well lit and enlarged that the surface imperfections can be greatly magnified. This is especially true with many luster grazes that can be seen on Morgan dollars, perhaps like the series of marks that appear behind Ms Liberty's portrait on the 1880-S. These may be quite shallow and show up very poorly in-hand, yet will catch the light and reflect in such a manner that they are pronounced in the images.

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michael

michael

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I DO like the second image of the 1880s obv. much better than the first

 

as it seems more vibrant and alive with color and lustre and not as much grey as the first photo

 

both are close though and both are good photos

 

the first is like 9/10 the second 9.75/10

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