Well, I Won It. But It Didn't Come Cheap!

Fair enough. In my view this Morgan is entirely passable as a straight grade in the MS range. If hairlines are visible with carful inspection I can see why PCGS detail holdered it. This is not a particularly rare or valuable Morgan so no need to give it the leniency rarer coins receive. I don't know the cutoff threshold (I imagine it is quite arbitrary based on the group handling the coin) but in the realm of rare world coins, a lot of leeway is given.

This specimen is an example of a coin I own. I assure it is virtually impossible to find an untouched 250 year old coin that is as blast white as this one (akin to your Morgan). I know without a doubt it has been cleaned as hairlines are evident without much need for close inspection. You can even see hairlines in the NGC picture. But this is a straight graded MS63 so you know the coin got some (too much?) leeway, probably because of its strong luster.

https://www.NGCcoin.com/price-guide...duid-1544819

Point being, it's all a crapshoot and Mike should roll the dice again and re-submit! I believe his coin is beautiful and rare enough to warrant just a smidgeon of leeway which would be more than enough for a straight grade.