Morgan: Worn Or Weakly Struck Breast Feathers?

Ooh, this can be a tough one ... To me, worn would have a little bit of luster subdued around the points of wear (assuming AU-50 to 58 grading) and there are probably multiple exceptions to this. Weakly struck in effect should look a little bit different than worn where there might still be gobs of luster present.

I would think the breast feathers would be a major grading detail for many coins, but again there are exceptions where the breast is not struck up at all, but the rest of the coin could be blazing mint state.

Just some musing here

A weakly struck New Orleans coin usually will have weakness in the opposing areas of the obverse and reverse. If the breast feathers are mushy, the hair over the ear should also be mushy. The dead giveaway for strike weakness is presence of original luster with weak hair and feathers.

Do you mean that the hair referred to is the part on the obverse right above the ear located directly underneath the highest points of the rev. breast feathers?

Would these areas (both obv & rev) shine/reflect equally with the rest of the coin for a weak strike?

And would it be correct to assume that for the most part a weak strike should not produce a worn rev. breast with a weak strike area of hair above the ear on the obv. and visa versa?