1880 S Morgan Dollar DMPL, Liquid Mirrors, Frosted Cameo, Sharp B&W Contrast

  

Check out some of the recent feedback we've received from our customers. An absolutely amazing coin for a more than fair price - perfectly described! Brilliant communication and fantastic customer service! One of the Best and Most Honest Sellers!

And thank you to ALL of our customers for allowing us to serve you with quality coins, accurate and honest descriptions and photos, and above-and-beyond service. Your satisfaction will always be our No. An 1880-S Morgan Dollar DMPL with 10-12-inch liquid Mirrors, a fully frosted cameo and outstanding black-and-white contrast. This coin is in Select Uncirculated condition - it almost certainly would grade 62 DMPL, possibly 63 DMPL, though the chatter on Liberty's cheek makes the lower grade more likely. Despite the chatter, eye appeal on this one is outstanding for the grade, with deep mirrored fields, blast-white devices and well above-average cameo contrast. Though the reverse contrast isn't quite as distinct as the obverse, it's stil pretty impressive, and the depth of the mirrors are virtually the same -- maybe an inch or two shallower, but no more. And the frost across the reverse devices, especially the eagle, is full and downright gorgeous. Chatter on the obverse takes the form of numerous contact and mag marks on Liberty's face, but all are pretty typical and nothing that looks unusual or out of place for a Select Uncirculated coin. The left side of the obverse features typical scattered runs and contact mark, including a cluster of runs and marks across from the bridge of the nose. Again, there's nothing unusual and while it's noticeable in certain light, it is not at all distracting. The lower left side has a couple of chafe chatter marks but they are almost impossible to detect unless you have the coin in full light and at a specific angle. The reverse has very little chatter to speak of, with nothing more than a few contact marks and a few very light runs. Despite the moderate obverse chatter, there's nothing that really draws the eye or that would keep it form being graded. And don't forget to check out our other listings. Thank you for your continued support of Shenandoah. However, coins must then be re-secured in a new cardboard flip or mylar holder for the return trip. Don't like your item? Run it through the wash? OK, that would be a problem. But almost anything else - that's right, no problem. Thank you for reading and for looking at our items. Upon its release in 1878, there was little evidence the Morgan Dollar would be anything but an embarrassing footnote in the world of numismatics. Its design was criticized by most coin connoisseurs and the public alike, and it remained unpopular throughout its production run, which stopped in 1904 before being brought back for a single year in 1921. Despite these humble beginnings, however, the Morgan dollar has grown to become the most popular U. And no version of the Morgan Dollar is as popular as the deep mirror proof-like, or DMPL.

With blast-white cameos, sharp black-and-white contrast and deep crystal-clear mirrors, it's easy to see why DMPLs and, to a lesser extent, the proof-like, or PL, Morgan are the most sought-after in the series. Unfortunately, they are also among the hardest to photograph.

A couple of important things to remember right off the bat. Cameos and contrast will always look brighter, whiter and sharper in photos - whether they've been manipulated or not. While this isn't the case with every DMPL listing, it is, to one degree or another, with a majority of them.

Most of the time, that's not the case. The difference between a Morgan's appearance in photos and in hand is simply a product of the camera's tendency to exaggerate the DMPL's defining features, and the fact that most photos are close-ups, which naturally make the coin look three, four or five times bigger than it is.

By definition, that will exaggerate everything about it, including its attributes. That makes it a challenge for ethical sellers to take photos that don't make their coins look much better than they are, while still giving prospective buyers a good look at its best points. It also makes a listing's description all the more important. In most cases, an out of the way bag mark or imperceptible run that can't be seen in photos won't affect eye appeal or the coin's value. But if there's something that's especially noticeable in hand that the photos aren't showing - or if they're significantly exaggerating contrast or cameo thickness, for instance - that really should be mentioned. So be on the lookout for those as well.

The good news is they're not hard to spot if you know what to look for. Another red flag to watch for are sellers who shoot all of their coins from the same angle and use lighting that always highlights the same part of the coin, usually with Liberty getting the spotlight from a powerful, off-camera light source. The light is usually angled in such a way to make cameos look much whiter and/or brighter than they are. Those will give you a more comprehensive look at a coin's various features, good and bad. The same holds true for coins shot only in shadow.

Such photos will often hide most, if not all, of a coin's defects, including bag marks, runs, scratches, hairlines, and uneven tone an indication a coin may have been cleaned. Don't be afraid to ask for additional photos, specifying you'd like to see those taken in both light and shadow, and, preferably, at different angles. Remember, you're the customer. Then you have bait-and-switch (BAS) sellers. The bait-and-switch works like this.

Now I know what you're thinking. A fair point -- and sometimes you can't know for sure. When you get the results, check the photos against those in the active listing. If you find more than one or two listings with the same photo, you may well have a BAS. So now you know the BAS is probably on and the coin in the photos may not be the one the winner will get. Naturally, that information is nowhere to be found in the listing or if it is, then fine. But generally speaking, stay away from listings that use stock photos unless they are for brand new coins such as silver Eagles or mint or proof sets. Super - and Super Absurd. Perhaps the easiest red flag to spot is the overhyped listing title. Now there's nothing wrong with a title - or a listing description for that matter - that plays up a coin's attributes.

After all, I want to get as many buyers as possible to look at my coins. What I don't want, however, is to exaggerate or outright lie about a coin's attributes, rarity or value. So how do you tell the difference between the eager yet still ethical sellers and those who will say anything, truthful or not, to make a sale? Some sellers in this category may be listing all of their coins with a single title simply out of convenience or to save time.

But in many cases -- particularly those in listings that also have photos showing impossibly perfect coins -- it crosses a line from legitimate time-saver to outright deception. Then there are the sellers that do nothing but string together a bunch of superlatives. If a coin is listed as being a Mega-Monster-Sweet-Turbo. , you might want to think twice.

Seriously, are we talking about sports cars here or silver dollars? Remember, the overhyped titles often go hand-in-hand with the manipulated photos, but not always. Sometimes you'll find sellers who take care to describe their coins more or less accurately in the titles and listings, but who post ginned-up photos. Collectibles in general, and coins in particular, are among the categories in which buyers are more reluctant to leave negatives. There are a couple of reasons for this.

The quality and value of collectibles are subjective, to say the least, and buyers know that opinions will often vary. They're reluctant to tag someone with a negative in cases where a return or dispute might have come down to nothing more than an honest disagreement. That comes with the territory.

And remember, the opposite is also true. All that said, dishonest sellers might still have some very nice coins among their listings. But don't be surprised if that silver dollar listing with photos showing a porcelain-like cameo and the patently absurd claim of "30 inch mirrors" turns out to have a very weak cameo and mirrors that are only PL, if that.

The bottom line: it's a crap shoot, at best. You might get a nice coin.

But either way, you almost certainly won't get one that looks anything close to what the photos show - and you probably will have overpaid for the coin, no matter how nice it is. I sell 3 or 4 coins a week as a side business -- though calling it a "business" is a stretch. It's mostly an extension of my love for coin collecting, which has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember.

They don't affect my business any more than I affect theirs. There are plenty of honest and respectful sellers who deserve your time and business. This item is in the category "Coins & Paper Money\Coins: US\Dollars\Morgan (1878-1921)".blue" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Modified Item: No
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
• Coin: Morgan
• Certification: Uncertified
• Strike Type: Deep Mirror Proof-Like
• Mint Location: San Francisco
• Year: 1880
• Circulated/Uncirculated: Uncirculated
• Composition: Silver
• Denomination: $1