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FSHO: 12 Uncirculated Morgans, different dates/mints
Whit
Posts: 373 ✭✭✭
Good evening, all.
A friend of the family handles estate liquidations, and he turns to me whenever US coins come to light. So on his behalf, I am listing 12 strictly uncirculated Morgans that were originally marketed by the U.S. Silver Dollar Society … “a service of First Coinvestors, Inc.” I vaguely recall this outfit from … the 1970s, was it?
These 12 Morgans came to me in the original packaging, mounted on a single page in a 3-ring binder. They include:
78-S, 79-S, 80-S, 81-S, 82-S, 83-O, 84-0, 85-P, 86-P, 87-P, 88-P, 88-O. As pictured below, each coin was held in place by a clear plastic face that covered the entire obverse of the Morgan, and a clear plastic strip across the reverse that left about 75% of the obverse exposed to the notebook. Accordingly, these dollars display muted to brilliant silver or white obverses, while some of the reverses are toned a light gold/russet except for the region protected by the plastic retaining band.
I have removed the dollars from their mountings because I couldn’t bear to see them stored that way (although they’ve been stored that way for decades with no apparent consequence except the mentioned light toning). Each is now in an archival quality zip-locked sleeve, awaiting a more permanent home, although it is a trivial matter for me to return the coins to their original mountings if the buyer so wishes.
I am of no doubt that these coins are strictly original and uncirculated; no sliders or doctored pieces. Nor are they doggy. Of the 12 pieces, I would be satisfied to receive 8 of them as MS63 or higher.
Photos of the coins and the binder are below. Each was taken with a Nikon Coolpix 995, then cropped and adjusted slightly in saturation so as to best match the true appearance of the coins. Below, next to the pictures, I try to describe the true appearance of the coins in a way with which I would agree if I were the buyer with coins in hand.
I’m asking $540.00 for the coins and the binder/inserts, delivered.
Terms: I will ship first class and insured. Personal check (which must clear, please) or postal MO (for immediate shipment ). (My bank tells me that other money orders can take weeks to clear (!?!), and no one wants to wait that long.) I don’t take Paypal; too many horror stories. Since the coins and binder/inserts are sold as a lot, they may be returned only as a lot, within 7 days for a refund of the listed price minus my actual costs of postage and insurance. Safe return of all items in original condition is the responsibility of the buyer.
I’ve been a math professor for 29 years and a student of coins for about 46 years, the latter thanks to my grandfather, Whit Hart. On Ebay, I am davidwm. (For confirmation, send me a note from your Ebay account, and I’ll send one back from mine.)
Thanks for reading. PM me if you have any questions. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Whit
1878-S: Brilliant silvery obverse. On the reverse, very attractive light golden/russet toning, turning deeper red/gunmetal on the left side. Brilliant where the coin was protected by the retaining band. The obverse fields and cheek display a smattering of luster breaks on obverse, which are a bit exaggerated in the photo.. The reverse is very clean. Conservatively MS63 to me. NOTE: the photos of this coin were taken with the coin in the original mounting.
1879-S: Mildly prooflike obverse and reverse (though not apparent in the photos). Well struck. Lightly subdued brilliance, obverse and reverse, excepting the lower third of the reverse which has a very pale russet coloring. Very clean fields and cheek, with just a few scattered luster breaks. Well struck above the ear. Conservatively MS64 to me, though I have seen comparable MS65s in top tier TPG holders.
1880-S: Mildly prooflike obverse and reverse (though not apparent in the photos). Brilliant obverse, lightly toned reverse (russet), deeper on bottom half, but brilliant where protected by the retaining band. The obverse displays a very thin dark line from ear to “R”. The milky areas in the photos are exaggerated; with the coin in hand, you will best find them by holding the coin at the proper angle to the light. Conservatively MS60.
1881-S: Mildly prooflike obverse and reverse (though again, not apparent in the photos). Flashy obverse. On the reverse, the coin is equally flashy across the area protected by the retaining band. Elsewhere, the reverse displays toning that is virtually identical to that on the 78-S. Very clean fields and cheek. I see no reason why this coin would not merit at least MS64. Certainly I’ve seen MS65’s that have suffered more abuses than this one.
1882-S: Brilliant silvery obverse, very lightly toned reverse (russet) even in region of retaining band. Very small area of darker russet/gunmetal at “ATES” on reverse. Lots of luster breaks in left obverse field. Conservatively MS60.
1883-O: Technical MS64 to me, but lacks a good flash. (The marks on the cheek and the luster break at the arrowheads are not as apparent in hand as in the photo.) Even, muted luster obverse and reverse. Despite the photo, the coin is indeed silvery in appearance.
