1902 Morgan Dollar Upgrade

Zsmartie

I realize I probably should not even consider an upgrade, but what is your opinion of this 1902 Morgan ms65? I submitted it to PCGS asking for any upgrade and it was returned. I am pretty new to this hobby, but willing to learn.

david3142

What do you mean “asking for an upgrade?” I assume you mean reconsideration, since they did not crack out the coin. If you are confident in your abilities you could always try cracking it out and sending it raw. The coin looks nice from here but nobody is going to be able to reliably tell you a strong 65 vs a 66 from photos (and yours aren’t bad pics).

TommyType

Agree with david3142. The difference between a nice 65, and a 66 is probably wrapped up in a combination of Luster, number of normally insignificant ticks and marks, and someone's opinion of "superior eye appeal". Photos probably aren't going to capture that to the extend required for grading here.

That said....(and in complete contradiction to what I just said. )....It kind of looks like the booming luster normally seen on 66 coins might be the missing ingredient?

messydesk

It's a fairly nice looking coin. Luster might be what's holding it back from a 66 grade. If you are new to the hobby and someone sold you the coin saying "Old Green Holder -- lock for an upgrade," one of the first things you need to learn is that a statement like that should light up your BS meter like a Christmas tree.

FadeToBlack

I'd buy that for 65 money and that's all I'll say.

thefinn

Green CAC, but not Gold. Nice solid coin, but like mentioned, the luster is the thing holding it back.

Smudge

I guess they told you that they got it right the first time. I think they did. Nice coin, but 65 is a strong grade.

KellenCoin

It is a solid 65, and I do not see it going further. Nice pics though, and nice coin.

Paradisefound

I see what you mean .... we're just kiddin' you around here Nice pick up and leave it in it's slab as a reference piece

Soldi

Yours is a nice coin. I would be happy with the grade assigned. I once bought an 1892 P in 64+ and I found out that a 4 is a 4 is a 64 is a 4 (grade maxed out ) pretty as it was it would not upgrade + or no plus in my case, it was a 4.

One thing you and I learn when a coin appeals to us .........don't buy the sizzle.............i.e. sounds like filet mignon cooking, looks like filet mignon cooking, hear that sizzle? Phew sure doesn't taste like a filet mignon. Never buy the sizzle no matter how good it sounds.

Old holders, green and blue and shades of both really suffered from the same arguments back then that we hear today regarding grading.

CommemDude

In terms of hits and abrasions, it's a lot nicer than many Morgans I have seen in MS65 holders
As others have said, it's lacking luster to take it to the next level; there are many MS65 commems (eg: Arkansas) in old green holders that are totally clean of hits but are so dull from dipping that they would not be called 65 today

ricko

@Zsmartie....Welcome aboard.... You can ask for an upgrade, though that is not the normal procedure (Reconsideration is the process), however, you will GET the grade determined by the TPG personnel... If a request was all that was required, we would all have MS/PR70's Cheers, RickO

Zsmartie

Thanks for the comments. I misspoke when I said I requested an upgrade. I submitted the coin for reconsideration asking for any increase (i.e. 1/2 point or more).