1885-O Morgan Dollar #5

I'll throw 64

Nice coin! The photos have too much glare to be confident of a grade. I played with your photos and adjusted light, contrast, color, and sharpness. With those adjustments, it is a bit easier to see the contact marks.

On the obverse, your coin has a typically weak 1885-O strike, affecting high points (the ear) and fine details (first cotton blossom). There appears to be a significant parallel contact mark running north from the front of the ear lobe through "ER" of LIBERTY. Other contact marks on the cheek, chin, truncation of the neck, and the field in front of the eye and nose are fairly typical. A few other contact marks are scattered in the hair and other details, and are less noticeable. IMHO, the combination of the vertical contact mark and weak strike would hold the obverse to a MS 63.

The reverse has a somewhat better strike, with decent breast detail. The weakness is noticeable on the legs, talons, bow, and lower right wreath. Contact marks hurt the reverse more than the strike. There is a significant rim hit at 3 o'clock, with other rim dings at 10, 1, and 2 o'clock. The eagle's right wing (our visual left) either has discoloration or significant bag marks. If these are contact marks, the overall reverse grade would be MS 63. If they are not contact marks, I could see the reverse at MS 64.

The strike weakness knocks out anything over MS 64, and I'm at MS 63 based on what I'm seeing from the photos. Clearer photos could change my opinion, but that's what I see right now. It isn't worth slabbing, but at $33, you came out ahead on this buy.

Thanks for sharing your coin with all of us!

Well done, my friend!

Great new photos, by the way. The new photos reveal a few more contact marks on the obverse, but resolve some concerns with the north-south mark from the ear lobe to the "ER" of LIBERTY. The previously hidden scratch below the chin is distracting, but the chatter between the head and stars around 4 o'clock is average and not unusual.

The reverse looks much better in your photos, and the rim dings look less significant.

I am now on the MS-64/65 fence. The reverse could push it to MS-65, but I would be comfortable with MS-64 as a floor. The strike weakness remains a concern, but it certainly is typical for 1885-O. I don't think you would go higher than 65, and slabbing wouldn't be cost-effective even at MS-65.

This is a nice coin. You certainly stole it at a generic UNC price, so you are definitely well ahead on this one. On a bourse floor, I could easily see this selling raw somewhere between a 64 and 65 price.

IMHO, in light of the better photos, it's MS-64+.