Morgan Dollars Striking Question

asheland

Can anyone show examples of a good strike vs. a bad strike on Morgan dollars?
I would like to learn more about this series.

blu62vette

Good: Full breast feather and good detail above ear, I am looking for some weak ones.

HighRelief

Along with full breast feathers and the hair above the ear, I also look for good definition around the nose and mouth. Sometimes you can find Morgan's with what I call "Full Cheek" that have been fully struck up. You can see how puffy the cheek is on this 80-S with the good detail around the mouth, lips, and nose.







Weak strike on this 1892-P MS63 DPL. Notice the flat area above the ear and on the breast feathers.






Edited to show the weak strike on the 1892 ms63 DPL.

asheland

I'll have to check my Morgans now! lol
Great pictures and coins, by the way.
Any examples of a poorly stuck Morgan to compare?
Thanks!

Steve27

Typical weak O-Mint struck coin:




Typical well struck CC-Mint coin:

JungleFever

Wow, I like this thread, keep the info and pics coming......wondering: does the strike affect the grade all things being equal???? Pics here are MS65, but I am going back to shoot them again to bring out the breast feathers and the curly hair....I never considered them before at all............





Thanks

collegecoincollector

No pics at the moment but my personal favorite place to check strike characteristics is on the eagle's claws. On the better pieces you'll be able to see several "lines" on each claw or whatever you want to call them. The weakly struck pieces almost never show these.

The other thing to keep in mind is the several minor design changes in the series, for example the breast feathers look much different on the 1921 than on any other date

blu62vette

A couple more:



This one is weaker, look above the ear:



Look at all the detail in the hair above the ear on this one:

silverdollarfitz

This is a great thread. Definitely helpful to me as a beginner. Good tips! So would a "complete" morgan collection include weak and strong strikes of each coin?

Would this be considered a weak strike?





Edited for pictures.

Julian

<< <i>Along with full breast feathers and the hair above the ear, I also look for good definition around the nose and mouth. Sometimes you can find Morgan's with what I call "Full Cheek" that have been fully struck up. You can see how puffy the cheek is on this 80-S with the good detail around the mouth, lips, and nose.







Weak strike on this 1892-P MS63 DPL. Notice the flat area above the ear and on the breast feathers.






Edited to show the weak strike on the 1892 ms63 DPL. >>



I actually think that the 1892 is a poorly made proof, from the picture.

blu62vette

<< <i>This is a great thread. Definitely helpful to me as a beginner. Good tips! So would a "complete" morgan collection include weak and strong strikes of each coin?
>>



Some years it is hard to find good strikes. A complete set would have a vast majority strong strikes some weak ones. Several of the "o" mint coins come weak. Even those years considered weak, you will still find some full strikes. It is just not the norm.

asheland

Great examples.
Thanks everyone!

HighRelief

Weak strike on this 1892-P MS63 DPL. Notice the flat area above the ear and on the breast feathers.






Edited to show the weak strike on the 1892 ms63 DPL. >>



I actually think that the 1892 is a poorly made proof, from the picture. >>




Here is a closer look at the rim and letters. I am thinking Business Strike rather than Proof, not seeing the square flat-top letters and rim. If it is a proof, yes it was very poorly made.







Reverse-Struck Thru from Denticle to F



Obverse-This looks like a long die scratch underneath the P

kwmorgan

Prime coins for seeing just how bad Morgans were struck are the Philadelphia mint coins along with many of the New Orleans issues. Philadelphia seemed to simply let the dies run too long, whereas New Orleans seemed to strike with less pressure in order to preserve the dies.

Carson City and SF were definitely the better mints for Morgans.

I recommend Q David Bowers book on Morgan dollars, "A Guide Book of Morgan Silver Dollars". He lists each coin in the series by date and mint, then he describes each mintage in detail, such as striking quality, etc.

Edscoin

First really Informative thread I've seen around here in a while. Thanks Guys.