This came in the mail today 0

[Jblindy]

There is a lot of color in this toning that is hard to capture. I’m excited to start my journey with this coin. 
 

[RonnieR131]

It would be a good 'guess the grade' coin for everyone. I think I already nailed it though. Right between an XF45 and an MS65. 

[Coinbuf]

Looks very nice, enjoy the journey.

[Jblindy]

On 10/12/2021 at 4:29 PM, ronnie stein said:

It would be a good 'guess the grade' coin for everyone. I think I already nailed it though. Right between an XF45 and an MS65. 

You’ve got a great eye. And I’d have to say you are correct. 

[GBrad]

On 10/12/2021 at 4:29 PM, ronnie stein said:

It would be a good 'guess the grade' coin for everyone. I think I already nailed it though. Right between an XF45 and an MS65. 

You have an excellent future ahead of you Pal!!!!! 

[Greenstang]

No sense guessing at the grade anymore. We already have a correct answer.

[J P M]

On 10/12/2021 at 4:53 PM, Greenstang said:

No sense guessing at the grade anymore. We already have a correct answer.

Ya there are only 20 grades in-between 45 and 65 so that's close. But I do want to say it is a good looking coin Jblindy

Edited October 12, 2021 by J P Mashoke

[GBrad]

On 10/12/2021 at 5:54 PM, J P Mashoke said:

Ya there are only 20 grades in-between 45 and 65 so that's close

Actually J P, there are only 19 grades 'in-between' 45 and 65...... just sayin......  OK brother.... I am very bored and couldn't resist, just pokin some fun at ya....lol.  And yes, it is a nice coin.  

[GBrad]

@ronnie stein, @Coinbuf, @Jblindy, @Greenstang, @J P Mashoke,....... phew.... I think I got everyone into this one.  As I am still a "newb" when it comes to grading, I have been looking at this one in my spare time (which I have a lot of these days).  I am going to completely ignore Ronnie on this one, no offense pal, I still love ya brother (man-love that is!!!!! and nothing else!!! ) because he is right on point with his assessment of grade, even if in a roundabout manner...lol.  So... I'm going to go ahead and prepare to insert my foot into my mouth and go about my question here.  These Morgan's, to me, are very difficult to assign a grade.  They ALL seem to have much more visible PMD, even if minor and still MS condition, than say Lincolns in MS condition but I can definitely discern AU from MS on Linc's.  I know this is a result of how Morgans were handled and bagged back in the day and even more so that they are comprised of a high Silver content which is obviously a fairly soft metal compared to other types of coins. The more I look at the op's pics, the more I am perplexed as to whether or not this is a MS Morgan since it has not yet been revealed in the thread and I am still diligently trying to overcome the grading learning curve.  I am on the fence about this one yet I lean more towards saying yes, it is MS.  However, I feel I am seeing some very slight traces of wear on Morgan's headdress and the hair. Or.... would this be more of a photo lighting issue and "cabinet friction"?  The Eagle's breast also appears, to my less than spectacular vision, to show some ever so slight wear too. Am I even on the right track here in my assessment? Could this just be an example of a slightly weak strike? Or am I just plain simply overanalyzing this one and need to keep my mouth shut.....? Go easy on me here Gents (please)!!!! I'm only just trying to become more proficient and learn as much as I can about grading.  Now...... go ahead and give me my lashes and beatings fellas......

[Jblindy]

@GBrad  I feel ya on the Morgans.  I look at one that says it's an MS65 but it looks beat all to hell.  Then I look at a high AU and it has nice clean fields with hardly any marks or chatter on the devices.  It goes without saying that I am a new comer to this world of graded coins as well.  In the past, my coin collecting consisted of buying proof and silver proof sets, mostly from the mint.  But in the short amount of research I've done there are high points the graders look at when grading a Morgan dollar.  On the obverse there is the top of the bonnet, the hair coming down over the forehead, the upper part of the ear, the eye brow, and cheek.  On the reverse, the high points are the eagle breast and head.  If the eagles breast feathers look worn, but all the other high points are detailed with no signs of wear, then it's most likely a weak strike in that area.  Check for the other high points for signs of wear.  This is what distinguishes an MS coin from an AU coin.  All parts taken together as a whole.  Now I am just a beginner and know next to nothing as far as grading is concerned and I'm absolutely positive someone will come on here and tell me how jacked up I am if my simple explanation is incorrect.

