Any Beginners Advice For Toned/Blast Morgans?

FinallyFirst, post some pictures of your acquisitions for us to

There, fixed that for ya.

Start with SeatedNut's advice, Curio Bill. Artificially-toned Morgans abound, and demand is such that they sell to the unknowing regardless of how obvious they are. Me, I enjoy the beauty of a toned Morgan, but not enough to pay a premium for one. Others think differently.

Blast-white coins are likely to have been dipped during their lives. This is the unspoken assumption among collectors and TPG's alike; we tend to breeze by the fact as long as the result "looks" correct for the coin. Keep in mind, for a Morgan to be in original mint finish, it must have been kept away from any chance of corrosion for up to 150 years. Not easy, when the average desk top will tone one.

If your desire is just to own a "few good examples," stick with the more common dates whose availability in high grades keeps prices low. Early S-mint examples fit this description - you can get an MS65 1881-S for about $125, and it'll be sharply-struck and beautiful to look at.

Register for free at Heritage Auctions. That will give you access to their enormous database of previous auctions with high-definition pictures - almost 170,000 Morgans alone - and serve as an excellent guide both to real-world pricing and TPG grading standards. Not to mention, it's not a bad place to buy Morgans.

Yes, in one sense, because of the multiple layers of protection offered. Both Heritage and the TPG's have reputations to protect, and between them form a nice safety net if you happen to acquire a coin which the TP got wrong, and Heritage then misrepresented as a result.

Furthermore, oftimes the best prices I see for real-world sales of a given coin happen at Heritage. That's counterintuitive, given Heritage's reputation as the place to be if you want to sell a high-end coin, but there it is. One must be patient, though - like any auction venue, "auction fever" is a real possibility, leading you to bid more than is appropriate. So, you wait for the right deal to come along - bid no more than prior results indicate to be reasonable - and, knowing there will always be another coin offered down the road, eventually you get what you want at the price you're willing to pay.