Guess the grade- 1898-O Morgan
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by True Money on -
I am going to say MS64. It appears to be satin to semi-prooflike in luster. The strike appears slightly weak for it to be in the range of MS67 and above.
-True Money!
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Permalink Reply by Ike on -
This is my first stab @ grading a coin so here goes---MS66 if the blurring on the hair & cheek above the ear is caused by the holder. The reverse looks like a solid MS66
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Permalink Reply by Steve W on -
Buff,
Liberty has "chin scuff" and the reverse has numerous bag marks. The O seems scarred. I am going with MS 63 even though I doubt that you would keep a 63. You strike me as the "elegant" collecting type! LOL Is this picture done with your new camera?
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Permalink Reply by Buffalo on -
It was Steve, I bought a Nikon DSLR a few days ago. It can do better than these photos. They were taken just holding the camera by hand and the auto settings, no editing other than cropping. The camera has a lot more features and capability than my old one so it will be a learning experience. BTW, one of my favorite coins I have is a raw 1942 Walker that wouldn't be worth $8 on a good day, so what I collect and keep covers a wide range for sure. Here is another one taken the same way with no editing, literally like the second or third time I snapped a picture with it.
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Permalink Reply by True Money on
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What camera and lens did you get?
-True Money!
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Permalink Reply by Buffalo on
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The camera is just their entry level one, the D3000. The lens is an AF-S NIKKOR 18-55 mm. Not the most elaborate set up but I think it was a good compromise for the money I wanted to spend. I just couldn't justify spending $900 or more on a camera body and then spending as much as $2K or more on a lens to go with it. At some point I can upgrade this lens if needed. Eventually I would like to have one 105 or 150mm but they get expensive and I'm not in a hurry since I really think it will take me a while to learn how to get the best results from what I have now.
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Permalink Reply by True Money on
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It's great to hear of your new purchase. A good quality photo of a valuable coin may generate $1000 or more in bids for that coin at auction (online auctions). It's important to have a good setup and photo editing software like Adobe's Photoshop. My setup is by no means complete, and has costed me roughly $10,000 to $12,000 over the years as I have accumulated pieces here and there. It is very expensive and very tedious work. I just wish I could dish out $7,000 to $8,000 on Nikon's nicest fixed macro lens. It is just out of my budget at this time. Have fun and remember to shoot in RAW format to get the white balance right in your photos.
-True Money!
Buffalo said:The camera is just their entry level one, the D3000. The lens is an AF-S NIKKOR 18-55 mm. Not the most elaborate set up but I think it was a good compromise for the money I wanted to spend. I just couldn't justify spending $900 or more on a camera body and then spending as much as $2K or more on a lens to go with it. At some point I can upgrade this lens if needed. Eventually I would like to have one 105 or 150mm but they get expensive and I'm not in a hurry since I really think it will take me a while to learn how to get the best results from what I have now.
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Permalink Reply by Buffalo on
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Thanks TM, I appreciate your good wishes. It is amazing how much money you could put into this but I guess for now at least I am taking the cheaper way out. It is still a huge step up from what I had before even before I started having all the problems with my old camera. The biggest limitation right now is my skill level so I am going to work on that before putting more money into it.
Here is the 1898-O Morgan in the slab. When I first saw this coin, my immediate impression was that the coin was undergraded and should have been a 64. After really examining the coin, I believe PCGS got it right and it really is a 63. The reverse is much cleaner than the obverse and I would grade just the reverse at a 65, which proves again the obverse is much more important to the overall grade given. What appears in the obverse slab photo as a dark band across Liberty's ear is a little misleading. The coin does have some toning in that area, but the photo is making it look a lot darker than it actually is probably mainly from the angle I lit the shot.
In the first post I mentioned that this slab rattles when you shake it. These PCGS "Rattler" slabs were their very first coin slabs. They were used from February 1986 when PCGS began slabbing coins until September of 1989. At that point, PCGS made changes to the slab design in response to counterfeit slabs which had already begun to appear. Many collectors believe the grading was tougher then than it is now, but I have quite a few O Mint Morgans all the way from the "Rattlers" to the current slabs and I just don't see that. In fact, I am really amazed how consistent the grading is and don't have a single one I would argue with.
Anyways, here is the coin. Steve W, you got it right! Thanks to everyone who joined in.
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Permalink Reply by True Money on
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Wow! I did not know the toning on the obverse was that apparant. This toning probably dropped the grade to MS63 from MS64. Some on here may advise you to send this coin to NCS for conservation and then on to NGC for grading. If you did that, NGC may give it MS66. Then, you are really taking your chances of ever having it certified by PCGS again (CAUTION!).
Thanks for the grading discussion. These are always fun and educational.
-True Money!
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Permalink Reply by Buffalo on
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This coin is one I have no plans to sell and I am happy with it the way it is, so I see no need for conservation. I believe the coin is stable and it has been in this slab since at least Setpember, 1989. As I have said before (and not wanting to start that debate up agian, lol) I have seen what I consider to be good results from some of what NCS has done. Obviously everyone has their own opinions on that issue and I believe we have considered and debated every one of them numerous times already. This coin will stay in the "Rattler" slab as it is though.
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