1884-O: The worst of the bunch in my view. Somewhat muted luster on the obverse, while the reverse is toned similarly to the 78-S and 81-S. A technical MS63 I believe, but at the vertical line of the neck there are two black spots. (That is not a corrosion spot above the eye. It is a shiny spot that is not catching the floodlights.)
1885-P: Brilliant silvery luster on the obverse. The reverse is toned such an extremely light russet that it’s hard to distinguish from the brilliant strip that was protected by the retaining band. Technical MS64 to me with a few scattered luster breaks on the fields and cheek, but there is a dark line about 1/8 inch long that bisects the ear, and a much shorter line at the base of the cap. (The line through the ear is black. I don’t know why it’s red in my photo.)
1886-P: Flashy, silvery brilliance on obverse. On the reverse, the coin is equally brilliant where protected by the retaining band; elsewhere, the coin exhibits good flash through extremely light toning. Excellent strike and very clean, satiny fields and cheek. The main distraction to me is a luster break along the jawline, as you can see. The apparent chatter on the neck is much exaggerated by the photo in my opinion. I think the coin is a solid technical MS65. Note: This coin is struck from clashed dies as you can tell from, among other things, the line that juts from the neck under the jawline.
1887-P: Flashy, satiny silvery obverse. On the reverse, the coin is equally flashy across the area protected by the retaining band. Elsewhere, the reverse displays toning that is virtually identical to that on the 78-S and 81-S. Very well struck. There is a small pinscratch on the jaw (the dark line pointing to the lips), a luster break above the nose, a small abrasion on reverse to left of left wing (your left, not the eagle’s) that is NOT very visible in the photo, a contact mark on vertical neckline, and what looks like a reeding mark on the cheek. I think the coin is a very conservatively MS64, and I have seen clearly worse coins in top-tier TPG MS65 holders.
1888-P: Brilliant silvery obverse. Like the 1885, the reverse is toned an extremely light russet, so light that it’s hard to distinguish from the brilliant strip that was protected by the retaiing band. The fields and cheek are quite clean, having luster breaks that are apparent when the coin is held to the proper angle. There’s a mark under “AT” on reverse. As with the 1887, I think the coin is a very conservatively MS64, and I have seen clearly worse coins in top-tier TPG MS65 holders.
1888-O: Brilliant silvery obverse; very lightly toned reverse (russet), but brilliant where protected by the retaining band. Tiny dark speck near “E” in obverse field. Weak over the ear. Quite clean of marks. Technical 64 to me.
A friend of the family handles estate liquidations, and he turns to me whenever US coins come to light. So on his behalf, I am listing 12 strictly uncirculated Morgans that were originally marketed by the U.S. Silver Dollar Society … “a service of First Coinvestors, Inc.” I vaguely recall this outfit from … the 1970s, was it?
These 12 Morgans came to me in the original packaging, mounted on a single page in a 3-ring binder. They include:
78-S, 79-S, 80-S, 81-S, 82-S, 83-O, 84-0, 85-P, 86-P, 87-P, 88-P, 88-O. As pictured below, each coin was held in place by a clear plastic face that covered the entire obverse of the Morgan, and a clear plastic strip across the reverse that left about 75% of the obverse exposed to the notebook. Accordingly, these dollars display muted to brilliant silver or white obverses, while some of the reverses are toned a light gold/russet except for the region protected by the plastic retaining band.
I have removed the dollars from their mountings because I couldn’t bear to see them stored that way (although they’ve been stored that way for decades with no apparent consequence except the mentioned light toning). Each is now in an archival quality zip-locked sleeve, awaiting a more permanent home, although it is a trivial matter for me to return the coins to their original mountings if the buyer so wishes.
I am of no doubt that these coins are strictly original and uncirculated; no sliders or doctored pieces. Nor are they doggy. Of the 12 pieces, I would be satisfied to receive 8 of them as MS63 or higher.
Photos of the coins and the binder are below. Each was taken with a Nikon Coolpix 995, then cropped and adjusted slightly in saturation so as to best match the true appearance of the coins. Below, next to the pictures, I try to describe the true appearance of the coins in a way with which I would agree if I were the buyer with coins in hand.
I’m asking $540.00 for the coins and the binder/inserts, delivered.
Terms: I will ship first class and insured. Personal check (which must clear, please) or postal MO (for immediate shipment ). (My bank tells me that other money orders can take weeks to clear (!?!), and no one wants to wait that long.) I don’t take Paypal; too many horror stories. Since the coins and binder/inserts are sold as a lot, they may be returned only as a lot, within 7 days for a refund of the listed price minus my actual costs of postage and insurance. Safe return of all items in original condition is the responsibility of the buyer.
