Morgan collectors- What do you like? Blast white? Toned? Graded? Ungraded? PL/DMPL ?
tt400
Posts: 19 ✭
Been getting into collecting graded Morgans as I have a decent collection of ungraded stuff and was just curious what you all look for when you buy graded stuff.
Do you prefer blast white, toned, rainbow etc?
Do you try to stick to certain grades and higher?
I have been lookin to get some MS94/95+ PL & DMPL coins myself, I dont particularly like toned stuff, although some of the rainbow toned coins do look nice, but comes with a hefty price tag.
also.. where have you had the best luck sourcing coins?
1
Comments
Um, no such thing as MS94/95+……maybe MS64/65+?
Edited to delete. Apologies I didn’t see the OP was specifying Morgan’s.
I like them all, and I try to find interesting examples rather than assemble a complete set. Putting together a group of the same date/mm with different die states and strike characteristics is more fun for me than chasing all the dates and mintmarks.
I like all flavors and try to get examples 66 & up if possible. Raw GSA's are another pursuit and keep me engaged.
I'd like to get some Proofs at some point moving forward...
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I do not currently collect Morgan dollars but did at one time. My preference is blast white; however, I can appreciate a nice toned coin as well. I am not drawn to PL/DMPL examples simply because lower grade examples usually are heavily marked which the prooflike surfaces really highlight. You have to get to the MS65 level to really appreciate the prooflike features and those are very expensive.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
I am not a big Morgan Dollar fan. Generally I like original white ones with a minimum of marks.
I don't like most Proof-Likes because they show every mark they because of the mirrors. Once in a great while there will be an MS-63 or 64 which is attractive, but there are not a lot of those. The high grades ones cost a fortune.
I am not a big toner guy. There are a few I find attractive, but their prices are not.
I like these sets for their historical context. This covers most of the Morgans in my collection except for a Proof I have for type.
I have assembled a complete set of Morgans. About half my set is PL/DMPL. Another 35 are rainbow toned (and one is both). I love mirrored and toned coins but for many dates they either don’t exist or they are prohibitively expensive. For the rest of the set I have about 10 that are bright white uncirculated and maybe 12 that are between VF and AU58. In addition to my set I have about 20 toned Morgans that I love individually that are duplicate dates.
You should collect whatever appeals to you. If you want to pick out a few nice ones rather try for a set, you can go for a really deep DMPL and a beautifully toned example. If you want to try a shorter set, you can find ways to do that (one from each mint or the CC set).
My favorite thing about Morgans is the variety of looks that they can have. Some people like their sets to be nicely matched in look (and sometimes even grade), so everyone has different preferences.
Here are three examples - all from the same year:
LOL yes that’s what I meant, my mind was half out of it I guess
Wow all nice coins everyone. I have a uncirculated set (missing the 7-10 most rare)
I may try and obtain those in whatever condition to finish it off while keeping my eye out for PL/DMPL examples
I agree the lower grade PL look rough due to the shine showing it all. The 66+ ones are niiiiice though. $$
The other problem I’ve come across is the wide range of price for like coins.
Have to be careful purchasing while not immediately losing money if I buy it.
Beautiful coins. What did the 1883-O toner set you back?
Would love to have maybe just 1 good vibrant toner
I’m a fan of rim-toned MS Morgans. The set spans a wide enough range of years and mints and is diverse enough in VAMs and varieties to allow you to collect however you want. Enjoy your collection!
"Bongo hurtles along the rain soaked highway of life on underinflated bald retread tires."
~Wayne
I can’t think of anything more boring than an all white dollar set. Sunnywood did it right.
100 point scale goes brrrr
Proud follower of Christ! I love the USA! Land of the Bright and Beautiful! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I’ve seen an MS 9.5 on the new NGC grading but never an MS94 0r 95. Care to post an example or two? Thanks. Just trying to learn…..🤔😉
If you go to PCGS CoinFacts and enter the cert number you can see if a coin has sold at auction via the companies which report (basically the big ones besides Great Collections). I bought this one in that 2019 sale for $4112.50.
I like and appreciate them all, and don't short change a circulated Morgan. A circulated coin looks great when its not been messed with by collectors and avoided major dings during its life. I like the look of a dirty coin with a nice patina that was used in commerce. There's history there in those coins that an uncirculated coin that luckily survived in the mint bags does not have.
Well…..
Menomonee Falls Wisconsin USA
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistr...dset.aspx?s=68269&ac=1">Musky 1861 Mint Set
I prefer either rainbow toned or PL/DPL. I’ve bought both raw and slabbed.
Graded, Blast White, nice cartwheel luster.
I like variety. Both toned and white. I buy PCGS only MS 63 or 64. If it has a sticker, that’s a nice bonus, but not a prerequisite.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
If I were to collect Morgans as a set (I own about a dozen), I would collect circulated Morgans for their eye appeal.
I prefer PL with a couple of DMPL's sprinkled in. Sometimes I think "you only really need one". The next thing you know I buy another.
Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
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JWP
Blast white DMPL all the way. I have the #2 & #3 Prooflike-only Morgan Set, so obviously that is a priority for me.
Sounds great. I have a box of 20 that is almost filled. I have 6 common dates and 12 better dates. Working on them is fun, because you always have something to choose from and, if you’re looking for a specific date, it doesn’t take long for one to surface. You can acquire it, just as long as you have the resources to purchase it. Doing it your way would be FAR more challenging. As soon as I finish my first box, I’m going to start another one. I don’t think I will ever.’finish’ the whole set but I’ll probably get at least 3/4 of the way there. I would be happy with that. 👍🙂 I DO, however, plan on finishing the date set. There are 28 coins.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Prefer to own blast white and don't own any toners. Prefer MS64 and above but don't own any PL or DMPLs. I was wow'd by the 89-CC MS64 DMPLs that I viewed at ANA and auctioned shortly after by HA in Aug 2025. Would love to own one of them.
USAF (Ret.) 1985 - 2005. E-4B Aircraft Maint. Crew Chief and Contracting Officer.
✓ Everyman Mint State Carson City Morgan Dollars (1878 – 1893)
✓ Morgan Dollar GSA Hoard (1878 – 1891)
✓ Everyman Mint State Lincoln Cents (1909 – 1958)
✓ Matte Proof Toned Lincoln Cents (1909 – 1916)
Blast white. Rim toning OK but black anywhere is a no. I'm probably one of a few that doesn't like DMPL or PL. GC and DLRC
plus coin shows are my sources.
USAF veteran 1984-2005
I started collecting a date/mm set about 25 years ago that was all over the map grade wise... most of the common date material was MS63ish and blast white. I sold off most of this set in two blocks as silver started climbing. The last iteration was a date set of AU55 to 58 coins with peripheral champagne color toning... I purchased certified and raw coins. It didn't matter to me. As silver climbed ever higher, it didn't matter if the coin was slabbed or not. I'm down to about a dozen Morgan Dollars in mostly circulated grades... my 1878 is a toner... and I've got a 1891-CC with a circulated cameo look. I'm onto other collecting interests now, but every once in a while I take these big silver coins out...
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I prefer to have my Morgans inside slabs.
At first, I was buying them by date and MS rating, making the mistake of not looking for the beauty in them.
So I do have a few ugly MS63/64 and 65s...
I'm not a Morgan collector. However, I have owned a few over the years. I don't restrict my collection to a certain grade range. Instead, I go for a certain look that, I admit, is hard to define. I generally do not like blast white, but I also don't like heavy or wild toning.
This was my favorite Morgan:
Toned is overrated. I like blast white, but really isnt that another way of saying Cleaned? Slabbed and Blast White is a great combo.
Funny! I was going to say the exact opposite of @rooksmith : Blast white is overrated. I do have a number of blast white, and a number of toned Morgans. I much prefer looking at the different colorings in the toned ones, though. The blast white ones are kinda boring to me. To each their own. Enjoy what you enjoy!
As for slabbed vs raw, I don't care. It's the coin I care about.
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
My favorite Morgan Dollars are the ones I can cherry-pick
I like them all (just like any historic silver coin). But when I see a case full of slabbed Morgan Dollars at a show, my eyes kind of gloss over. Like a herd of zebra running in all different directions - which one to pick (if any) ?
But when I see a pile or bin of loose Morgan Dollars with a single "pick" price, that is what I like to see.
A local coin shop recently had a tray of loose Morgan Dollars priced at "melt" (at the time, $75 * 0.77 = $57.75 per coin).
I picked out these three - 1880-O EF45, 1887-S EF40. 1902 [P] AU55. None are exceptional cherry-picks. But I do like the 1902 [P] since it is a slightly better date in AU.
I just want a real one in a real slab, with a real matching certification number, on a real TPG website when it comes to adding a real one.
This is the only Morgan I currently own and serves as the example in my 7070 registries. Popped up on CRO a few months back and I was inspired to pick it up as an “upgrade” from a 66/CAC that I owned for years and also liked…..but not as much as this one.
That 66 was subsequently included in a trade deal that netted me 3 really cool Brazilian 960 Reis for the set I’m working on. Coins are so much fun.
MS 65 (CAC)
I like a nice original skin/cartwheels or with a nice champagne look to it
Graded blast white.
These 2 are my current favorite Morgan’s in my collection.
Mr_Spud
Blast white, of course.
RickO
Smitten with DBLCs.