1897 S Morgan

AU-Ms details, cleaned, lacks cartwheel luster and... just looks polished. Has that toning you get with a cleaned coin... toning should be consistent, it shouldn't have breaks or bubbles, although it can from improper handling. if the toning looks almost like a liquid was on the coin and dried (This one has that look) then run away.

It almost looks like residue from an improperly rinsed dip.

Awesome input. I see the areas you both mention. In hand, it looks like there is a cloud around Liberty's head. I assumed that someone tried to wipe it clean at some point, creating those "clouds". Glad to know your input on that. I see the wear behind the ear, its just that little stripe of hair but it is noticeable. I am guessing that this is a major indicator on Morgans determining a difference between AU and BU. Thanks for your input

And in case it comes up here, I paid 34$ for this coin from the local dealer. He is a really nice guy and I know he has a coin obsession to feed so I didn't mind the price because I liked the toning on the coin.

Club, with determining the difference between AU and BU, I mostly look for what is referred to as luster breaks or frost breaks. Frost breaks can be the result of bag wear, as can breaks in the luster, but the trick is discerning between bag wear and real wear, if you would. A coin can have luster and frost breaks and still be uncirculated. When you look at the coin as a whole, you'll see slight impairment of the luster on the surfaces of the coin, and on Morgans, you'll notice frost breaks above the ear, on the cheek, lower neck, and eyebrow. On the reverse, the chest of the eagle will generally show said breaks first. That link I gave you in the other thread to the PCGS photograde will have examples of this... learning where those luster breaks generally exhibit themselves on very lightly circulated coins is something you can learn by viewing those... however, I'd recommend in-hand viewing to get an idea of how an AU coin looks as opposed to a BU coin in terms of luster... then from there you should be able to pick up the other differences with a fair amount of ease.

A piece of advice; I would stay away from any high-grade, high value raw coins until you know what to look for. There are some very talented coin doctors out there that can fool even the best eyes, let alone the eyes of a novice. If you're going to focus on Morgans, I'd make a point to go out and pick up a few cheap slabbed ones... Perhaps a 55, 58, 62, 63, 64, and 65. That way you can see the differences in hand and have a good reference point for future coins you buy. That is how I learned to grade... by exposing myself to coins that I had to grade myself, and comparing them with examples I already knew the grade of.

Ok, I'm beginning to see the light! I appreciate your personal translation, the bulb above my head is now flickering at least! I will definitely keep an eye out for slabs that are in those grades. I'm going to go through this forum tonight and look at older posts and check out some AU Morgans for the breaks you are mentioning. This exactly the reason why I have been lurking on this forum, the nicest and most generous people are all here I swear! Thanks again for the tips Fade, it is much appreciated. I'm good with the AU 55 Details Cleaned, seems like it is a general consensus.

But I will add, picking a RAW coin is much more fun haha especially VAMS