1886 morgan

[creilly]

Anyone want to make a wild stab guess at the grade? Scoll DOWN I added more pictures




Sorry its blurry its not dirt just toning Full breat of feathers Ill try and get a better picture

[Steven]

A wild stab! Thats what I'm best at. Not being able to grade well.
I was thinking 65 but the finger print on unum should bring it down 2 or 3.
Again just a wild stab from what I can see of the pictures.
Now those that know how to grade will come along shortly
Steven

After a second look, It appears that there has been some signs of cleaning on the Obv. above and behind the cap as well probably part of the reason for the fingerprint being retained during an attempt to remove toning or some kind of build up.

Again just my opinion.

[creilly]

I changed the pictures but still cant get a good one of the rev.

I was thinking of sending for grading.

[creilly]

Cleaning.. I really doubt it. Coins were collected by a grocery store owner over a 45 year period (1944 - 1987) and he sold his store 20 years ago. He got the store from his father and he is 87 years old. The coins have been in a saftey desposit box for 20 years. He has done nothing with them. This I KNOW for sure.
If it was cleaned it was LONG before he got it. Finger print is most likely people grease, or food grease.
The back and front do match. Some of the toning has creeped around to the front but you cant really see it in the picture because Im not a photographer and havnt got a CLUE on how to take a good picture, of a coin or my kids, haa haa.

[eagames]

I think I can see what Steven mentioned.
Notice how around the letters RIBUS it's dark in the recessed areas around the letters then it looks dull and lighter under BUS. That looks like somebody cleaned or harshly touched it. Then notice in front of the face it looks more original, gold toning and more flow lines/reflection/luster.

Being cleaned does not ruin them but it would be better if not cleaned. Many silver coins are dipped and made white and many can still get unc grades from companies. It's more accepted to dip or clean silver than copper but still I would never do it.

A fact about cleaning is it was done very often in the years before grading companies got so popular. It was not tabood as it is today. Many museums had wonderful collections and intentionaly had some or all of their entire collections cleaned.
Sadly that includes the national collection housed at the Smithsonian.

[coop]

I know very little about Morgans other than the bust was made of a school teacher when designed. It was scandoulous for a woman to have her image on a coin and was banned for life to serve as a teacher.
One other thing I've learned from a collector that if the breast feathers are not visible, it is dropped to at least a VF. The hair has some weakness which would denote some wear. Other than the finger print, it does have a nice appeal.
Silver Dollars are not my cup of tea cause I have more Cents (Sic) than dollars.

[Bob P]

I would say the coin grades MS 63-64, and the fingertips grade MS62.

[coppercoins]

From the clearer obverse image (and assuming the reverse is comparable in grade) the coin would be a high end 64, possibly a 65. None of the contact marks on the obverse look deep, and 65 allows for a rather large number of them if shallow. I doubt the coin is cleaned, and a proper dip wouldn't hurt it.

[smed]

Something is definitely going on from 11 - 4 o'clock... ecchy toning, cleaning (intentional or not), wiping... something...

[Gabe]

I dont know about this one. Consideringt that the rev. pic is a bit blury, it is hard to tell a grade.

From looking at the obv., Im thinking that the coin grades MS-64. The coin has some unnatractice tonning, and an obverse fingerprint. It looks to me like that surface is not natural, but its hard to tell from the picture.

[creilly]

Well I could not help myself.....
And I boiled it....

[coppercoins]

I would not recommend doing that again. The boiling is for cents only, and to get the crud out from around the letters - not for general coin cleaning.

[creilly]

OK OK I only did this one and what turned out to be a peace dollar.... No more pots for the silver.

[coop]

Congratulations on better images. It takes time to get them right. The coin may look better when you do something to it, but in time it may affect the long range price. Best to leave uncirculated/AU/EF coins alone. The lower grades tend to drop in prices fast, but by doctoring a coin you may lose one or two grades by removing layers off the top of the surface.

Question about the coin pictured. Is that a die crack on the reverse on Dollar or a scratch?

[creilly]

With my luck lately its probably machine doubling.. Kidding!! I dont know what it is. I didnt notice it before Ill pull the coin in the morning and take a look. How could someone miss that?? Humm, looked tonight anyway looks like one of my new grey hairs fell out and landed on the coin!
I would like to add the two coins I boiled in PLAIN water were a peace dollar covered in mud and this morgan that more than 1 person felt had been cleaned badly, so I figured I could not hurt it.

So .. ok no boiling in plain water.. how to I get the layers of mud and gunk off with out washing? The coin in question was buried in a wood box that rotted apart, then stuck in a plastic tub for 20 years in a basement. I thought the peace dollar was a morgan thats how badly they are covered.
I did mention that my grandpa was crazy as a coot.....
I know when you guys read my posts your probably cringing.....
But I got to experiment a little bit right? I AM NOT NOW NOR WILL I EVER DIP ANYTHING BUT WHAT IS IT?
I dont know what to do with all of this stuff any more. I think I should just sell the whole lot at once and keep my pennies and collect them. But everytime I show my stuff to a dealer I feel like Im gunna get ripped off. I have a basement full of stuff he collected, I couldnt tell you how many coins and medals. No one in the family wanted them, well, no one wanted to move them!! Heavy stuff you know. So I took them with family blessing to sell or keep. Tucked the gold into boxes at the bank and sorted the rest via coins or medals. Keep the coins sell the medals. Thats what I have been doing and getting a premium for the medals. But I think the coins are mostly junk. Melt value. Or maybe Im looking at them all wrong. I keep looking at what I THINK are the best ones.... Something to think about.