1880-S Morgan Grading Help

jmcu12

For all of the grading experts out there. I have two coins that I would like to have opinions on.

Thanks in advance!

MastaHanky

Good pictures! This one looks really good...very mark free, and hardly any breaks in luster. Probably nail an MS66 easy, possibly a 67.

coynclecter

Nice coin, does have some obverse rub on face and hair and top of bonnet. Probably a 65 if they are not too deep, if they are real light , might go 66.

stman

Strike looks good, fields are really clean. But due to some of the marks on the face I would go about 64. It might be better but I'm assuming those marks might be a little too deep to go higher. Very nice coin though.

Edit to add: I'm pretty tough on the tech part of a coin. The grading companys these days would probably call it 65.

mr1931S

the obverse image is of an '80-0? Most '80-0's circulated lightly...this coin looks like it was dipped to me...i see gray on the cheek and in the fields and overall flatness,or subdued luster in the whiter areas...AU58...a nice looking coin but i don't think it's mint state...

the other dollar whose reverse image is an "S" from the early 80's?...looks like it was dipped to me as well but it is mint state...i give it MS 64 tops from the reverse image...

i could be totally wrong and need to get my coin image viewing eyes checked but i'm just telling it like i see it...as always,for what it's worth...

the images are of two different coins,right?

doops

ROCK SOLID PQ+ MS65+

Placid

Looks like a 65 to me.

MrKelso

MS65

agfox

Touch of rub, I agree if not too bad 65, otherwise 64

Gilbert

I take it by two pics you mean 1 obv and 1 rev, but the same coin? I agree it looks like it has probably been dipped, so if there is no damage to the surfaces I think it would get a 66.

Oak

Beware!!! This is a trick question. You can't grade a coin from the reverse only. I'll grade the 80-o as a 66 though.

OK coynclector, educate me. I don't see the rub. I see a little lustre break at the high end of the cheek bone (just underneath the eye socket) and at the very tip of the bonnet. Is this the rub of which you speak? I assume this kind of rub is acceptable to keep as MS and does not make it a slider (AU) but may keep it from making the higher grade?

K6AZ

Looks like a solid MS65 to me. Perhaps 66, but trying to tell the difference between a 65 and a 66 with a scan is impossible.

mr1931S

jmcu12,are the obverse and reverse images of the same coin?...

we have the need to know...

on my screen both coin images show the coin or coins as kind of grainy,with what appears to me to be subdued luster...that's what a "hard dip" (too long in the soup) will do (eventually,subdue the luster) to a silver coin,i think...

the gray areas on the coin depicted in the obverse image are from circulation handling?...i do see what appears to be very light wear,either that,or the strike is not so full...if this obverse is of an '80-S,and in actuality has no discernible wear and the gray areas are shadows or such and not on the coin,it's a more weakly struck '80-S obverse than is on most '80-S dollars i've seen or owned...some '80-S dollars,for their eye appeal,are unuarguably among the finest Morgan dollars ever made...i think the grading services "discriminate" (will routinely assign a lower grade than the coin "deserves",in other words) against coins from certain series from certain years and mints...'80-S Morgan is one of them...i own several '80-S slabbed dollars that have been discriminated against,er i mean,very conservatively graded...not a big deal to me though...they are very nice dollars that i paid under $50 apiece for...

'80-O is a rare and expensive coin in mint state...nice slider '80-O is fairly common...if i think i'm looking at an '80-O obverse image i will discriminate,er i mean,be especially conservative...

what do you think and/or know about this coin or these coins?

fantasiize

MS65

jmcu12

Thanks for a great thread! The marks that were noticed are indeed breaks in lustre. It truely is a beautiful coin, the scan simply does not do it justice. I know, I sound like an Ebay description, but it is true.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that as a collector I love the coin.

jmcu12

mr1874: I forgot to address your comments. Anyway, the two photos are of the same coin, an 1880-S. For some reason I had issues with the file name, I labeled it correctly before I uploaded but CU changed the name for some reason. I would definely agree that this is a beautiful coin, I think I said that already , and I would agree that the 1880 may have been given a raw deal.

This is the third that I have owned, I still own another, and IMO they have all been undergraded. (Even if only by 1 point).