New Member Seeking Advice: 1900 Morgan Dollar Scratch and Handling “Details” Grades
samgoober
Posts: 2 ✭
Hello PCGS Community,
I’m Sam, and this is my first post to the discussion boards. I joined PCGS a few months ago, and after spending hours reading through hundreds of your insightful posts, I’m in complete awe of the expertise here. I’m excited to learn from so many knowledgeable members and to contribute as I grow in this hobby. I’m not just here to offer praise, though—I’d greatly appreciate your thoughts on a specific coin and some broader challenges I’m facing.
My 1900 Morgan Dollar Concern
I recently sent my first batch of 49 coins to PCGS for grading, eagerly awaiting the results. When I received the email that grading was complete, I was thrilled and resisted peeking at the details, wanting to have the surprise of opening the box and seeing my coins in fresh PCGS holders full of coins that PCGS had assigned lots of AU and MS grades. However, reality hit hard: 24 of the 49 coins received “Details” grades; one was deemed counterfeit; and while some “Cleaned” designations made sense, others left me puzzled.
This brings me to a coin I've yet to submit about which I'm particularly curious. It's a 1900 Morgan Dollar with a scratch across Liberty’s cheek. I’ve attached photos of both the obverse and reverse for your review (if the upload works—I’m new to this!). The scratch isn’t extremely pronounced in person, but I’m worried it might doom this coin to a “Details” grade. I worked with Grok (AI chatbot) to analyze it. Grok estimated a 60% chance of a “Details” grade (e.g., “AU Details – Scratched” or “MS Details – Damage”), with a 48% chance of AU58 or better if the scratch is deemed minor. I’d love your expert opinions:
Based on the photos, do you agree with this assessment, or do you see factors that might sway it toward a straight AU or MS grade? Are there other issues I might be missing that could affect its grade? I’ve examined it under a 40x loupe and with my iPhone camera, but I’m still learning to spot the nuances PCGS graders see. I hate to keep spending $50-$70 (including shipping and grading fees) on coins that stand little chance of avoiding a “Details” designation.
Handling My “Details” Coins
This experience also raises a broader question about the 24 coins that graded “Details.” I understand the risks of buying raw coins, but I was still taken aback by how many had issues preventing a straight grade. Many of these coins look immaculate to my untrained eye, with incredible luster and cartwheel effects. Some are marked “Damage” or “Cleaned,” but despite my best efforts, I can’t always identify the flaws. I trust PCGS’s judgment, yet I’m struggling to reconcile their assessments with what I see.
My goal is to build a high-quality collection to pass down to my children, focusing on straight-graded coins. I have no need for “Details” coins in my collection, but I’m unsure how to proceed ethically and practically:
Selling Option: I’m considering selling these coins in their PCGS slabs with the “Details” labels. However, I doubt buyers would be interested, or if they were, they might offer only 10% to 25% of the coin’s value compared to a straight-graded equivalent. I’d never conceal the “Details” grade — that feels unethical... but I’m unsure how much of a price hit to expect. Does “Details” typically reduce the value by a few points (e.g., AU58 to AU55) or by major grades (e.g., AU to VF)? What have you experienced?
Other Options: Are there alternative approaches I haven’t considered? For example, keeping them as educational pieces, trading them, or selling them raw after cracking the slabs (while disclosing their history)? I’d love to hear what you’ve done in similar situations.
Closing Thoughts
I’m so excited to be part of this community and to learn from your collective wisdom. The passion and expertise here are truly inspiring, and I look forward to participating, growing my knowledge, and getting to know what seems like an amazing group of people. Thank you in advance for your insights. I greatly value your time and expertise!
Best regards,
Sam
[Photos of 1900 Morgan Dollar attached – please let me know if they don’t upload correctly!]
Comments
Howdy and welcome.
Your first post is organized, well thought out and has great images. My impression is that the coin is a toss-up for a straight grade or for a details grade. Regardless, do you have quality images of the coins that surprised you with their details grades? You might be able to learn quite a bit if you post quality images of those coins and allow more experienced eyes to point you in the right direction.
Good luck!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
The graders at PCGS see thousands upon thousands of Morgan dollars and have seen every type of cleaning. They can spot such problems with ease.
The 1900 dollar which you picture is probably cleaned as well and the scratch is in a high visibility area. I doubt if it would straight grade.
I would have to say Great Collections is your best option to sell off the "details" coins you do not want in your collection. Beyond on that I wish you the best of luck with your collection. James
Regarding the cleaned coins especially: for now I would keep maybe 3-5 of them, while selling the rest through Great Collections as @seatedlib3991 recommended above.
The first time I submitted coins to PCGS, two of them came back cleaned, and I just couldn’t see it. So I kept those two, and every so often, I took them out and examined them. One day a couple of years down the road, I picked them up and immediately saw the cleaning. (And once I was satisfied I could see the problem, I sent them off to auction at Great Collections).
It takes time to learn to detect things like cleaning, but you’ll get there.
This is a high quality first post.
I don't mean to harp on you too much here:
It seems you've done things in the wrong order. You need to examine hundreds(or more) of graded coins before you can confidently send coins in for grading. Go to coin shops, go to coin shows, get out there and see them if at all possible. It seems to be a trend recently of new collectors jumping into the "buy raw and send to grading" pool with both feet before learning to swim. A 49 coin submission with a 50% details rate has to be painful.
May I ask where these 49 coins came from? This could be part of the issue.
Regarding the 1900-S Morgan that you have pictured, there is also a notable scratch above the date. I find that one almost worse than the one on the cheek. It looks like a staple scratch, I don't think it has any shot at a straight grade.
