BU vs AU
 

Hi. Does anyone have some good pics of BU coins and AU coins, specifically Morgans... or know of a place I could look to be able to know the difference? Wanting to pick some up soon and dont want to get ripped. Thanks.

Re: BU vs AU
 

Many of the online PM dealer sites post colored pictures. Do a google search. APMEX is one.

Re: BU vs AU
 

"BU" is not a recognized term in the numismatic grading circles, i.e. you'll never find a graded example of any coin graded as "BU-XX". AU is a recognized grade however so you can find lots of "AU-58", "AU-55", etc. graded coins. "BU", or brilliant uncirculated, is what a dealer will tell you to try to get a higher price out of you. But 99 times out of 100, they are not uncirculated, otherwise they would be MS (mint state) coins. Ask them what the coin would grade at, and they should tell you AU. If they claim mint state, then research the difference between MS coins and AU.

Re: BU vs AU
 

Many of the old timers (before grading was norm) use the terms Uncirculated (UNC)=MS60, Brilliant Uncirculated (BU)=MS63 and Choice BU = MS65 (all are approximate and highly subjective) Grading brought in the use MS terms to quantify the uncirculated grades and condition. Grade coins specify the MS state and since raw coins have no guarantee as to what they would grade as, many dealers still use the Unc-BU-Choice terms. They may tell you it will grade as MS-63 but until it does, its still a BU coin. It might grade at MA-62 or MS-64. If you are going to spend the premium for MS graded coins, learn to grade and recognise them yourself and don't rely on the dealers sales pitch. A lot of people look for under graded coins just to resubmit for a higher grade, thus increase their profit potential. Also grading changes over time due to market conditions so an old MS-64 just might regrade to MS-65 in todays climate.
Essentially you have to know the wear points of each series of coin to know where to look to see if the coin is AU or some uncirculated state.

Re: BU vs AU
 

The highest points on the morgan are the hair above the ear on the obverse, and the feathers on the eagles breast on the reverse. Rotate the coin under good light so as not to confuse a weak strike for wear. Just look at a bunch of coins, basically.

Re: BU vs AU
 

How about a book such as The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection