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How to grade Morgans with scratches...

Can you please help me grade this coin? Looking for a little help understanding how scratches affect grading. I've read articles about how it affects grading negatively but am looking for help with this example. It's an 1878CC Morgan. The coin, at its core, is very shiny. I don't know if it's the "mirror like" variety but it "glows" really well. BUT...all the scratches. I can't tell if it's cleaning/polishing, etc. And of course with the way it shines, it almost makes the scratches look more well defined. Thanks for your help!!!

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    ifthevamzarockinifthevamzarockin Posts: 8,498 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Welcome CleverUserName,

    First off your coin appears to be genuine, lots of fakes out there. From the photos it looks like it has not been cleaned. The scattered contact marks are often referred to as bag marks, from being stored in canvas mint bags. Grading is harder on photos and is subjective anyway. Yours looks like it might be around the MS-63 range.

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    Thank you so much, @ifthevamzarockin. Appreciate it.

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    ifthevamzarockinifthevamzarockin Posts: 8,498 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No problem....nice coin. Feel free to post others you have questions on. :)

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    JBKJBK Posts: 14,749 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There are "scratches" and then there are scratches. At first glance your coin just has normal contact or bag marks. Those will affect value/grade but are acceptable. If they were man made scratches, out of place, then that would be a different story.

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