As for the grade of the Morgan I posted, it's an MS65.

[GBrad]

On 10/13/2021 at 2:14 PM, Jblindy said:

As for the grade of the Morgan I posted, it's an MS65.

That's awesome J!  So my gut feeling was correct in leaning more toward yours being in MS.  At least that makes me feel a little better even though I pointed out some other areas of concern but like you said, there are a lot of criteria involved in the grading process.  I'm right there with you too on these Morgans.  Difficult may not be the right word for us newcomers to grading Morgans.  Thanks for sharing the grade with us and your explanation above seems to be right on point with what I have learned from the pros here on the forum. 

[Jblindy]

[Just Bob]

On 10/13/2021 at 1:03 PM, theronmad said:

The more I look at the op's pics, the more I am perplexed as to whether or not this is a MS Morgan since it has not yet been revealed in the thread and I am still diligently trying to overcome the grading learning curve.  I am on the fence about this one yet I lean more towards saying yes, it is MS.  However, I feel I am seeing some very slight traces of wear on Morgan's headdress and the hair.

I hope you are banned soon. Pushing software that helps a college student cheat is despicable. Copying another post word for word, and posting as your own reply is just as bad. 

I am probably talking to a computer program, but at least I got that off my chest.

[Coinbuf]

On 10/13/2021 at 10:42 AM, GBrad said:

@ronnie stein, @Coinbuf, @Jblindy, @Greenstang, @J P Mashoke,....... phew.... I think I got everyone into this one.  As I am still a "newb" when it comes to grading, I have been looking at this one in my spare time (which I have a lot of these days).  I am going to completely ignore Ronnie on this one, no offense pal, I still love ya brother (man-love that is!!!!! and nothing else!!! ) because he is right on point with his assessment of grade, even if in a roundabout manner...lol.  So... I'm going to go ahead and prepare to insert my foot into my mouth and go about my question here.  These Morgan's, to me, are very difficult to assign a grade.  They ALL seem to have much more visible PMD, even if minor and still MS condition, than say Lincolns in MS condition but I can definitely discern AU from MS on Linc's.  I know this is a result of how Morgans were handled and bagged back in the day and even more so that they are comprised of a high Silver content which is obviously a fairly soft metal compared to other types of coins. The more I look at the op's pics, the more I am perplexed as to whether or not this is a MS Morgan since it has not yet been revealed in the thread and I am still diligently trying to overcome the grading learning curve.  I am on the fence about this one yet I lean more towards saying yes, it is MS.  However, I feel I am seeing some very slight traces of wear on Morgan's headdress and the hair. Or.... would this be more of a photo lighting issue and "cabinet friction"?  The Eagle's breast also appears, to my less than spectacular vision, to show some ever so slight wear too. Am I even on the right track here in my assessment? Could this just be an example of a slightly weak strike? Or am I just plain simply overanalyzing this one and need to keep my mouth shut.....? Go easy on me here Gents (please)!!!! I'm only just trying to become more proficient and learn as much as I can about grading.  Now...... go ahead and give me my lashes and beatings fellas......

These are my thoughts, I think what you are interpreting as wear is mostly because of the tone this coin has and how it lays on the coin.   The high areas have a change in color look that often defines an AU from MS, but in this case that is mostly because the high points did not tone like the lower areas.   There also is some strike weakness notable in the hair curls, hat and leaves which might lead one to conclude AU.   But look at the cotton bolls, notice how there is some slight weakness of strike (very common) but the surface looks consistent not dull or rubbed on the high spot, same for the hair over the ear.    Again some strike weakness (again very common) but no noticeable color change or rub is seen in the photos.   Same for the eagle's breast feathers on the rev; these are the areas that can help you to judge photos when trying to ascertain MS from AU.   This is easier when you have the coin in hand to rotate and see any changes on the surface of the coin.

You can see the drawbench marks on the cheek left there because the cheek did not fully strike up.   Overall a very nice MS coin with minimal marks and a pleasing tone (not monster level tone); the only reservation I have with the grade is I would like to see the cheek just a bit fuller.   However I will say that it may appear fuller in hand than it does in the photo.

[GBrad]

On 10/13/2021 at 5:01 PM, Coinbuf said:

These are my thoughts, I think what you are interpreting as wear is mostly because of the tone this coin has and how it lays on the coin.   The high areas have a change in color look that often defines an AU from MS, but in this case that is mostly because the high points did not tone like the lower areas.   There also is some strike weakness notable in the hair curls, hat and leaves which might lead one to conclude AU.   But look at the cotton bolls, notice how there is some slight weakness of strike (very common) but the surface looks consistent not dull or rubbed on the high spot, same for the hair over the ear.    Again some strike weakness (again very common) but no noticeable color change or rub is seen in the photos.   Same for the eagle's breast feathers on the rev; these are the areas that can help you to judge photos when trying to ascertain MS from AU.   This is easier when you have the coin in hand to rotate and see any changes on the surface of the coin.

You can see the drawbench marks on the cheek left there because the cheek did not fully strike up.   Overall a very nice MS coin with minimal marks and a pleasing tone (not monster level tone); the only reservation I have with the grade is I would like to see the cheek just a bit fuller.   However I will say that it may appear fuller in hand than it does in the photo.

I couldn’t have said it better myself!!!😂 But hey…. at least I am on the right track with these Morgan’s and learning what areas to look for/at. I did notice the cotton bolls looked nice without any wear at all thus my main reason for leaning towards an MS coin. I honestly failed to add that in my post (yeah…. right…I know what you guys are thinking….) but seriously though, I did notice that there was not any wear on the cotton. I’m learning here. Hang in there with me. 

[GBrad]

On 10/13/2021 at 3:01 PM, Just Bob said:

I hope you are banned soon. Pushing software that helps a college student cheat is despicable. Copying another post word for word, and posting as your own reply is just as bad. 

I am probably talking to a computer program, but at least I got that off my chest.

Yeah, I know, right!!! What was that all about quoting or, should I say, plagiarizing me like that!!!! Thanks @Just Bob!

[Jblindy]

On 10/13/2021 at 5:01 PM, Coinbuf said:

These are my thoughts, I think what you are interpreting as wear is mostly because of the tone this coin has and how it lays on the coin.   The high areas have a change in color look that often defines an AU from MS, but in this case that is mostly because the high points did not tone like the lower areas.   There also is some strike weakness notable in the hair curls, hat and leaves which might lead one to conclude AU.   But look at the cotton bolls, notice how there is some slight weakness of strike (very common) but the surface looks consistent not dull or rubbed on the high spot, same for the hair over the ear.    Again some strike weakness (again very common) but no noticeable color change or rub is seen in the photos.   Same for the eagle's breast feathers on the rev; these are the areas that can help you to judge photos when trying to ascertain MS from AU.   This is easier when you have the coin in hand to rotate and see any changes on the surface of the coin.

You can see the drawbench marks on the cheek left there because the cheek did not fully strike up.   Overall a very nice MS coin with minimal marks and a pleasing tone (not monster level tone); the only reservation I have with the grade is I would like to see the cheek just a bit fuller.   However I will say that it may appear fuller in hand than it does in the photo.

Thank you for putting it so succinctly. There was a great deal of information in this post. I will be referring to it over and over until it has penetrated this thick skull of mine. 

[RonnieR131]

I said right between an EF45 and MS65, but what I meant was 'to and including' XF45 and MS65.  LOL  I knew I nailed it!  If I ever show up at NGC asking for a grading job, it would behoove them to escort me to the parking lot. 

[J P M]

On 10/13/2021 at 1:07 PM, GBrad said:

Actually J P, there are only 19 grades 'in-between' 45 and 65...... just sayin......  OK brother.... I am very bored and couldn't resist, just pokin some fun at ya....lol.  And yes, it is a nice coin.  

You are correct  my friend.  And I am way off if we go by the new NGC grades of  MS 65   MS 65 *  MS 65 +  and  MS 65 + *  .... That would be a potential of 79 extra grades  Now that makes it way more fun to price a coin.