A 40X loupe is overkill, stick to 5-10X.
Collector, occasional seller
Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply to my post and share your insights—I’m truly grateful for the warm welcome and the wealth of knowledge you’ve offered. Your feedback on my 1900 Morgan Dollar has been incredibly helpful, and it’s given me a clearer picture of what to expect when I submit it for grading. I really appreciate the detailed observations, suggestions for handling my “Details” coins, and the practical advice on improving my skills—like examining graded coins in person, sticking to a 5-10x loupe, and learning to spot issues like cleaning over time. It’s exactly the kind of guidance I was hoping for, and I’m excited to put it into practice as I continue building my collection.
A couple of you asked where my 49 coins came from, and I totally understand the curiosity given the high “Details” rate. They were raw, ungraded coins I purchased from a reputable online dealer, with no implied warranty beyond authenticity—which I knew going in. The responsibility to assess them was mine, and this experience has definitely been a learning curve. Your suggestions, like selling through Great Collections and keeping a few as educational pieces, are fantastic, and I’m already rethinking my approach to buying and submitting coins. I'm setting aside a good chunk of time this weekend to try to read through as much of this community as I can in an effort to learn from you guys. There is such a wealth of information and knowledge here!
Thanks again to everyone who chimed in—your expertise and willingness to help a newcomer like me means a lot. I’m looking forward to learning more from this amazing community and contributing as I go along!
Best regards,
Sam
free resources from pcgs
https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts
https://www.pcgs.com/photograde
the full resource offerings:
https://www.pcgs.com/resources
unsure about "cleaned," but there is manual cleaning and chemical. i don't see hairlines, polishing signs, moved metal, or anything out of the ordinary
photos can be deceiving to me and even the experienced. what i see from your good photos is muted luster and an oddly uniform color, outside of the brown on the obverse. to me, if that's whatit looks like live and in hand, then it says chemically cleaned
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that scratch over the date is more problematic as well. the cheek one long and wide enough to make you think scratch more than contact mark. the one above the date is long and scraggly and looks a lot like something sharp scraped on it
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as far as passing on coins to heirs. if an heir doesn't have tie to the coins, they turn into an asset to sell. some people that come on here asks fr help with inherited items. (sell) still, i mention to keep at least some a an heirloom. i think i've persuaded some to do that. then i wonder if some have come in wanting to know what's worth keeping. mostly it is the former
as far as getting children into the hobby, if thy don't care then continuing to teach will turn into an unpleasant experience for them. although mine began to appreciate the coins when i found something that struck a chord at a much older and appreciative age.
there are a number of threads on here of long-time members with long-time collections who had to choose the "i'm selling this before death" or even "leave sell directions in will"
finally, as investments: most don't recommend using lower end coins as investments. i don't. if you want to leave something as a cool inheritance, approach it like a birthday present. sneak around and find out what they like and get some nice items from the list... and some would rather have the gift card if you get my drift
but all of this hasn't stopped us from collecting! enjoy!
Welcome and nice post.
One thing I might recommend before unloading the problem coins is using them to learn the look of a problem coin so that you become less likely to buy one. Show them to someone who might be able to help explain them. The 1900-S has a couple things that trouble me. The scratch on the cheek is probably forgivable unless it looks like a really fresh one. What I don't like is the look of the field around the date and what could be a thin staple scratch above the date. If you tilt and twirl the coin in the light, those problems will pop out at you. No magnification would be necessary in this case.
If you're legitimately interested in learning a lot more, I'll encourage you to look into grading classes, such as those given by the ANA at their Summer Seminar. If you're interested specifically in Morgan Dollars, I'm scheduled to teach a class there about collecting them this summer, which will spend a day or so on grading and problem coins.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
oh. post a few coins' photos front and back in a new thread - put "guess the grade" and the coin type(s) in the title. don't tell anyone what pcgs said about them. make us tell you... and be kind... doing this from photos isn't always easy plus some coins are iffy. like the one pictured in the op(at least iffy to me, but i lean details just because of the scratch(es?))
Welcome Sam-
The 1900-s will likely obtain a details grade in view of the two scratches with one perhaps alittle more forgiving than the other.
If the goal is to build a high quality collection, one can contemplate quality and quality can exist at different grade levels. Think about the look of the coin and how that defines your collection. There is a level of frustration… as grading is a skill that is mastered over time but also remains a work in progress as one advances in their collecting interests. It may not be a bad idea to keep some details graded coins as a reference and a reminder to help identify issues that may preclude a straight grade.
Edited to add: Grading has a subjective component and that can be difficult to handicap. Coins at the same grade level may not have the same eye appeal but should share some general characteristics within a narrow range. And that range narrows at higher grade levels whereby there is less margin for what is tolerated/accepted.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Hopefully, this "reputable" dealer did more than state they would only be "authentic" AND priced them as such. You can bet they knew they would most likely go details. Harsh tuition
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Have you tried to contact the dealer about the results. Small chance but you never know unless you ask for some form of compensation or not?
Care to name dealer?
There could be a reason why those raw coins were raw.
If the photos of that 1900 Morgan Dollar are accurate, I think that giving that coin a “details grade” was a bit of knit picking. I see a long, rather thin scratch on the cheek and a very faint “x.” The “x” has some intent to it, which would make it grounds for “details,” but it’s so light, I don’t think it should matter. I’ve seen far worse marks on many dollars which received straight grades.
On the other side, I see rub on the eagle’s breast feathers which would take it out of the Mint State category.