Expert: PAPAJACK - 1/24/2007

Question
Sir,

We have 2 Silver Dollars with a woman's head ont he front the years are 1881 and 1882.  we are curious to see if these have any value or not.  

I also have a dime that was misprinted.  there is no date, and only half a head on it.  and one edge is completely smooth because of the misprint.  I am not sure if this has any value to it or not but I am curious.

Answer
Hello Judy,

First look for a mint mark letter they were made at three mints. Philadelphia has no mint mark but the New Orleans and San Francisco Minted coins show a mint mark below the eagle (above and between the letters "D" and "O" in the word DOLLAR).
And without seeing the coin I can only supply you with a range of values. Also a major variety is the doubled die (Hot Lips) on the 1888-O with a doubleing on the nose and lips of Lady Liberty. These sell at higher prices.
IMPORTANT:..Let me also note that you should never clean your coins. This removes the surface protection and cuts the value from 40% to 90% !

Coins are valued on a scale from 1 to 70. And on how rare a coin is. With no or little experience it is sometimes easier letting another collector look at them, and even most coin shops will help for free on one or two pieces.
 
In each series of coin type like your "Morgan Dollar" there are some quick reference points of wear to be seen on the high points that are known to show wear first.
Most of these are covered in the RED BOOK. If you can borrow a copy it will help. The grading details it describes at the start of each coin series is taken from the American Numismatic Assosiation Standard. And uses the 1 to 70 scale reconized by all professionals since the 1970's.

Most circulated coins range from Good (grade-G4) to Almost Uncirculated (grade-AU50) on the scale.

So remember a grade of Good or 4 out of a possible 70 is a low grade.

Here's a quick wear/Grading guideline:

GOOD or Grade 4 :
Letters and date clear no feathers on reverse but no wear to the outside rim from letters.

VERY GOOD or Grade 8:
Normal wear, flat looking, very little sharpness remains but all major details visible.

FINE or Grade 12:
All details strong and definition remains on some high areas of the coin.  

VERY FINE or Grade 20:   
Two thirds of hairlines show. Ear is well defined. Feathers on eagles breast worn.

EXTREMELY FINE or Grade 40:  
All hairlines arre strong. Only slight wear on eagles breast and wing tips. Some Original Mint Luster shows.

MINT STATE Grades 60 TO 70 :
STRICTLY NEVER CIRCULATED.  NO TRACE OF WEAR. Nice luster on coin.

The Morgan Type silver dollars are 90% silver. This makes the value of an extremely worn coin still worth 8 or 9 times it's face value just due to the precious metal content. Depending on the state of preservation (or Grade) and the Mint Mark (if any) they can vary greatly in value. Common issue dates in circulated condition are plentiful. These are approximate values for common date and mints circulated coins. These are approximate since the coins have to be seen to be properly estimated.

Very Good (Grade-8) = $16.00 for the Philadelphia and New Orleans and the San Francisco issue
Fine (grade-12) = $17.00 for the Philadelphia and New Orleans issue and San Francisco issue
Very Fine (grade-20) = $19.00 for the Philadelphia and New Orleans issue and San Francisco issue
Extremely Fine (grade-40) = $21.00 for the Philadelphia and New Orleans issue and San Francisco issue  
Almost Uncirculated (grade-50) = $23.00 for the Philadelphia and New Orleans issue and San Francisco issue  

The Carson City  Morgan price range listed by grade
for the 1881 Carson City issue:
Grade 8=$250,  Grade 12=$265,  Grade 40=$300,  MS60=$388  MS63=$430,  

For the 1882 Carson City coin:
Grade 8=$66,  Grade 12=$95,  Grade 40=$125,  MS60=$230,  MS63=$240,  

These are approximate values. For coins with no problems. If you need help grading your coin feel free to Papajack in the coin collecting section.   

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Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack