Ignored Morgans
percyb
Posts: 3,328 ✭✭✭✭
I’ve ignored Morgan’s for decades bc there were too many to complete a set and for a while years ago much chatter about counterfeits. I’ve come to appreciate their beautiful and design. That’s all
"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." PBShelley
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But they can be stunningly beautiful!
I ignored everything else except Morgans for maybe 12 years, before branching out into other areas of collecting. Yes it is a long series, even more so because of the various mint marks and die varieties, but that is the allure and makes the series fun and intriguing. You don’t need to collect the entire series, you can instead focus on smaller sub-collections, like 1878 vams, CC Morgan’s, proofs, PL or Dmpl date set, etc. check out the registery for ideas. It’s a great series, enjoy.
I don’t know about “stunningly beautiful..” There are definitely better designs in the U.S. series in my opinion. I have a rather nice Proof Morgan, but I don’t think that it is as attractive as many of my Draped Bust coins, a high grade Type III gold dollar or the 1907 High Relief $20 gold.
Morgan Dollars do have a rich history in the politics, however, and that is what I most admire about them.
One of my favorite coin types, particularly the CC coins.
I thought "Ignored Morgans" would refer to the non-S$1 patterns with the Morgan obverse.
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One of my coin collector friends really liked Morgan dollars so when I expressed my opinion that the Peace dollar had a more attractive design, a very heated discussion ensued.
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"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I have always liked the big silver Morgan dollars.... About twenty years ago, I did the CC series of Morgans... That was fun. I also have various others that came my way via shows, shops, other collectors, that I found interesting - both raw and slabbed. Cheers, RickO
Here's the best one I have. I can't understand why it wasn't graded as a Cameo Proof.
When I was first starting out in this hobby, my dad gave me a $1000 bag he had stashed away to look through and sort.
I spent a couple weeks organizing them by date, mint mark & condition... I couldn't help but fall in love with them from then on.
Click on this link to see my ebay listings.
I started with Morgans as a YN in the 1990s. My first ever coin shop purchase was an 1878. I built a raw circulated date set and added a few extra here and there. I still have all the Morgans I acquired as a YN including the mistakes and they remain raw. I enjoy them quite a bit.
Other than a single Morgan in my Type Set, I also ignored them, until this past February. I then started a 28 coin Morgan Dollar DATE set.
So far I have 17 of the 28. Now only 11 more to go!
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
I have a hard time paying up for overrated coins. They are so popular, that the individual prices are unreasonable in my eyes. But, I have only sold a single morgan to this day, and it was an choice XF 1888 O hot lips, and I regret letting it go. Whenever they come in collections I just keep them.
They have their place in this hobby, but I personally focus on early material.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
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JRCS #1606
I completed a registry set of Morgan's, but I have recently sold about 30 coins out of the set. The set was fairly easy to find coins to purchase. After collecting about 40 dates and mint marks in PL or DMPL in MS64 or higher, the remaining dates in PL or DMPL are expensive and difficult to find.
I loved to get Morgan Dollar want lists when I was a dealer. All of the date and mint mark combinations were available, even the 1895-P and 1893-S. All it took was money. At my last show, which was in Clearwater, Florida, one dealer had 18, 1893-S dollars in stock, ranging from VG to AU. The coin is scarce relative to the demand, but there are lots of survivors. The real rarity comes in if you want one in Choice to Gem Unc.
I mostly collected Morgans from the 1990s until 2002 or so. I got tired of big price swings based on tiny differences in grade - MS64 vs. MS65 vs. MS64 PL vs. MS64 DMPL, etc. There was no CAC to help settle the matter back then. From there, I switched over to Bust, Seated, Copper, and a few Barbers. The populations are so much lower for these coins, and I felt like I'd do better holding them in the long run.
In retrospect, I likely would have done just as well (financially speaking) with the Morgans if I stuck with PCGS graded coins in the old holders while avoiding coins that have huge price swings over one point in grade. I could have done great if I bought pretty toned Morgans in PCGS holders in the 1990s before the premiums went sky high.
Still, I have no regrets over the Bust and Seated material I own.
I nearly completed a mint state set but found it a little too laborious because there were so many so I sold them- now I only collect proofs. Much more manageable for me!
Gee, I'd love to see photos of those Morgan's dated from the 1990's to 2002 or so.
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
I too ignored Morgan's for a very long time mostly because I couldn't afford them when I was young.
Returning to collecting after 33 years I found them quite desirable so I chose a smallish manageable series of Morgan's rather than being overwhelmed with a sizable date set or date and mint set. I'm very content with what I've been fortunate to assemble.
This one was the last piece to join and complete my PCGS CC family.
USAF (Ret.) 1985 - 2005. E-4B Aircraft Maintenance Crew Chief and Contracting Officer.
My current Registry sets:
✓ Everyman Mint State Carson City Morgan Dollars (1878 – 1893)
✓ Everyman Mint State Lincoln Cents (1909 – 1958)
✓ Morgan Dollar GSA Hoard (1878 – 1891)
Not a series I enjoy. No REAL rarities. Just look at the population numbers. A fate checkbook and away you go. And, of course the current love affair with AT. But to each his own. Coin shows wouldn't exist without the ever-present cases full of Morgans.
I am so old that I remember getting groups of Silver Dollars from the bank to look for dates that I needed and then taking the others back to the bank.
I found it hard to ignore!