I’ve been a math professor for 29 years and a student of coins for about 46 years, the latter thanks to my grandfather, Whit Hart. On Ebay, I am davidwm. (For confirmation, send me a note from your Ebay account, and I’ll send one back from mine.)
Thanks for reading. PM me if you have any questions. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Whit
1878-S: Brilliant silvery obverse. On the reverse, very attractive light golden/russet toning, turning deeper red/gunmetal on the left side. Brilliant where the coin was protected by the retaining band. The obverse fields and cheek display a smattering of luster breaks on obverse, which are a bit exaggerated in the photo.. The reverse is very clean. Conservatively MS63 to me. NOTE: the photos of this coin were taken with the coin in the original mounting.
1879-S: Mildly prooflike obverse and reverse (though not apparent in the photos). Well struck. Lightly subdued brilliance, obverse and reverse, excepting the lower third of the reverse which has a very pale russet coloring. Very clean fields and cheek, with just a few scattered luster breaks. Well struck above the ear. Conservatively MS64 to me, though I have seen comparable MS65s in top tier TPG holders.
1880-S: Mildly prooflike obverse and reverse (though not apparent in the photos). Brilliant obverse, lightly toned reverse (russet), deeper on bottom half, but brilliant where protected by the retaining band. The obverse displays a very thin dark line from ear to “R”. The milky areas in the photos are exaggerated; with the coin in hand, you will best find them by holding the coin at the proper angle to the light. Conservatively MS60.
1881-S: Mildly prooflike obverse and reverse (though again, not apparent in the photos). Flashy obverse. On the reverse, the coin is equally flashy across the area protected by the retaining band. Elsewhere, the reverse displays toning that is virtually identical to that on the 78-S. Very clean fields and cheek. I see no reason why this coin would not merit at least MS64. Certainly I’ve seen MS65’s that have suffered more abuses than this one.
1882-S: Brilliant silvery obverse, very lightly toned reverse (russet) even in region of retaining band. Very small area of darker russet/gunmetal at “ATES” on reverse. Lots of luster breaks in left obverse field. Conservatively MS60.
1883-O: Technical MS64 to me, but lacks a good flash. (The marks on the cheek and the luster break at the arrowheads are not as apparent in hand as in the photo.) Even, muted luster obverse and reverse. Despite the photo, the coin is indeed silvery in appearance.
1884-O: The worst of the bunch in my view. Somewhat muted luster on the obverse, while the reverse is toned similarly to the 78-S and 81-S. A technical MS63 I believe, but at the vertical line of the neck there are two black spots. (That is not a corrosion spot above the eye. It is a shiny spot that is not catching the floodlights.)
1885-P: Brilliant silvery luster on the obverse. The reverse is toned such an extremely light russet that it’s hard to distinguish from the brilliant strip that was protected by the retaining band. Technical MS64 to me with a few scattered luster breaks on the fields and cheek, but there is a dark line about 1/8 inch long that bisects the ear, and a much shorter line at the base of the cap. (The line through the ear is black. I don’t know why it’s red in my photo.)
1886-P: Flashy, silvery brilliance on obverse. On the reverse, the coin is equally brilliant where protected by the retaining band; elsewhere, the coin exhibits good flash through extremely light toning. Excellent strike and very clean, satiny fields and cheek. The main distraction to me is a luster break along the jawline, as you can see. The apparent chatter on the neck is much exaggerated by the photo in my opinion. I think the coin is a solid technical MS65. Note: This coin is struck from clashed dies as you can tell from, among other things, the line that juts from the neck under the jawline.
1887-P: Flashy, satiny silvery obverse. On the reverse, the coin is equally flashy across the area protected by the retaining band. Elsewhere, the reverse displays toning that is virtually identical to that on the 78-S and 81-S. Very well struck. There is a small pinscratch on the jaw (the dark line pointing to the lips), a luster break above the nose, a small abrasion on reverse to left of left wing (your left, not the eagle’s) that is NOT very visible in the photo, a contact mark on vertical neckline, and what looks like a reeding mark on the cheek. I think the coin is a very conservatively MS64, and I have seen clearly worse coins in top-tier TPG MS65 holders.
1888-P: Brilliant silvery obverse. Like the 1885, the reverse is toned an extremely light russet, so light that it’s hard to distinguish from the brilliant strip that was protected by the retaiing band. The fields and cheek are quite clean, having luster breaks that are apparent when the coin is held to the proper angle. There’s a mark under “AT” on reverse. As with the 1887, I think the coin is a very conservatively MS64, and I have seen clearly worse coins in top-tier TPG MS65 holders.
1888-O: Brilliant silvery obverse; very lightly toned reverse (russet), but brilliant where protected by the retaining band. Tiny dark speck near “E” in obverse field. Weak over the ear. Quite clean of marks. Technical 64 to me.
Whit
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