Morgan silver dollar- how variety is determined? 1 1

[ImMarigold]

Please forgive my ignorance and confusion. Id like to know how to discern the difference of what makes a coin more or less valuable than another of the same coin- and how is the Morgan silver dollar categorized re variety (the letter O or S attached no mint mark) I'd like to know how to figure out approximately what mine is worth. 

Thank you for any assistance provided 

[Mike Meenderink]

                                                                 I'm sorry to inform you but that coin is most likely a counterfeit. The details are weak, mushy and the color of the coin is not correct. There are also missing details in Liberty's cap and hair amongst other problematic areas see below. The coin can be tested to see if it is silver at your local jewelry shop or coin shop. I doubt it is actually silver. Many coins have been press copied and made in China for many years. These coins are a problem in the community. An impression of a real coin is used to make crude die stamps to produce these fakes. No variety or die types matter here. This is a fake IMO. Below OPs coin right genuine coin left. See the difference?

  

Edited December 21, 2023 by Mike Meenderink

[ImMarigold]

Oh my goodness! Ok thank you for sharing your opinion on this coin. I will go have it tested like you suggest. 

[RWB]

To begin, on silver dollars designed by George Morgan (like the one you posted), the obverse (portrait side) has the date, and the reverse (eagle side) has a mintmark placed just below the wreath bow and above the letters "DO" in dollar. Mintmarks on coins dated from 1878-1904 might be  S, O, or CC. "S" = San Francisco; "O" = New Orleans; and "CC" = Carson City. If the space in blank, the coin was struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Not all mints struck dollar coins in every year. In 1921 the same design was used and coins made only a S, D (Denver), and Philadelphia. The S and D mintmarks are in the same place as before, but are very small.

Using this information, separate your silver dollars into piles by the date and mintmark.

Let members know which coins you have and add a couple of photos of the best looking coins, or of coins dated/mintmarked: 1879-CC, 1889-CC, 1993-S, 1904-S, 1895 -O, S or none.

That gives use a rough idea of what you have and members can then help estimate value. Common date Morgan dollars are worth from $25 to $35 each -- mostly for their silver content.

Edited December 20, 2023 by RWB

[Sandon]

 Welcome to the NGC chat board.

 I agree that your purported 1894 Morgan dollar--a "key" date worth over a thousand dollars if genuine--is very likely a counterfeit. Some counterfeits are deceptive and require expertise or special equipment to detect. Others, like this one, are obvious to anyone who knows what the genuine coins look like.  

   Before you try to collect in an advanced area such as die varieties of a specific series, you must learn more basic topics including coin types, dates and mints, grading, and basic authentication. We have an old saying, "buy the book before the coin"!  Nowadays, some of your study can be done online. Here are some forum topics that will refer you to reliable print and online resources on these matters:

  

   Your study should also involve attendance at such venues as coin shows and coin club meetings, where you can see a variety of coins and speak with knowledgeable collectors and dealers.    

Edited December 20, 2023 by Sandon
added greeting

[powermad5000]

Hello and welcome!

The pattern of the entire hair of Liberty on the obverse is incorrect. The posted coin is not genuine. I would not bother wasting any time trying to determine what metal or weight it is the coloring of it suggests to me that it is probably made of some cheap alloy (I am not a metallurgy expert but have seen enough fake coins come across here to know the coloration is not typical of silver). You could have such tests done but I would not pay for them.

As it seems you are new to this, Morgan dollars have either no mintmark on the reverse (the side with the eagle) which means those were struck at the Philadelphia Mint and collectors who need to be specific will refer to those as (P) since there is no mintmark. There is S for San Francisco, O for New Orleans, and CC for Carson City Mint. The CC mintmarks are typically of less mintage and therefore typically worth more, although there are some very low mintages for some of the S mintmarks called key dates.

As for the VAM's (varieties) you mentioned, there are currently over 460 for the series so you would be better to get the basics of Morgan dollars down before venturing into the array of varieties.

Feel free to post the pictures of any more coins you have a question about, as your photos here were very good for a new poster and helped us get to a determination of your coin quickly.

[ImMarigold]

Thank you all for the information. It has been enlightening. I would have never guessed that there were fake coins out there. I appreciate everyone's time and responses. 

[powermad5000]

Just so you are aware, there are literally hundreds of thousands of counterfeit coins "out there". Mostly they come from China, but there are other countries as well that produce counterfeit currency as well as there have been some unscrupulous individuals right here in the States.

Also, counterfeits are not just limited to Morgan dollars. Everything from scarce issues such as Flowing Hair Dollars, to Continental Currency, to common issues as Eisenhower dollars and gold and silver current date bullion such as American Silver Eagles (and gold bullion reproductions). Basically in today's collecting terms, it almost seems nothing is off limits to counterfeiters. It takes knowledge and skill to spot such fakes but you are always welcome to come here and ask about anything you find questionable.