Patman54 Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 I have a 1887 unc Morgan that I purchased i weighed it and it was 26.6 did gravity test 2.8 results 9.5 is this acceptable from what I was reading it should have been at least 10.35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleRJO Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 There are specs with tolerances for the weight and specific gravity for an 1887 silver dollar in the Coin World Almanac, but I don't have access to my copy atm. Perhaps someone else, maybe @Sandoncould look that up for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandon Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 My 1984 4th edition Coin World Almanac shows the official weight for an 1840-1935 silver dollar as 26.73 grams with a tolerance 0.097 grams. This would result in a minimum weight of 26.33 grams, which is, given the inexactitude of scales, close enough to the 26.3 you got. The specific gravity is stated as 10.34 with no tolerance given. The coin appears--insofar as I can tell from your photos--to be a genuine Philadelphia mint Morgan dollar of this era based on its luster, striking quality, crispness, fine details, surface preservation, and rims. (The coin may have been "dipped".) I suggest that you may have not performed the specific gravity test correctly. In over fifty years of collecting, I have never weighed or tested the specific gravity of a coin! I doubt that grading services do this routinely either. Traditionally, one learns counterfeit detection by studying the characteristics of genuine coins versus counterfeit or altered pieces. Experts can usually tell what mint struck an uncirculated Morgan dollar just by looking at the obverse based upon characteristics such as the texture and quality of the luster and how beveled the rims are. I admit that the widespread counterfeiting of even common date coins like this one in China over the last decade or so should make one somewhat skeptical about everything, but collecting wouldn't be "fun" if one had to weigh and test the specific gravity of every coin! Based upon the holder and capsule in which your 1887 Morgan dollar is housed, I assume that it was acquired from a mass marketer who sells large quantities of common coins to the general public. Such marketers usually don't employ experts who can spot all counterfeits or problem coins, and their offerings are usually way overpriced. I would avoid such sellers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patman54 Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 Ok thanks awesome the information is much appreciated 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWB Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 (edited) 0.859375 (412.50 grains). 1.50 grains tolerance (+/-) - Min legal weight 411.0 grains 26.72955 grams. 0.097198 grams tolerance. Min legal weight 26.6324 grams. 900 fineness, 003 tolerance (+/-) [silver = 0.897 to 0.903, no range for copper] Density of alloy = 10.337 g/cm^3 Edited December 11, 2022 by RWB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patman54 Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 Super thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
