My first PCGS submission - How do you think it will do? Grade reported

ExtraordinaryCoins · December 26, 2005 11:51AM

This 1881S Morgan is my first ever PCGS submission sent today - What do you think it will grade at and why? Same coin, different exposures and backgrounds as I experiment with best way to photograph. Comments welcome. I will post the grade as soon as I find out. Thanks

Added on 2/3/06 - Grade is in. I am pretty satisfied for my first submission (especially since it was free except for the shipping), thought it had a shot at a PL but guess not.

Fast turnaround, received on 1/4/06 by PCGS and coin arrived today, also included one of those blue boxes that hold 20 graded coins even though this was a free submission of one coin.

1 04273998 1881-S S$1 USA MS65

WTCG · December 26, 2005 11:55AM

There are numerous small scratches which resemble sizeable hairlines on the cheek of Ms. Liberty and evidence of broken luster. The evidence of dubious broken luster on the cheek is visible in all four of your obverse photographs. Don't be surprised if your coin comes back in a bodybag for wiping or cleaning. Sorry.

Of course it is impossible to grade a coin to a total accuracy by looking at a photograph.

MikeJessie1 · December 26, 2005 11:56AM

Very nice Michael. I hope its a 66pl. good luck and welcome aboard the submission train!

Edited for spelling

robertpr · December 26, 2005 12:16PM

Regarding the photographs:

Move further away from the coin. You're using a Coolpix 8700 which has a nice 8 MP capability so you have to shrink the photographs anyway. You're shooting with an aperture of 3.1, you should increase this. Unfortunately your cam tops out at 4.2 so I would go all the way up. This should help increase the sharpness. Since you're doing post-production in Photoshop CS you can sharpen it after the fact as well. Also when you reduce the image size in CS make sure you are using bicubic sampling and it will help sharpen. Your lighting is very good - no hotspots or glare.

Regarding the coins:

Nice smooth surfaces with a lack of major hits. 66 quality surfaces on all coins. Lustre looks off on each of them, as if the coins were polished. Hope not. This could be the lighting you are using though. Very tough to tell from the images. Also it's late and I'm tired

Coxe · December 26, 2005 12:26PM

Your obverse evidences a lot of small marks right in the prime focal area and a possible latent fingerprint over the first left star, especially in the first shot. 1881-S is commonly very attractive with a full strike. The reverse is often (on many Morgan dates) far nicer than the obverse. Based on what I see and guessing what I don't in the images, it might be an MS64. I'd like to say MS66, but there appear to be too many marks in the wrong places. If it was cleaned or polished, it will be bodybagged. Hope for the best. Maybe a 65 is in the works?

mojorizn · December 26, 2005 1:11PM

I think it's freakin' gorgeous! I do see the fingerprint but the surfaces are extraordinarily clean and devoid of the usual bagmarks. I see a PQ MS65. Granted, Morgans are not my specialty but that blows away some of my MS65's. If the luster is there (and it is hard to tell from a photo, i.e. lighting, camera angle, etc.) then that coin is a knockout!

Mojo

Coxe · December 26, 2005 1:29PM

Yes, it is an attractive coin. But so are most 1881-S Morgan dollars. PCGS has graded nearly 40,000 MS65 and 10,000 MS66. It might have claims on MS65, depending how it looks technically in real life. But it has a fair shot at the most common certified grade of MS64, where they have graded more than 66,000 of them. 1880-S and 1881-S are a couple of the most consistently attractive dates for Morgan dollars. They are among the favorites for type collectors, particularly in DMPL. If this coin was a 1901-P, it would be an MS66. That is an entirely different discussion.

ExtraordinaryCoins · December 26, 2005 1:35PM

Thanks for all the commments, it is a free submission so if it comes back in a bag only cost me the price of shipping as part of the PCGS quarterly collectors club promotion.

robertpr - OK I am impressed, how do you know all that? I assume the info is imbedded in the photo file, so how do you access the info? I will try your reccomendation on the camera setting. I am not familiar with how to sharpen the photo using photoshop please advise. Thanks for the tips, I am use to shooting books not coins, which is not nearly as demanding.

Keep it coming the more the merrier.

Coxe · December 26, 2005 1:42PM

<< <i>robertpr - OK I am impressed, how do you know all that? I assume the info is imbedded in the photo file, so how do you access the info? >>

I can answer that in case he is not on. If you are on a Windows PC, right-click and save an image to your desktop. The right-click that image that was saved and go to prperties. Choose the Summary tab and you'll see everything. You took the first photo at 12:38pm 12/26/2005 for instance. The information is embedded in the information fields of the JPEG file. (On Unix/Linix, "strings" or "od -c" will show it too.)

ExtraordinaryCoins · December 26, 2005 1:46PM

Coxe, Very cool, thank you and robertpr.

Coxe · December 26, 2005 1:50PM

Sure and good luck! I tried an honest assessment but in reality it is impossible to not be surprised by the difference between a coin image and that same coin in hand. I have been surprised both ways so many times that guessing is just as credible. ....and you might have a PL, though PCGS tightens up their undies when they assess prooflikeness anymore.

ExtraordinaryCoins · December 26, 2005 1:58PM

It is what it is.... I appreciate the opinions and photo tips.

bennybravo · December 26, 2005 4:07PM

I'd say 64 also.

Deadhorse · December 26, 2005 4:13PM

Either a 64 or a BB.

Pictures don't give me a lot to go on as far as lustre versus dipped.

coinspeculator · December 26, 2005 9:03PM

no grade cleaned..

ColonialCoinUnion · December 26, 2005 9:05PM

65. I don't see cleaned.

jdimmick · December 26, 2005 11:51PM

Ms-64

coinmickey · December 26, 2005 11:56PM

64

ExtraordinaryCoins · December 26, 2005 11:59PM

What are the characteristics of a dipped coin? For those of you that think this coin may have been dipped what makes you think that. Thanks.

Russ · December 27, 2005 12:17AM

Did you send just this single coin, or are there others? If just this one, did you pony up a $50 submission fee?

Russ, NCNE

Tassa · December 27, 2005 12:27AM

<< <i>Did you send just this single coin, or are there others? If just this one, did you pony up a $50 submission fee?

Russ, NCNE >>

<< <i>Thanks for all the commments, it is a free submission so if it comes back in a bag only cost me the price of shipping as part of the PCGS quarterly collectors club promotion. >>

Read the thread, Russ.

Russ · December 27, 2005 12:57AM

Ah, crap. That's what I get for posting with an inadequate caffeine level.

Russ, NCNE

ExtraordinaryCoins · December 27, 2005 1:02AM

LOL Russ, no worries.

For those that are interested, this is a collectors club gold and platinum promotion that ends on 12/31/05 (postmark). You can submit one coin where the date reads the same upside down (1961 or 1881). You can click here for more details. By a funny coincidence my bookstore logo in the signature line of my posts here does the same thing.

billboat · December 27, 2005 1:17AM

As usual, the 1881-S is an attractive coin. Don't think it's cleaned--I'd agree with some of the previous posts at MS64. And since it's a free submission--you really can't go wrong.

grip · December 27, 2005 2:42AM

If not polished/cleaned..65.Reverse looks 66.

ExtraordinaryCoins · February 3, 2006 3:00AM

ttt for grading update, see first post.

Coinhusker1 · February 3, 2006 3:11AM

Nice grade. I am surprised they it to you in a blue box -- usually 4 or less coins are sent in a cardboard mailer.

My first PCGS submission - How do you think it will do? Grade reported

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