Posted 09/24/2006 8:34 pm
Hi Shatsi--
I would not want to state for certain that those are carbon spots, but I don't know what mold can grow on silver
. In any instance, they tend to detract from the coin as do the marks on Liberty's face, field, and rim which look more like circulation marks than bag marks; the reverse is in much better condition than the obverse, but still with the spots. Unfortunately, TPGs give most of their grades from the obverse rather than the reverse. However, the high luster belies the circulation notion. The Morgan is weakly struck as is common with the Philadelphia mint in 1889, but otherwise I would not want to state that it is a circulated coin. Overall, I'd guess MS-60, maybe MS-61. It's probably not worth sending off to NCS for conservation, so you might consider experimenting by soaking it in olive oil to see if the spots would disappear. If it were mine, however, I'd just leave it alone and go shopping for another 89 unless I was in an experimentation mood.
Still, the bottom line is that there is no such thing as an ugly Morgan
.
Fred
I would not want to state for certain that those are carbon spots, but I don't know what mold can grow on silver
. In any instance, they tend to detract from the coin as do the marks on Liberty's face, field, and rim which look more like circulation marks than bag marks; the reverse is in much better condition than the obverse, but still with the spots. Unfortunately, TPGs give most of their grades from the obverse rather than the reverse. However, the high luster belies the circulation notion. The Morgan is weakly struck as is common with the Philadelphia mint in 1889, but otherwise I would not want to state that it is a circulated coin. Overall, I'd guess MS-60, maybe MS-61. It's probably not worth sending off to NCS for conservation, so you might consider experimenting by soaking it in olive oil to see if the spots would disappear. If it were mine, however, I'd just leave it alone and go shopping for another 89 unless I was in an experimentation mood.Still, the bottom line is that there is no such thing as an ugly Morgan
.Fred
