1878 S Morgan

This one could reach AU50 as a result of the luster.

First, understand that I'm just another collector, so my words shouldn't be taken as gospel.

OK. I see what I believe to be wear generally on the surfaces of both obverse and reverse - not heavy wear, but wear all the same. I'm quite familiar with scanned Morgans, and the differences betweem MS and circ Morgans in scans. On this coin, the peak of the cap, the hair over the temple, and the nature of the finish and marks on the cheek tend to make me believe it's been lightly circulated. Also to be noted are the slightly blurred cotton bolls and leaves just above them.

On the reverse, notable points are the eagle's neck, the claw/arrows area, and the top edges of both wings close to the body.

Some of the marks on the coin, on both fields and devices, are of the type more commonly encountered in curculation.

Having said all that, the usual caveat that it's impossible to accurately grade a coin from just scans or pics applies, and I reserve the right to completely change my mind with the coin in-hand.

Ralph, I think you're looking at a lightly circulated '78S. 1878S Morgans are also generally well struck like the 79S's, so any circulation will be fairly obvious. While the reverse well-defined breast feathers, there's a few marks in the field which do not appear to be bag marks (e.g., there are no round bag marks such as found above the Eagle's head). The giveaway, however is Liberty's hair on the obverse which should show more detail above her forehead and especially over her ear. Compare this coin with the one Bryan posted for the 1879S (he may have also posted one in this thread; in this forum, I test myself by assessing a coin before looking at the other responses to keep my guesses from being influenced by others). Also, there's a few circulation marks on Liberty's face and the obverse field.

If I had to put a grade on it, I'd go with AU-50, perhaps only EF-45 since the obverse which shows more wear than the reverse is most (60% to 75%) of the determining factor in a coin's grade.

Bryan is the 78 VAM expert and he can (maybe already has) give you a better readout on the specific variety.

Fred

... Now to see if I'm at war with the other Morganphiles...

Dont let Fred fool you His eyes are not the only thing that squeaks !!

I can't say how long I've waited for this chance! The pot calls the kettle black! Hee hee hee!

But I agree that this coin is or was lightly circulated, now that does not mean that it passed through any retailer hands,, the effects that are seen on this coin could very well have come from being stroed in a sock drawer or jewelry box,,

but no matter how the rub occured it still reflects as circulation,,

My opinion of this coin is AU-55

RickWay to go Fred ,, and its nice to think that you may just get away with it Huh ?

Touche! The varlet got me. I yield to the man behind the curtain. Score: Rick: 2, Fred: 1

Thanks guys. Each time I post a scan, and get feedback on the estimated grade along with an explanation as to how that designation was reached, I feel I've gained a little more knowledge on the subject.
Bryan - I eyeballed this coin under 20x magnification, and nothing jumps out at me as being out of the ordinary.

I can understand about recognizing the differences. When looking at mine, I don't really know what the subtle differences might be - no VAM book. Heck, I'm still learning about grading, and that is an education in itself.
As for looking at many - in another thread I said that I only have 80 Morgans, and most of them are well below the MS grades - upgrades will come in time.