Newbie Here... Got Some Silver Dollars From Grandma

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,489
jdheyne Pillar of the Community United States 772 Posts	Posted 12/07/2005 11:03 am Hello. New to the forum and basically new to Coin Collecting as well. I got some silver dollars from my grandma a few days ago, and I had some questions. The 3 Peace dollars appear to have wear on the reverse in the wording at the top on the pics, on the coins themselves they appear fine #1 Has some shine, but not nearly as much as #3. #2 Appears to have tape residue along the bottom of the obverse. The coin also has a goldish tint, assuming its just tarnish. #3 appears to be in pretty good shape with quite a lot of shine. The pic shows almost like some scractches on the obverse, you cannot see that on the coin. This is the best one out of the Morgans that I got. It has minimal shine left. This one is dirtier than #4, has less shine, but still seems in good shape. #6 Appears to have ink or something on it. Whenever it is held at an angle, you can see a deeper bluish/purplish shine around the edges. First off, I was wondering some grades on these coins (which is why it is posted here). Second, cleaning. Now I know people are very adamant on NEVER CLEANING A COIN, but #2 and #6 seem like they might need something. If people still say to never clean a coin after seeing these, then I will listen... Third, is the shine also called luster? Fourth, how can I post the pictures so they just appear and they don't have the little thing you gotta click on? And I think that is all for now. I thank you all in advance for your help. Jordan Report this Post to the Staff

Metalman Pillar of the Community United States 7123 Posts	Posted 12/07/2005 12:20 pm Hi Jordan The first Peace dollar Looks to me Like an AU-55 perhaps 58,,some weakness in the strike of the Peace dollars is common and hard to determine from a photograph, but I dont think this coin would make Unc. grade. #2 This coin is aprox. the same in detail as the first, but with the tape residue, and dark overall appearance ,it is in bad shape !! #3 EF-40 maybe 45, this coin has nice eye appeal #4 VF-30 #5 VF-20 this coin has much more wear than the first morgan. #6 EF-45 Toned ,, the color is a natural process, this coin has toned very dark and almost to the point of to dark, although some collectors really like the Monster toned coins. Welcome to the forum !! Lets see what the others have to say about your coins, MorganFred has a handle on the Morgans and His opinion should be of more value than mine !! Rick Edited by Metalman 12/07/2005 2:31 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Susanlynn9 Forum Mom United States 5877 Posts	Posted 12/07/2005 2:05 pm I edited your post so that the pics are visible in the thread. If you click on them, you get a full size pic. I have to take my son our Christmas shopping. When I get back, I'll look at the pics and throw in my 2 cents. Report this Post to the Staff
Susanlynn9 Forum Mom United States 5877 Posts	Posted 12/07/2005 8:23 pm Okay, here are my opinions: 1 - VF30 - I don't think the flatter areas are due to a weaker strike. It looks like there is wear on the higher hairlines and eagle's head and neck. 2 - VF30 details, possibly cleaned in the past - What is the white area on the reverse? Does this appear to be residue of some kind? 3 - EF40 4 - VF30 5 - VF20 6 - EF/AU details but I think the darker toning is due to a past cleaning and retoning. Keep in mind that these opinions are based on images. No matter how good pics are, grading is much more accurate with the coin in hand. Shine and luster are not necessarily the same thing. Luster is a cartwheel effect and is natural coin shine. A coin that has been cleaned or polished has shine but it does not cartwheel. The cartwheel effect is due to the natural metal flow lines. Once a coin is cleaned, it begins to lose that effect. Report this Post to the Staff
Morgan Fred Rest in Peace United States 2684 Posts	Posted 12/08/2005 11:05 am Hi Jordan. First, Welcome to the forum! We're a friendly group and always happy to help. I'll leave comments on the Peace dollars to those more experienced than I with this series. However, I'm never without an opinion on Morgans although I'm not a Morgan guru. The color and dirt on a coin should not be used as a basis for its quality. In many instances, dirt and color can be indicators that a coin has not been cleaned. As you've figured out, cleaning is the kiss of death for a coin. #4 looks to me it might grade at VF-25, maybe even 30. #5 appears to be slightly more worn than #4 and grade at VF-20. #6 is in the best condition of the three Morgans as indicated by its wear. It's possibly VF-35 to XF-40. I don't think it would make AU judging from the wear on the Eagle's breast. I can almost imagine signs that it has been handled by bare fingers rather than gloves (latex or cotton). All three Morgans, especially #6 appear to be tarnished (not dirty) possibly due to storage problems (e.g., exposure to high humidity and high temps, or in a cardboard or other box with high sulfer content, say a shoe box). I'm not sure if the term "toning" could be applied in this case although storage causes both situations; toning is more iridescent than simple tarnish. However, I would prefer to see the coins in hand before making a more specific determination and images often distort a coin's actual condition. As Susan said, #6 could have been cleaned at some time long past and retarnish set in (a coin, once cleaned retarnishes more quickly), but again, this would have to be determined in hand with this Morgan. In any instance, while the coins don't have high value, they would make a great start to a Peace and/or Morgan dollar collection. Report this Post to the Staff
jdheyne Pillar of the Community United States 772 Posts	Posted 12/09/2005 11:22 am Metalman, Susanlynn9, Morgan Fred, thanks for your help. I got a lot of useful info from you 3. Report this Post to the Staff
Susanlynn9 Forum Mom United States 5877 Posts	Posted 12/09/2005 12:45 pm Always glad to help. Report this Post to the Staff
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