Morgan Dollar Pick-Up In UK Inc 1895 O

Marbury518, just to let you know, I got your email but am having trouble replying at the moment. Unless, of course, it's sending my reply but telling me it couldn't, in which case you have about 40 copies of it now.

I see no reason to doubt the 1895-O. It looks to be an original-surfaces coin, grading about VG-10. It's definitely worthy of a TPG slab at some point - in PCGS VG-10, it'll fetch well over US$200 at auction. I have it as VAM-2, the only 1895-O variety with the date in "normal" location. All the others are "Far Dates."

The link you sent me regarding the 1894-O was deceptive in that it lumped all circulated coins into one price class, which obviously doesn't apply. In the condition shown, it should still fetch $40-50, more than some Morgans will cost you in Mint State condition if bought properly. When you can, I'd like to see images of the other two.

I have noted a lack of consistency in TPG grading over the years for this grade range. You may well get your F12 out of it.

1901

I second the motion on getting the 1895-O slabbed by PCGS. It appears to be a nice, problem free circulated one. Well worth of a slab and would help its resale greatly, authenticity-wise.

Yup, they were big coins, Marbury. They were minted after the discovery of the Comstock Lode in Nevada in the mid 1800's. Silver was plentiful and cheap for quite a while after that discovery. In fact, silver was so plentiful out there that the Carson City mint often used silver as part of the alloy for their gold coins in the 1870's. It was cheaper to use the silver, rather than ship in the copper.

PCGS' turnarounds have been good lately so ya never know.

Compare them to the British Crown of the same era. The crown was even heavier (28.27 grams) and it was only 60 pence, only one fourth of the pound unit.