Expert: Brad Swain - 1/22/2010

Question
I have a few older US Morgan and Peace Dollars I would say they are in good shape except for being tarnished or maybe dirty a little Not sure exactly how to explain them... I am looking to see if I can get a value on theses or should I try to get them appraised somewhere to get a MS rating on them... What I have is
1- 1885 Morgan
1- 1886-o
2- 1921-s
2- 1922 Peace
1- 1922-s

I see such a wide variety of prices for these coins and noticed the ones rated go higher in value... I am in Tucson Az do you have someplace in Tucson that I can bring these to for a rateing... Thank you John Zanardi

Answer
Hi John, Collector value of a coin depends on denomination (face value), date, mint mark (if any), number minted and condition of a coin, including amount of wear, any dents, scratches or cleaning as well as collector demand for it.
U.S. silver dollars weigh 26.73 grams and contain .7736 of an ounce of silver. The Morgan dollar (1878-1921), nicknamed after its designer, may have a mintmark letter below the eagle while the other, a Peace dollar (1921-35), may have a mintmark letter by the tip of the tail.
MS Grading System: http://userwebs.psknet.com/tbirde/tbirde1/Grading/grading.html#US
U.S. coin prices for professionally graded coins: http://www.pcgs.com/prices/
and ungraded coins: http://www.bestcoin.com/united-states-coin-pricing-guide.htm .
Ungraded coins (raw) are worth less depending on amount of wear and collector demand.
You might take them by a local coin shop for a first hand opinion: http://find.mapmuse.com/interest/coin_dealers
You might also try a library for a copy of the Guidebook of United States Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
Cleaning coins that leaves them shiny or scratched, even if only by looking with a magnifying glass, will reduce a coin's value by at least half.
Brad