NGC Mess Up Or Am I Missing Something

Maybe I'm just blind, or it's the images, but the breast feathers look non-existent and all the hairlines look flattened to me.

I'm not prepared to call this a miss on NGC's part yet. The obverse is too obscured by toning to make concrete determinations, so I'll base my opinion on the reverse:

Talons are flat, a classic sign of a weak strike, as is the lack of detail in the large wreath leaf above the "E." Plenty of detail is noted in the upper edges of the wings nearest the neck, a relatively shallow part of the devices which usually survive a weak strike yet wear early in circulation. The same goes for the eagle's neck itself.

I consider the breast inconsequential in New Orleans strikes; heck, when you can see breast feathers at all on a New Orleans coin, you're doing well.

The legs have the classic weak-strike flatness, but this isn't much of a deciding factor because they wear early as well.

Was NGC close? I believe so.

Very possible. Slabs are not airtight, and the right atmospheric conditions will tone a coin almost as quickly in a slab as raw. I'm guessing this isn't an example of that, as dark as the toning is, but I may be wrong.

Wow that doesn't look MS to me at all! maybe SGS MS64

I'd call that a decent deal if the coin grades out. There's very darn little chatter in the fields and with a clearer look at the obverse I could almost support the idea it's high-end for 64.

Do you by chance have a scanner, w1a9c8k5? This is an ideal time for images which take color and luster (or lack thereof) completely out of the picture so we can consider the strict technical merits of the coin.

The coin certainly looks ms64 to me. NO Morgans were struck with less pressure than the other mints to try and make the dies last longer, so the grading has to take this into consideration. The toning gives the coin an original, unique look that at least to me keeps it from looking like the thousands of dipped and stripped blast white coins out there. I kind of like it.

NO dollars were struck at HIGHER pressure on harder planchets due to improper annealing and that is why the dies failed so quickly.

I would have said that in no wasy was an MS64, no way. But after reading some of the explanations
on this thread it is a good thing I kept my mouth shut. I must say there are some very sharp people
on this site. Ed you seemto know your stuff.