1895-S Morgan

mids1999

3 questions on this 1895-s Morgan.

Did this coin deserve to be marked as scratched by anacs?
If so can you please explain to me why?
Do you think it was fairly graded as EF Details VF-30 Scratched?

Front
Back

Thanks
Mike

MastaHanky

Maybe not scratched, but it definitely looks cleaned to me.

Could be that big ding on the eagle's breast, or possibly the scratch looking thing through the neck of Liberty...

prooflike

There is a rather large gouge on the eagle and one in the field left of the eagle.

mids1999

ANACS did not mark this one for cleaned only for scratched.

mids1999

Do you think it was fairly graded by anacs?
Would PCGS slab this one?

morganbarber

I agree that cleaned seems more accurate than scratched. I also agree that net VF is about right.

BigD5

I don't think, from the scan anyway, that it would get slabbed by pcgs or ngc. Looks cleaned, and the mark on the Eagle is probably what anacs considered "scratched". Think of the term they use in a broad sense. They have to cover a lot of potentially different "problems" on a coin, and may have figured "scratched" sounds better than "damaged".
They only knocked the coin down 10 points, and where the coin looks to be cleaned as well as having that "mark", I'd consider that a good grade to have received on the coin. It could have just as easily come back xf details cleaned/damaged, net vf/20.
There are a lot of collectors/dealers who would rather sell a coin like this one raw, and notate the problems as seen.
Your coin does seem to be cleaned as well as the slight damage to the eagle, so I doubt if it would solicite any better than vf money if you put it up for sale slabbed, or raw.

BillJones

If the coin is called EF, it's overgraded since by wear it's a VF. Unlike the 1895-O, which was very poorly struck, the 1895-S was a well made issue. There is no reason to believe the the eagle's breat feathers were poorly sturck, which would warrant an adjustment in the grade. This may have been cleaned or had its surfaces lightly polished, but I would have to see it in person to know for sure.

As for what the other services might call it, it would not surprise me to see them give it an EF. Sadly better dates are routinely overgraded these days, which is real insult to collectors who purchase these coins.

nwcs

Looks polished to me, too. Those are cleaning hairlines. Unless they are excessive, though, I don't think it necessarily warrants a net grade because of the wear. But ultimately, the market grade is what you would pay for it. But I would grade it a net VF for me. Even with the scratches (which I would expect in a coin of this wear).

beelzebud

I certainly think that it has been cleaned as has already been noted. IMO, I dont agree with anacs that it should be classified as scratched- but downgraded for what appears to be cleaning.

Bill

sinin1

I've got some ANACS net coins in front of me that have various problems (cleaned,scratched,graffiti,whizzed) - your coin seems to have the first three.

Anacs difference between cleaned and scratched seems to be the depth of the cleaning/scratches -
cleaning is usually easily seen rotating in the light with hairlines going everywhere.

Scratched involves a deeper mark - either everywhere or at a couple places - almost like the field was cleaned with steel wool - your coin has a scratch on the obverse in front of the chin - rotated in the light will make it more obvious and also can be well hidden depending on camera/light angles.

Graffiti involves tooling or writing - your reverse has tooling (no these are not bag marks from the reed of other coins) - it appears to have it in 3 locations - under the WE, between TE in UNITED, and in the field to the eagles right/left half of coin towards the N in UNITED - these marks were made by something like a push pin - small circular indentations into a line or design.

oh well - it's not perfect but a very hard date = the trouble with buying raw coins on the internet is many of these defects can be hidden and bargains turn out to be not so good after all

These are only my opinions with dealing with ANACS coins.

BAJJERFAN

I have seen AU Morgans in PCGS slabs among others with similar gouges that were/are quite obvious on initial inspection. To get a coin circulated to the point that it becomes XF condition or worse; it would not be unusual to see such marks. Since there does not seem to be total agreement among the reponders to your question I would simply call or email the folks at ANACS and ask them. Please post their reponse here if you would.

Placid

The two long lines on the neck look like they might be scratches. They do not look like typical contact marks.

mids1999

Does ANACS keep notes of why a coin has recieved a certain grade and the defects on it?
Please understand I am quite new and dont know too much although I am learning from the great people on the board.

Another question I have on grading is can lustre keep a coin with AU details from recieving an AU grade?
(This is on another coin)

Thanks for the great info
Mike

Dog97

A good casae of ANACS overgrading I mentioned in another thread.............
The coin is VF20 almost as low as Fine without netting-to score XF the wheat grains need to be fully seperated, those merging.
The scratch is on the rev under the arrow feathers and run from the leaves of the branch to midway under the tailfeathers.
ANACS was kind to the coin