$1 1881 S 61- 68 (Anyone have a 60?)

lilolme

Oh no!
It is another one of my twisted 'look' post.

To get this started I had to verify that the bottle is open - check.
And speakers turned on - check.
.

.

.
Okay, then lets go.

So I don't fully remember how I got started on this but I gathered up some 1881 S Morgans in varying grades. I tried to get them with similar luster and strike. The 1881 S is a good choice since most are struck well. Now the luster is tricky as it varies for most issues including the 1881 S but I tried to get some with a semi-PL look to try and keep things balanced.

So I thought I would try to take a snap-o'matic of each one but at the same time try to keep the lighting and camera somewhat consistent for comparison. For the obverse I went with a + type luster (6 to 12 and 3 to 9) as it lit the device better. The reverse which really does not impact things I did the luster across the eagles wings (my preference).

The thought was how does the coin contact marks vary from grade 61 to 68 under similar lighting and camera setup. Once again I am not a photographer so take this knowing that and best I could generate,

I will give some information at each photo on stuff I see in hand. Let's Go!

1881 S MS 61 - As noted above these 1881 S have a semi- PL look to the so the field luster is not so bright / strong. Looking at the obverse contact marks they can be seen across the device and in the field from 7 o/c to 11 o/c and at 3 o/c. Summary all over the obverse. This might actually be a 'nice' 61. The reverse could be acceptable for a much higher graded coin The obverse dominates the grade.
.


.
1881 S MS 62 - Not as much semi-PL as can be seen from the field luster. Still plenty of contact marks in the fields and the devices. Again the reverse would grade much higher but the obverse dominates the grade.
.


.
1881 S MS 63 - The mark on the cheek is not that deep and more of a heavy frost break then cut. The contact mark at 3 o/c field is a cut. Otherwise there are less contact marks overall on the obverse. The fields are a little cleaner and the upper cheek not so distracted. The reverse again much better.
.


.
1881 S MS 64 - So the luster on this photo is a little weaker but it is a little more semi-PL. However, note how the fields are noticeably cleaner overall. Also the device is cleaning up some more but still light contact marks, the neck is fairly clean. Again the reverse is good and not as semi-PL with more field luster.
.


.
1881 S MS 65 - This coin has a little extra luster. The cheek has some contact marks but they are light and some disappear when rotated. Neck fairly clean. The fields are noticeably cleaner.
.


.
1881 S MS 66 - First this coin in hand is more lustrous than any of the previous coins. While I could capture this in a photo more, then I would be taking a different picture and not as representative as the previous. The coin is a semi-PL as noted previously and thus the less than booming field luster. Note the fields are fairly clean. The contact marks on the device are all light and the extra luster tends to accentuate them. Reverse looks good.
.


.
1881 S MS 67 - Okay first the PQ sticker. When I was looking at this one to buy, I kind of laughed at the PQ sticker and sill do. However, I just never did remove the worthless sticker. With that said the sticker I feel is actually correct (imagine that ). The fields are clean and the device only has minor contact in the jaw and chin area. The reverse is looking good.
.


.
1881 S MS 68 - This one was not part of my original grade thing. I kept this one from my Morgan set just to add to this 1881 S set. It is a little different in that it is a borderline PL. The reverse I believe is a PL (and cool) and the obverse is a flip. This is seen by the lack of luster in the fields as I didn't change the photo setup. Otherwise there is a lack of contact marks to make the grade. In hand one can tilt it around and see more light marks than what is in the photo but this is often the case.
.


.
That is it. Just some more of my twisted tales. Does anyone have a MS 60???

Well now it is time for an old outdoor photo from the snap-o'matic.
.

PerryHall

That's a great looking grading set missing only the MS60 grade and of course the ultra-high grades. Ironically, the MS60 is probably one of the more difficult grades to find in a PCGS slab for a grading set.

FlyingAl

This is pretty cool to see, and it’s probably great for you in hand to have a grading set of MS Morgans. Thanks for sharing!

U1chicago

That is very cool! You have a well matching grading set.

The MS 60 and MS 61 are actually two of the harder ones to find. Sometimes you have to pay 64/65 money for them since so few are out there (but be patient and I’m sure a 60 will pop up for a more reasonable price).

Do you have any plans of trying for the circulated grades? An AU 58 is likely easy enough but some of the others would be very challenging.

messydesk

@PerryHall said:
That's a great looking grading set missing only the MS60 grade and of course the ultra-high grades. Ironically, the MS60 is probably one of the more difficult grades to find in a PCGS slab for a grading set.

And when you do find one, it'll be in a doily with a sticker on it and cost you 67 money.

ricko

@lilolme ... Now that is an excellent grading set, and you certainly made a commendable effort at the photography. Thank you for showing this set. Good luck adding an MS60. Cheers, RickO

braddick

Ahhhh. . . you missed this one by just a few days...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234876827929?

asheland

Very cool!

TPRC

Super cool!

golden

Cool.

lilolme

Thanks for the comments. Once I got the music going it was a little enjoyable getting all the stuff done. Tried to make them match as best I could. When I was looking for these at the show I never found the 60 for 81S and I would not have been picky on matching. Did see some 60 of other dates but first kind of wanted 81S and second many were 60 due to a mixture of things (strike, luster, cleaning....) and did not match. Oh and some were semi-key and $$$.

In the past I thought about getting a 62 or so raw or slabbed and then setting on the carpet and tossing lightly some mixed coins on it. Then when I thought it looked like a 60, do it some more. Don't want it coming back 61. But never happened.

@braddick said:
Ahhhh. . . you missed this one by just a few days...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234876827929?

.
Well I missed by more than that. I have not participated in eBay. So that would mean a new account and PayPal and CC and figuring it out and setup. So that would not be an option.

I have noticed more stuff requiring an account and password (and.....) to order something. At a show last year I got something and the dealer I know well said he needed an email. I asked what is up and he replied that it was their (new) system and how it worked. Okay, no problem and asked not to be on email list. And I am not. Now I know why some require this stuff - it is in the system.