Grade the Morgan

hiijacker · August 21, 2006 2:55PM

The reverse appears to have a crack around the lettering. Is this what is known as a die break? Alos, what would this grade?

ledzep87 · August 21, 2006 2:59PM

I grade it a 63.

Frankcoins · August 21, 2006 3:00PM

MS60

DennisH · August 21, 2006 3:02PM

Peripheral die cracking like this is common in the Morgan series... more so with O-mint coins, although this one is pretty extensive.

I'm more interested in the long diagonal line across Liberty's hair, forehead, and nose. Is that a scratch? If so, the coin would be treated as damaged. If it's a gouge instead, it would be very interesting and I would grade the coin MS62.

ER · August 21, 2006 3:03PM

58

Coxe · August 21, 2006 3:12PM

Typical reverse legend cracks for a 99-O, many are even more extensive.

MS61, though it is hard to get a handle on it with such large images, funny enough. Below MS63 anyway.

CarlWohlforth · August 21, 2006 3:24PM

Yup, that is what is known as a die break. The reverse die is broken and on its last legs. The obverse die has cracks too. I'll bet the operators were waiting until they could change both dies at the same time. Why stop the press for one die when the other will fail shortly?

The $ looks like it is UNC. I'll go 62...

hiijacker · August 21, 2006 3:26PM

I do not know th casue of the line across the face, nose etc., but I will say it is impossible to see any portion of the line with the naked eye. I think the coin got lower grades from you guys due the the ultra large scan. It really looks much nicer hand.

hiijacker · August 21, 2006 3:28PM

Okay. I think I figured it out. I pulled out my loop and sis not see that scratch. I then realzied my scanner must have a scratch on the glass which is showing up.

Coxe · August 21, 2006 3:51PM

<< <i>Yup, that is what is known as a die break. The reverse die is broken and on its last legs. The obverse die has cracks too. I'll bet the operators were waiting until they could change both dies at the same time. Why stop the press for one die when the other will fail shortly?

The $ looks like it is UNC. I'll go 62... >>

Nope. There is no die break there, just some cracks. No metal has fallen out of the die and it is far from its last legs.

rec78 · August 21, 2006 6:05PM

Actually the photo is too big to grade accurately. I would give MS62 but it may look better with smaller pix-sometimes photos this big are too telling and cannot be used for grading. The smallest imperfections are magnified to look worse then they actually may be. JMHO.---Bob

And yes those are die cracks.

Steve27 · August 21, 2006 8:45PM

Typical weak strike for an "O" mint coin, but the hits look minimal (if you take into account that they're magnified by 10x), so I would say MS64.

Grade the Morgan

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